Amid the discussion about these TV and movie looks, the only one that people were willing to “excuse” was John Travolta as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray. “At the end of the day, the role wasn’t shaming or making fun of fat people. That’s the key,” one user wrote. “All of these other roles say, ‘being fat is bad, and that’s the punchline.’ Hairspray said, ‘Edna is fat, and she’s awesome, and that’s the punchline.'”
“He had so much love for Edna. He advocated for truly hourglass padding. He didn’t just want to be ‘man in a dress,’ he wanted to do DRAG, mama!” someone else wrote about John’s approach to the beloved role. “He knew Edna was sexy and sexual and nurturing and motherly, and he wanted her look to reflect all of that.”
