Hairspray shows teen girls you don't have to be skinny to get the guy

Teen self-esteem advocate, HeyUGLY.org, is hoping teens to rush out and see Hair Spray, the new movie/musical starring John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron and introducing Nikki Blonsky.

The musical is about a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart named Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky). Her dream is to appear on her city’s TV dance program - "The Corny Collins Show." Tracy is a great dancer and a natural fit for the show except for her plus-sized figure. Tracy not only wins a spot on the dance show, she also wins the hearts of the viewing audience and the show’s most popular hottie, Link Larkin (Zac Efron).

"We think the movie will show teen girls they don't have to be a size 2 in order to fit in or have a boyfriend," explained Betty Hoeffner, HeyUGLY.org's president. "When we asked young men what type of girls they liked, a majority said they prefered girls who are confident and fun to be around."

"To girls out there my advice is that what matters is character, sense of humor, hobbies and interests, fun and conversation," said Zac Efron in the July 13 issue of The Sun. "I do like girls with curves. I don’t like the stick thin girls that you see in Hollywood. Size zero models may be great in theory but when you see them in person you realize there’s not much there. I like a girl that is happy and healthy."

On HBO's First Look, Nikki Blonsky, Hair Spray's plus-sized star said, "The time is coming for people who are different. You can just be who you are and you don't have to try to be anybody else."

Blonsky could be right. Celebrities like Ugly Betty's America Ferrara, Dream Girls' Jennifer Hudson, American Idol winner, Jordan Sparks, and Kelly Clarkson, are all talking about how they are happy with their body type and content with who they are. These celebrities let their inner beauty shine which is what Link finds so attractive about Tracy. Tracy isn’t caught up in the constant struggle to achieve and maintain an elusive perfection like Amber Von Tussel (Brittany Snow). Amber represents all the girls who are struggling to be the perfect size, wear the perfect clothes and be in the perfect clique; showing that sometimes happiness is harder to achieve for them, than those not in the, "in" crowd.

"Girls like Amber put themselves through a lot of pressure to be perceived as pretty," said Hoeffner. "Instead of being free to enjoy life, they are consumed with comparing themselves to others. Their critical inner voice has them constantly comparing themselves to celebrities, friends and even strangers to see if their thighs are as skinny or their hair is as shinny. This demoralizing behavior leaves little room for them to find their inner beauty."

"Pretty people can be just as damaged as ugly people or fat people," said Michelle Pfeiffer in the March issue of Allure. "And in some ways more because beautiful women tend to get used. And sometimes, their self-esteem is so wrapped up in the way they look that they allow themselves to be victimized much more than somebody whose self-worth isn't all wrapped up in their face or their body." Pfeiffer plays Amber's mom in Hairspray.

"Michelle Pfeiffer helps us to understand that low self-worth is not limited to big girls," said Hoeffner. "Low self-esteem affects learning and can lead to such problems as delinquency, unhealthy relationships, eating disorders, drugs and suicide. That is why it is imperative schools start incorporating self-esteem-building into their lesson plans. To help them, we developed a self-esteem and diversity-building curriculum that is free to teachers and organizations like the Boys and Girls Club, and Boys and Girls Scouts of America. In parity with movies like Hair Spray, there is hope that America's youth can find their inner light and let it shine for all to see, especially themselves."