Let’s Talk About The Gigi Hadid “Hairspray” Cover Where Everyone Is Thin
I fear the point may have been forgotten somewhere…
Warning: Discussion of body image and weight discrimination.
You’re likely aware that in the John Waters movie, the movie musical, and the Broadway show, the lead character of Hairspray is Tracy Turnblad. She’s a teenager who initially isn’t allowed on her local dance television show because of her larger size. Arguably a major theme of the show is the solidarity and overlap that can exist between fat people and the fight for racial equality.
New Line / courtesy Everett Collection
Now, Gigi is Vogue’s latest cover star and is at the center of their latest video, “Gigi Hadid Can’t Stop the Beat” (a cover of “You Can’t Stop the Beat”). “I love all things musical theater,” she told the publication, noting that she apparently played Amber Von Tussle when she was 9.
Gigi initially performs the segment of the song that the character of Penny sings. She is then styled in a wig reminiscent of Tracy’s iconic look.
Broadway star Cole Escola also makes an appearance as Tracy’s mother, Edna, but omits the line, “You just can’t stop my knife and fork when I see a Christmas ham” — presumably as Cole is straight-sized.
There’s also Laverne Cox as Motormouth Maybelle, a character who sings an entire song about being “Big, Blonde and Beautiful.”
You might see a slight issue here, which is that among the cover’s 16 dancers and four guest stars, none of them are fat. No bigger bodies are focused on…while paying tribute to a story about size discrimination.
While many comments were positive, some highlighted the lack of body diversity in the video:
It’s worth noting that Tracy is one of the only major musical theater roles available for fat performers in an industry rife with size discrimination. Sure, this is just a tribute and not a full production — but, given the weight stigma that also exists in the fashion industry, wouldn’t it have been great to showcase bigger models? Or, if they were really that against it just…pick another musical?
