Good Morning Baltimore – Welcome to Segregated America!

The 2007 film Hairspray is a musical based in America during the 1960s. The lead character, Tracy Turnblad, struggles with the segregation and treatment of the black community. This is most evident at the studios where she secures a role as a dancer on the ‘Corny Collins Show’. The film illustrates the struggles that America’s black population faced during the sixties, and conveys important themes.

From the very start of the film, there are a lot of references to the perception of race. Language such as ‘nice white kids’, ‘steer them in the white direction’, ‘thrusting like savages’ and ‘black and tan cocktail’ are used. When Tracy is asked ‘would you swim in an integrated pool?’ she is judged for her positive answer. Probably the most shocking language is the use of the word negro, that in today’s society is viewed as unacceptable but, in the sixties, was commonly used. The show even has its own ‘Negro day’ dedicated to rhythm and blues music and the black style of dancing, compared to the more conservative white style.

There are some noticeable moments in the film that demonstrate the type of segregation and discrimination that took place in sixties’ America. For example, on the dance floor there is a rope down the length of the hall, dividing the whites from blacks. Even though the school is racially integrated, when Tracy goes to detention she is the only white person there. This, possibly, reflects the unfair treatment of black children.

The most significant scene in the film is the peaceful march that the black community undertake. This is against the cancellation of their slot on the show and discrimination against black people on TV. These kinds of marches and protests were common during the sixties. Before, and after, the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965, protests for black equality were prevalent. Leading activists, such as Martin Luther King, tried to organise peaceful demonstrations to gain good publicity for their movement. An example of this is the 1963 Birmingham campaign in Alabama. This protest resulted in the imprisonment of Martin Luther King and many others, police brutality, and bombings at the Gaston Motel and King’s brother’s house. The extreme brutality exacted on the black protestors at Birmingham, surprisingly even among the younger residents on the Children’s Crusade, is partly reflected in Hairspray’s peaceful march.

However, the events at Birmingham gained worldwide publicity, highlighting the issues in America. America had represented itself as anti-racist in its propaganda during World War II, in contrast to the Third Reich. However, with the Cold War came international criticism of America for its institutional racism. Therefore, the press received by the protests, such as the ones at Birmingham, helped to instigate the beginnings of change.

Hairspray manages to show some of the issues faced by the black American community in the sixties. It reflects how change began from a down-up approach, rather than focusing on the leading figures. It also seems rather fitting that the small town where this film is set, Baltimore, Maryland, houses the headquarters of the NAACP.

By Lauren Shaw