Seems like everywhere you look, there’s Gen Z slander. Being born in the new millennia seems to truly irk those born in the caveman years before it. Yes, Gen Z might be aloof and overly involved, but at least we didn’t ruin the economy, propagate for wars over oil, or tolerate the racism & sexism from previous generations.
That being said, i really miss being 11 and thinking shit was sweet.
Luckily movies from my childhood help with that deep set sadness. Hairspray was and is one of my favourite musicals that i’m not ashamed to admit i enjoy. The 60s aesthetic is a top tier style era, in which a plethora of other aesthetics emerged from. It’s high hair and Twiggy bottom lashes—oh, and “civil rights”.
Tracy Turnblad, played by Nikki Blonsky, is a young, naive and somewhat progressive girl from Baltimore. After auditioning for an after school teen dance show, she miraculously gets picked to join. Despite her shape, her vibrant personality affords her a spot on the show, and soon after uses her new platform to fight for social justice. This movie is a spinoff of a spinoff; based on a play that was based on a old movie from the 80s, it’s a rare collection of stars that aligned. Zack Efron and Amanda Bynes were at the peak of their infamy, rubbing shoulders with legends such as John Travolta and Queen Latifah. Fresh faces like Elijah Kelley and Taylor Monèt Parks, who played Seaweed and Lil Inez respectively, were a burst of fresh air in this project, leaving a lasting impression on audiences with their performances.
Aesthetically this film nails it on every level—the set design is impeccable, the costumes and clothing are pitch perfect, and the dialogue is at times obnoxious but effective. There are many little details that Hairspray pins in here and there to truly capture the essence of a campy, comedic take on a serious issue. American cinema is entrenched in racism, like all things in that country. John Waters, a icon in his own right, wrote this film in opposition to the perpetual force of his time; stating that even racists enjoyed his film, returning to this film was strangely revelatory.
At first, i had the intention of picking apart this film in the trivialization of racial discrimination, in which this movie equates body shaming/fatphobia to the exclusion of black people in society. And although that would be a easy thing to do, it requires me to tap into the trauma and disheartening history of places like Baltimore where the stench of Jim Crow lingered despite the changing times. And we say no to unnecessary labour in this house.
Most of us have an experience with a type of prejudice or discrimination, all varying in different degrees. The focus of our viewer’s seat is the journey Tracy goes through when she pulls the curtain on the grotesque mistreatment of her newfound friends. While standing in solitude with the progressive change of the 60s, shes met with opposition, which is expected from any cultural change. Tracy’s mother, her friend Penny, the villain Velma von Tussle and her daughter all suffer to some degree under the societal pressures placed over them. The fear and shame of ones body, religious authoritarianism, beauty standards, and sexual exploitation are all perpetuated in this story, and can be found in real life. These issues are much more layered and nuanced, and require a butterfly light hand in their execution—and they wouldn’t sell as well as Black trauma does anyways.
The songs are also another powerful force in this movie; the doo-wop nature of these songs, which are a direct result of Black influence, are considered classics in Americana. There’s cha-cha, soul, rock n’ roll and ear-worm melodies delivered in across the 2 hour run time, which were all composed by two guys (Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman). One of the most fourth-wall moments in the movie for me was when the “Temptations” sang the second portion of New Girl in Town, where the antagonist played by Michelle Pfeiffer complains on them singing the same song as her girls, even though it was written by the Black women.
The places this film shines the most is the way each frame and shot mimic’s a theatre stage; a spotlight illuminates their hair whenever they are alone in the extra wide film, and the steady movement of the camera gives an impression of having a perfect seat in the building. Intimate shots of the characters faces also reinforces the non-verbal visual cues, harkening to exaggerated emoting characteristic of theatre performances. These actors’ experience in theatre productions refines their portrayal of these types of characters on tape. The sets are also grand and elaborate—their airbrushed perfectness adds to the element of fabrication, while simultaneously appearing to be plausible places.
From the poster for this feature, one would be hard pressed to find the markers of the main conflict of this chain of events would centre around Civil Rights. Although this could be argued to reflect the demographic of movie goers in terms of what they would want to see, this film would be the musing of what a white person would think black people are like: singing, dancing, and in need of a white saviour in order to be freed. Although its a comedy, the development of these characters is apparent for the white cast, but not for their Black counterparts. After the whole ordeal with being wanted by the police for “assaulting” a cop, Tracy just strolls back on television and Corny Collins, portrayed by James Marsden, casually allows integration after seeing the numbers on his viewership rising because of Lil Inez, a little Black girl. Racism solved!
As superficial as this film is, it’s a movie that at the end of the day makes me smile, and juggles my memory of being 11 and not considering the reality of life problems that i would never be able to fix, no matter how hard i share infographics online. This movie helps me forget, and hum along for a good while. And that’s enough. ✶
in my own little corner 