Lainey Wilson Looked to Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire to Deal with Being Objectified on Social Media

Updated:

May 29, 2024 10:53 am

American Songwriter participates in affiliate programs with various companies. Links originating on American Songwriter’s website that lead to purchases or reservations on affiliate sites generate revenue for American Songwriter . This means that American Songwriter may earn a commission if/when you click on or make purchases via affiliate links.

Lainey Wilson’s star started to rise rapidly after she released Bell Bottom Country in 2022. As her star rose, more and more people began to look her way. Some people’s eyes lingered on certain parts of Wilson’s body longer than she was comfortable with. Soon, videos of her butt in skin-tight bell bottoms went viral on social media. The way she dealt with the objectification highlighted the kind of person and artist she is.

Videos by American Songwriter

Wilson talked about her rear-end going viral during the documentary special Lainey Wilson: Bell Bottom Country. She explained to Robin Roberts how it made her feel and how looking to her heroes helped her deal with those feelings and move forward.

Lainey Wilson on Looking to Dolly and Reba for Inspiration Amid Objectification

“It was November of ’22 and I was scrolling on TikTok and I noticed a few videos of my butt that had gone viral. Then, I noticed like a week later, it continued and continued. And then the next week, I was like golly, it’s still there!” she recalled. “It wasn’t just like a small little viral moment. It was a big—no pun intended—moment.”

Wilson addressed the videos on social media at the time. Instead of showing how upset she was about the viral videos, she said she was glad people had found her, no matter what brought them to her.

“First of all, I was like how did y’all just notice I had a big ol’ butt?” she joked with Roberts. “It’s been back there the whole time,” she said with a laugh. Then, she got a little more serious. “I went back to how would Dolly handle this situation. How would Reba handle this situation? They’d laugh about it and move on with it,” she said. “It’s just part of it.”

Wilson admitted that discussions about her body have been frustrating and have made her feel “weird.” However, it has also strengthened her resolve. “Me gaining a few pounds or losing a few pounds ain’t got nothing to do with me singing or my songwriting. Like, if you got a problem with that, turn off the radio because you’re going to be hearing me on the radio,” she said.

Featured Image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images