Many theatrical productions utilize transgender characters or cross-dressing in order to enhance the storytelling for the better. Shows like Rent humanize their LGBTQ+ characters and normalize them, and shows like Tootsie and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie focus on the social implications of crossdressing, specifically whether it’s ethical to do it for personal gain and make poignant arguments for both sides. However, there are shows that portray transgender persons as jokes. The clearest example of this misappropriation is found in Hairspray.

The character of Edna Turnblad, the mother of the leading lady, is traditionally played by a man. This wouldn’t be a problem if it were done respectfully, but Hairspray takes it one step further by making Edna an ugly, fat, socially-inept weirdo, who, after becoming more in touch with her femininity by getting a makeover and fooling around with her husband, becomes more “normal.” Hairspray makes it seem like the idea of a man dressed up as a woman is a joke, but if they’re simply a woman or a man, not in between, it’s okay. This is problematic in many ways because it invalidates the whole idea of being transgender and not cisgender: it’s invalidating to say that if you are not feminine enough as a trans-woman, you are a joke. Although theatre claims to be an inclusive environment for all types of people, there is work to be done in this media format.