Hairspray Summary

Hairspray directed and produced by Jon Waters in 1988 focuses on the different strains and discriminations against each character as individuals such as heavy people, African Americans and different classes of people. The movie shows struggles people had faced through this time, although this movie might have humor within it a lot of serious matters are surfaced and shown through it.

Throughout the movie we are introduced to many characters but the main ones are Tracy, Penny, Link and Seaweed. Each character is faced with a strain that can break them or make them stronger than ever before. Tracy is a Caucasian female who loves to dance and although Tracey has a huge heart she struggles with the fact that she is heavy. Tracey also has an African American best friend but during this time there was segregation it wasn’t something that was accepted. Penny is Tracey’s best friend who wants to fight for integration but does not want her mother to find out because her mom is old fashioned and is against it. Link is a idol of all teens, he stars in The Corny Collins Show and also goes to school with Tracey. Link is an all around popular kid who is against diversity and feels as though he has to go by what’s “norm” blacks against whites and all the stereotypes. As the movie goes on we find out that Link is of Tracey’s interest and at the end she wins his heart and teaches him to be open to diversity. Last we have Seaweed who is the lead of the show just on “Negro Day”. He has an all around great personality and he inspires Tracey with her desire for integration.

The characters of the movie face their own types of strains because of the environment they are raised in, whether it is because of tradition or what is called “norms”. The director of the movie Jon Waters wants the viewers to understand deviance through all of the strains for example being in a time of segregation it was said to be normal that blacks and whites were to be separated. Since in the more Tracey and...