Enter Media Theatre's 'Best Bouffant Contest' in Honor of 'Hairspray'

The Broadway musical runs from September 26 to November 4. To tease everyone prior to its opening and during the show’s run the theatre is holding a Best Bouffant Contest for ladies and their favorite salon.

A bouffant is a hairstyle in which hair is teased to give an overall ‘puffed out’ appearance and piled high on the head, most times with a frame around the face as well. According to Wikipedia, it was a mainstream hairstyle in the mid-to-late 18th century in Western Europe. It is assumed it was created for Marie Antoinette as she had thin hair and wanted to create an ‘illusion’ of having full hair.

“Hairspray” takes audiences on a journey to the 1960s, when bouffants were common—yet perhaps not as layered and wild as the musical and the film it is based on will lead viewers to believe. The show, with its multi-layered confection of social justice and integration, is a high-energy comic burst that delights all ages—and the hairstyles are no exception, as they symbolize class rank and express the time period during which teen Tracy Turnblad takes on the Corny Collins Show to Baltimore’s surprise.

A few of the most famous and recognizable bouffants in the modern era belonged to several First Ladies including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Lady Bird Johnson, and Pat Nixon. Several pop divas also utilized bouffants to create images for themselves such as the late Amy Winehouse, Katie Pierson and Cindy Wilson of the B-52’s, and Beyonce had one in her popular “Single Ladies” video. The look was parodied by actress Katey Sagal when she portrayed Peggy Bundy in the FOX-TV show “Married With Children.” Sarah Palin, to her chagrin, had her bouffant famously satirized by comedienne Tina Fey on “Saturday Night Live.”

Salons that enter the “Hairspray” Best Bouffant Contest at might win 20 tickets to the production.

How to Enter:

• Create the bouffant and style it on the model of your choice
• Take a photo
• Email the photo to rer764@gmail.com and be sure to include contact information

How to Vote:

• The Media Theatre will then post the photo to www.mediatheatre.org, along with the name of the Salon attached to the photo (don't forget that contact information)
• The public votes, at no cost, for the “Best Bouffant”

Winners

The winning Salon will be chosen on Oct. 1. The winner will receive 20 complimentary tickets to “Hairspray” at The Media Theatre for the Friday night performance on Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. (which is also the Costume Contest Night during the musical’s run, so opportunities remain to win even more prizes!)

For more information on The Media Theatre’s “Hairspray” Best Bouffant Contest, contact Roger Ricker at rer764@gmail.com or call The Media Theatre at 610-891-0100. Visit www.mediatheatre.org for ticket sales, show information, and show dates.