Velma Von Tussle

Velma Von Tussle is a former beauty queen and the main antagonist of Hairspray. She is the manager of station WYZT. She is racist and weightist and only cares about keeping her daughter, Amber, in the spotlight of the Corney Collins Show.

Plot
May 3, 1962: Tracy Turnblad, a cheerful, overweight high school student living in Baltimore, Maryland steps out of her apartment ("Good Morning Baltimore") and endures a day’s worth of school before she and best friend Penny Pingleton can watch their favorite television show, The Corny Collins Show, a teen dance show broadcast from local station WYZT ("The Nicest Kids in Town").

The teenagers featured on the show attend Tracy and Penny's school, among them the arrogant and wealthy Amber von Tussle and her boyfriend, Link Larkin, the lead male dancer. Amber’s mother, Velma, manages WYZT and makes sure Amber is featured and that The Corny Collins Show remains a racially segregated program. Corny Collins and his Council Members are white; black kids are only allowed on the show on "Negro Day", held the last Tuesday of each month and hosted by R&B disc jockey Motormouth Maybelle, who owns the local record shop.

Tracy's reclusive mother, Edna, and Penny's strict, religious mother, Prudy, disapprove of their daughters' fascination with the program, despite the fact that Prudy watches the show herself; Tracy's father, Wilbur, a joke-shop proprietor, is more lenient. Corny Collins announces that one of the Council Members, Brenda, is pregnant, and is going on a leave of absence, so auditions for a replacement will be held during school hours the next day ("It Takes Two"). When Tracy attends, Velma rejects her for being overweight and supporting integration ("(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs"). Tracy is sent to detention by Miss Wimsey for skipping school, discovering the "Negro Day" kids practicing their dances in the detention hall. Tracy befriends the students' best dancer, Motormouth Maybelle's son, Seaweed, who teaches Tracy several dance moves. As Tracy leaves detention, she inadvertently bumps into Link and dreams of a life with him ("I Can Hear the Bells"). At a record hop, Tracy’s moves attract the attention of Corny Collins ("Ladies' Choice") and he appoints her to the Council ("The Nicest Kids in Town (Reprise)").

Tracy becomes one of Corny's most popular Council Members. This, however, threatens Amber's chances of winning the show's yearly "Miss Teenage Hairspray" pageant ("The New Girl in Town") and her relationship with Link, as he grows fonder of Tracy. Mr. Pinky, a slightly off-centered salesman, suggests that Tracy be the spokesgirl for his Hefty Hideaway boutique. Tracy persuades Edna to accompany her to the Hefty Hideaway as her agent, and in the process helps cure her mother's agoraphobia ("Welcome to the '60s").

Tracy introduces Seaweed to Penny, and the two are smitten. One afternoon, Amber has Tracy sent to detention. Link follows after taunting their teacher Mr. Flak. Seaweed invites the girls and Link to follow him and his sister Little Inez to a platter party at Motormouth Maybelle's store ("Run and Tell That"). Edna finds Tracy and tries to take her home, until Maybelle convinces her to stay and tells her to take pride in herself ("Big, Blonde and Beautiful"). Maybelle informs everyone that Velma has canceled "Negro Day". Tracy suggests that Maybelle and the others stage a demonstration for the next afternoon, a day before the "Miss Teenage Hairspray" pageant. Realizing that he has a chance at stardom by singing at the pageant, Link does not attend the demonstration. After the party, Edna goes to Wilbur's shop to flirt with him, but Velma gets there first and tries to seduce Wilbur ("Big, Blonde and Beautiful (Reprise)"). Edna arrives and accuses Wilbur of infidelity. Edna, out of hatred for Velma, forbids Tracy from being on the show. Wilbur and Edna reconcile ("(You’re) Timeless to Me").

The next morning, Tracy sneaks out of the house to join the protest ("I Know Where I've Been"), which comes to a halt at a police roadblock set up by Velma. The protesters are arrested, but Tracy runs to the Pingletons, where Penny hides her in a fallout shelter. Prudy catches Tracy and calls the police before tying Penny to her bed. Seaweed and his friends, having been bailed out by Wilbur, help Tracy and Penny escape. Link visits Tracy’s house to look for her and realizes that he loves her. Seaweed and Penny acknowledge their love during the escape from her house ("Without Love").

With the pageant underway ("(It’s) Hairspray"), Velma places police officers around WYZT to stop Tracy. She also changes the pageant tallies so Amber is guaranteed to win. Penny arrives at the pageant with Edna incognito, while Wilbur, Seaweed and the Negro Day kids help Tracy infiltrate the studio to participate in the Miss Teenage Hairspray contest. Link breaks away from Amber to dance with Tracy; later, he pulls Little Inez, who has arrived at WYZT with Maybelle, to the stage to dance in the pageant.

Little Inez receives the most votes and wins the pageant, officially integrating The Corny Collins Show. Velma declares her frustration, informing her daughter of the tally-switching scheme. Edna and Wilbur have turned a camera on her, and Velma's outburst is broadcast on the air, causing her to be dismissed. The Corny Collins Show set explodes into a celebration as Tracy and Link cement their love with a kiss ("You Can’t Stop the Beat").