The 2007 movie ‘Hairspray’ is set in the 1960s Baltimore and follows teen Tracy Turnblad as she auditions for a spot on "The Corny Collins Show" and wins. She becomes an overnight celebrity, a trendsetter in dance, fun and fashion. She hopes that her new status as a teen sensation is enough to topple Corny's reigning dance queen and bring racial integration to the show. The themes of Hairspray deal with issues like discrimination and racism, specifically toward black Americans. These are issues that are still prevalent in society today, which is why seeing Tracy and her friend’s triumph over these problems still resonates with audiences across the nation and comes across as an amazing movement. However, the representation of people of colour in this adaptation of the movie actually come across as more damaging than progressive. This is for various reasons such as the fact that Hairspray’s portrayal of racism is most strongly rooted in the character of Velma von Tussle, the station manager. Right away Velma makes her beliefs clear that the White kids and Black kids should be separated, and that the White kids are superior. However, she is the only one who explicitly states this opinion. This gives the illusion that racism is simply just one White lady being mean and snarky. Another issue in Hairspray’s depiction of the Civil Rights Movement is how Tracy, a White girl, is the hero. This plays into the White Saviour trope, and Hairspray certainly isn’t the only form of entertainment to do so. The musical ignores the sacrifices and contributions to the movement by numerous people of colour and makes Tracy the centre of the movement, completely defeating the whole purpose.
The 2018 movie Black Panther was the first big-budget superhero movie with a black hero, director and a majority black cast. The significance was not lost on fans, some of whom went to cinemas in traditional African clothing to celebrate its depiction of black heritage and the fictional kingdom of Wakanda. It is a film about what it means to be black in both America and Africa and, more broadly, in the world. Rather than dodge complicated themes about race and identity, the film grapples head-on with the issues affecting modern-day black life. This is therefore a positive representation of people of colour as, unlike other Hollywood films, Black Panther doesn’t frame blacks as marginal characters such as sassy sidekicks, for instance, or in other degrading ways. It was said that in Wakanda, Africans control their own destinies. “This movie is almost an antidote to years and years and years of negative and dehumanizing portrayals of African people,” it was said “And I think this is why this is resonating with black people around the globe.”