Hairspray -1988- Site

Today, the film stands as a monument to outsider culture, a biting satire of 1960s segregation, and the foundation of a multi-million dollar media franchise. But to understand the true power of Hairspray , one must look past the Broadway lights and the 2007 movie musical, returning to the gritty, glorious, and gloriously oversized heart of the 1988 original.

Forget what you think you know.

The 1988 Hairspray isn’t a shiny Broadway sing-along. It’s John Waters doing something almost unthinkable: a PG movie. No dog poop, no obscene phone calls. Just Tracy Turnblad (a radiant Ricki Lake), a beehive that defies gravity, and a steel trap of a plot about 1960s TV dance shows and racial segregation. Hairspray -1988-

At the center of this whirlwind is Tracy Turnblad, played by the inimitable Ricki Lake in her film debut. In the landscape of 1980s teen movies, dominated by the likes of Molly Ringwald and the "Brat Pack," Tracy Turnblad was a revolutionary figure.

. It uses the vibrant, high-energy world of 1960s dance culture to address serious social issues: Music Theatre International Racial Segregation Today, the film stands as a monument to

Furthermore, features a level of body positivity that feels shockingly modern. Tracy Turnblad is fat, and the film never suggests she needs to lose weight. She is desirable (two boys fight over her), athletic (she dances for hours), and smart. In an era of anorexia and "heroin chic" (the late 80s), Waters put a plus-size heroine at the center of the frame and refused to apologize for it.

POV: You just discovered the original Hairspray (1988) and realized the musical left out the funniest parts 🕺💣 “The nicest kids in town… with the biggest hair.” John Waters’ secret weapon? He made a feel-good movie that’s still subversive as hell. #hairspray1988 #johnwaters #rickilake #divine #criterion The 1988 Hairspray isn’t a shiny Broadway sing-along

If you have only seen the Broadway version or the 2007 remake, you have not met the real Tracy Turnblad. Seek out the original. Watch Divine weep with joy. Watch the cops chase teenagers for dancing. Watch the final freeze-frame of Tracy riding a float into the sunset. In the world of , love always wins, but only because the outcasts are willing to make a little noise.