“Hairspray”
The movie “Hairspray” analyzes racism in America and the obliviousness of the society who never understood why the African-Americans were discriminated against due to conforming and obedience to the status quo. Tracy is the main character, the daughter of Edna and Wilbur, who dreams of being a dancer in the “Corny Collins Show.”
Tracy interacts with the black dancers who were to perform on “Negro Day,” She learns some moves that she uses for her audition and is accepted. Tracy pushes to integrate the teen dance show with the talented “Negro Day” dancers but learns that the channel rejected the idea because of racism in the station. According to the film, obedience and conformity in societal beliefs are seen in the teen show that was all white and did not consider other races to maintain the status quo of segregation.
The social psychological theory that supports obedience and conformity themes in the film is the System justification theory that proposes individuals are motivated to bolster and defend the existing status quo to continue trusting that their economic, social, and political systems are just and legitimate (Myers, 2002). In the movie, the television show ‘The Corny Collins Show’ did not allow integration of black dancers and were only permitted ones on Negro day. At that time, society had conformed to the idea that blacks were an inferior race and were discriminated against openly. The show perpetrated discrimination by denying black dancers an equal opportunity to maintain the status quo and conform to their social, political beliefs.
In conclusion, conformity and obedience in discriminative beliefs are seen in the film’s plot by society accepting a social wrong and following it blindly without questioning it. However, Tracy’s efforts helped change the narrative as she challenged conforming to racism. The theory of system justification reveals why people maintain the status quo and conform to their social, political beliefs.