To find this Dolly joke meme in bad taste?

Interesting, I'd love to read the autobiography! I'm glad Scott proved to be loyal when she became ill.

I can see similarities with Dolly though they were born nearly 10 years apart, definitely in their film personas. Dolly was primarily a singer-songwriter but it would've been interesting if Barbara had continued singing more.

Barbara was happy to marry Ronnie Knight but he wasn't open about the full extent of his criminal activity - that gradually came out as she got dragged into court cases. I would say she was quite naive when she married him (based on her autobiography, which incidentally is a brilliant read).

Barbara had many affairs, and so did Ronnie - she was open about being a woman who basically enjoyed sex - and good for her. Her second marriage to Stephen Hollings broke down because he lost interest in her romantically and sexually - he was a workaholic - and she understandably didn't want a life of being ignored.

She finally seemed to find happiness with Scott, and the strength of their relationship was proved when she developed Alzheimers, and Scott remained by her side to care for her as her health declined. Scott's autobiography more or less picks up where Barbara's ends and covers their last years together.

Barbara wrote of being compared to Dolly Parton, a kind of 'Britain's answer to ' She took her career along the path of acting but she was a brilliant singer in her early days on stage.

Yes, I think BW married her dubious husband from choice. She knew that world, she knew what he was - she hung around with the Krays for years.

The marriage didn’t work, as some don’t, but she got on with life. She obviously had a thing for Sid James.

DP was different - she was married to her husband for decades, but he was never part of her professional life.

But, both women controlled their own lives.

Yes, I think BW married her dubious husband from choice. She knew that world, she knew what he was - she hung around with the Krays for years.

The marriage didn’t work, as some don’t, but she got on with life. She obviously had a thing for Sid James.

DP was different - she was married to her husband for decades, but he was never part of her professional life.

But, both women controlled their own lives.

I certainly don't think Barbara Windsor was a 'victim'.

'Not suppressed by men?' Less convinced by that. It's hard not to see a woman as somewhat suppressed who feared for years that her gangster husband would harm Sid James. She was however (I think) in the marriage by her own choice...

She definitely had similarities with Dolly but I think Dolly had a better deal overall. Not only did she have a stable marriage, she was much more in control of her career due to songwriting, good business management etc Windsor did strong dramatic work with Joan Littlewood but got somewhat typecast after the Carry On films : that was never an issue for Dolly in the same way because she controlled most of her material.

Sorry, I know that's a bit off topic!

True. I think though plenty of her money was due to her talent alone ; her exaggerated look probably helped but if she'd had the look without the talent she wouldn't have got anywhere

@ITanya78 @Deadringer @sittingonabeach @Jane379 @shadowsinthegroceryline et al.

TBH on the musicians forums I'm on - where the vast majority of posters - singers, songwriters, guitarists, bass players, drummers (they even let them in!) etc are men - there has been nothing but wholesome appreciation for her talents as a songwriter, performer, entrepreneur, for her philanthropy, her wit, generosity of spirit, etc - the forums have quickly filled up with many heart felt comments even from people who don't like country music - she's appreciated not just for her talents in music but for being a thoroughly decent and compassionate human being - that she should be appreciated just for that, I think, that marks her out as a very special person indeed. I've not seen a single misplaced comment. That was a life "well lived"!

So humour is more important than good taste even after a sad death?
If family members of Dolly were privately making jokes like that, I could understand that- dark humour is often a way some use to cope with grief. But random men on the internet aren't griveing family, obviously.

Yeah - Dolly Parton and Barbara Windsor were strong, independent, feisty women, who knew how to play the game, and do it all with a smile, some giggles, and enhancing their ‘assets’ for effect. They both knew how to laugh at themselves - a rare thing nowadays.

To suggest that they were somehow ‘suppressed’ by men is completely nuts.

They were both popular, enjoyed some dirty laughs, and did life on their terms, with no navel gazing. .

As it should be. 👍

I don't think humour is supposed to be in good taste, it's meant to be in good humour. I think it's funny.

Jane 379 - People like you with no sense of humour are the reason why people like Dolly with a sense of humour are/were so refreshing. Being offended on someone else's behalf is tedious.

I'm reminded of Scott Mitchell putting 'that' photograph on the back of Barbara Windsor's order of service, because she'd always joked that the scene of her bikini coming off in Carry on Camping would 'follow her to her grave'.

As Barbara's husband, Scott was best placed to judge what would have brought a smile to his late wife's face. It's harder to say whether that kind of risqué humour is inappropriate when it's an internet meme by randoms - probably for Dolly's loved ones to make that call rather than Mumsnetters.

@shadowsinthegroceryline "I would hope that most people could see that there is a clear difference between a woman making, often witty and self-deprecating remarks about her own appearance and strangers on the internet, probably mostly men, ignoring her life and legacy and reducing her to two body parts in order to make a cheap and crass 'joke'."

Beautifully put and I totally agree. I stupidly thought we'd gone past the stage of men reducing women to body parts. But it seems it's still alive and well and perfectly acceptable on Mumsnet. Dolly laughing at herself is not in any way comparable to a bunch of random men on the internet using her dead body for a cheap joke.

She always said that being bought in grinding poverty, to a level we can’t imagine, over here, grounded her. She didn’t worry about non-important stuff. She just went with what she had.

She donated royalties from The Coat of Many Colours, which she wrote, in honour of her mother, to charity. She said it was a true account.

She knew what family love was, but she knew what real poverty did as well. She just took a pragmatic view - use what you’ve got and win the day. Which she did. And she gave a lot of money to those affected by poverty. Plus, her father was illiterate so that’s what started her donating books to so many children. 👍

There will never be another Dolly Parton. One of a kind. 🥂

Yeah - Dolly Parton and Barbara Windsor were strong, independent, feisty women, who knew how to play the game, and do it all with a smile, some giggles, and enhancing their ‘assets’ for effect. They both knew how to laugh at themselves - a rare thing nowadays.

To suggest that they were somehow ‘suppressed’ by men is completely nuts.

They were both popular, enjoyed some dirty laughs, and did life on their terms, with no navel gazing. .

As it should be. 👍

It’s a meme. All memes are slightly offensive/on the edge. If you find this much much worse than any others, I suspect you’re probably a little sensitive on the topic.

Dolly would have laughed her head off. That's why she was so refreshing in this politically correct, humourless world.

I think that many of the previous posters who say that Dolly would have been fine with this kind of crass 'joke' are missing one very pertinent point. Making jokes about one's own appearance is very different to having strangers on the internet doing the same thing. It's similar logic to people who refuse to understand why it is acceptable for black people to use the 'N-word' and not for white people to do so.
It is all a case of intent and context. I would hope that most people could see that there is a clear difference between a woman making, often witty and self-deprecating remarks about her own appearance and strangers on the internet, probably mostly men, ignoring her life and legacy and reducing her to two body parts in order to make a cheap and crass 'joke'. The latter example is offensive, degrading and misogynistic in the way the former is not.
It is certainly possible that Dolly may have laughed at this, I imagine she spent most of her life being forced to laugh at jokes at her own expense so as not to seem like an 'uptight bitch'. Even being rich, successful and respected wouldn't have meant she was entirely free of this sexist shit.