It was a painful time for the women who blazed the trail Parton was on—a trail most blocked and treacherous for women of color, gay women, and others outside the cisgender, straight, white mold more palatable to American systems of power. For any woman on that path, the decade was a cluster of mixed messages: Work a “man’s job” but for less pay than men. Wear shoulder pads to evoke a man’s strength but also high heels to click delicately down the hallway. Be independent enough to drive to the office but answer to a male boss and cook your husband’s dinner when you both get home from work.
