I was so sad to hear that Dolly Parton had passed away at 80. There are certain people who seem as though they have always been part of our lives, and Dolly was one of them for me. As I read the tributes to her incredible life, I realized the timing felt especially meaningful because yesterday was also Women’s Equality Day.

It got me thinking about Dolly not just as an entertainer, but as a woman who spent much of her life being underestimated.

The big hair, rhinestones, heels, Southern drawl and ability to laugh at herself were all Dolly. She never tried to tone herself down or become what someone else thought a successful woman should look or sound like. She leaned into it.

But underneath all those rhinestones was an incredibly smart woman who wrote some of the most popular songs in music, built businesses, created thousands of jobs, gave millions of dollars away with her philanthropy and was a brilliant business woman.

One of my favorite Dolly stories involves I Will Always Love You. Elvis Presley wanted to record it, which would have been an enormous opportunity for a young songwriter. But his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, required songwriters to give up half of their publishing rights. Dolly refused. She later said she cried over the decision, but she knew the value of what she had created and wasn’t willing to give it away. Years later, Whitney Houston recorded the song, and the rest is history.

There is something about that story that feels especially appropriate for Women’s Equality Day.

Women have spent generations receiving contradictory messages. Be confident, but not intimidating. Be ambitious, but don’t be difficult. Speak up, but make sure everyone still likes you, you don’t want to ever be accused of complaining. Look good, but don’t look like you’re trying too hard. Be strong, but smile while you’re doing it.

Dolly seemed to figure something out a long time ago: you don’t have to become someone else to be taken seriously. You do, however, need to know your own value, because there will always be someone willing to underestimate it.

Women fought for generations to have a voice and equality. I think one way we honor them is by actually using ours, while also being careful not to make those same assumptions about other women. Intelligence doesn’t have a particular look. Kindness isn’t weakness. Femininity and strength are not opposites.

Dolly Parton leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of music, a legacy of giving and perhaps most importantly, being unapologetically herself. There is something all of us, women and men alike, can take from that.

Be smart. Be kind. Know your worth. Give back. And never be afraid to wear the rhinestones.