This week, we continue our deep dive into John Waters’s Dreamland with an Iconography on Divine. Perhaps you have been reading our blog for the past week and want to know more about this cult icon. If that’s the case, pull up a seat and I’ll tell you more about John Waters’s muse, the heavenly Divine.
Divine Drag
Drag had been a form of entertainment for many years before RuPaul first donned a wig and lipstick. Since RuPaul’s Drag Race had its first season in 2009, we’ve seen an array of iconic drag queens emerge. Drag has evolved as an art form with drag queens transforming themselves into everyone and everything under the sun from vintage icons to otherworldly beings. Some drag queens look like living art installations. According to many sources drag was very different in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
“His [Divine’s] legacy was that he made all drag queens cool. They were square then, they wanted to be Miss America and be their mothers,” John Waters said in an interview with Baltimore Magazine. “He broke every rule. And now every drag queen, everyone that’s successful today is cutting edge.” (Goodman, E., 2018)
Divine has been described as the “Godzilla of Drag,” presenting as a loud, brash woman outrageously made up to look like a cross between vintage Hollywood sex symbol Jayne Mansfield and the Howdy Doody Show’s Clarabell the Clown. To add to the over-the-top, in-your-face anti-glamour, Divine was also unapologetically large, wearing curve-enhancing, skin-tight, revealing clothing. Upon his death in 1988, People magazine dubbed Divine, the “Drag Queen of the Century.”
Although Divine considered himself a character actor, not a drag queen, his indelible mark on drag herstory is seen today. Drag queens may have turned up their noses or run from Divine back then, but today’s queens embrace Divine. RuPaul’s Drag Race included a John Waters/Divine-themed challenge in Season 7 and Eureka played Divine for the Drag Race All Stars Season 6 Snatch Game challenge. If you look on YouTube some drag queens have Divine makeup tutorials. Divine’s most interesting contribution is as the inspiration for Disney villain Ursula in The Little Mermaid.
Glenn
Divine was born Harris Glenn Milstead on October 19, 1945, in Baltimore, Maryland to Harris Bernard and Frances (nee Vukovich) Milstead. Divine’s parents worked for the Black and Decker factory in Towson, Maryland. Frances described her son as a “good little baby, always had nice manners.” (So, J., 2017).
Named after his father, his parents called him Glenn to differentiate between the two. His mother said that he liked going to Sunday School and watching musicals. He played with his cousin’s dolls and enjoyed fixing their hair. During play, he always took on a feminine role. As Frances put it, Divine “always wanted to be the mother.” (I Am Divine, 2013). Friend Vincent Peranio said that Divine always liked pretty things and played dress-up with his mother’s clothes.
When Divine was 10 years old, Frances took him to see a pediatrician who told her that her son was more “fem than he was masculine.” She said she cried and Divine asked, “‘Mom, what did he tell you that was so bad?’ I said, Glenn no matter what that doctor told me, you’ll always be my baby and I’ll always love you. I said ‘Just remember that.” (I Am Divine, 2013)
Bullied Black & Blue
His mother, friends, and co-stars agree that Divine had an enormous appetite. As Divine reached adolescence, his mother took him to what she called a “diet doctor,” who gave her pills to give to him. She said that whenever they left the doctor’s office, Divine would say “Come on, Mom, let’s go get a pizza.” (I Am Divine, 2013) Divine had no friends growing up. After coming home from school, he ate dinner with his family and then did homework. He had no social life.
“I was an introvert and I never really went out of the house until I was about 16 years old,” Divine recalled. “I was very uptight about my weight and about the way I looked and always wanted to look like everyone else.”
The Milsteads relocated from Baltimore to the suburb of Lutherville when Divine was 12. He attended Towson High School where his peers mercilessly bullied him for being overweight and his effeminate demeanor. “They used to wait for me every day to beat me up after school and to the point where I was quite black and blue and afraid to say anything ’cause they had threatened my life,” Divine recalled. “It was very bad. You know, finally one day, I had to go for a physical to the doctor. And when I disrobed, I mean, it was quite obvious that something terrible was happening to me.” (Wintemute, D., Furdyk, B., 2023) Divine had no choice but to tell his parents about the bullying and they called the police. The bullies were expelled.
At One With The “Freaks”
Divine’s life changed when he met aspiring filmmaker John Waters at age 16.
“I lived in Lutherville, Maryland with my parents and Divine’s mother and father moved up the street six houses away,” Waters recalled. “ I didn’t meet Divine until I was probably about 17. My father used to take us to school, and I was angry and hating every moment of school, just defiant, and I would see Divine waiting for the bus. My father would shudder and Divine was dressed in a little preppie outfit just waiting for the bus, but like, with that look of nelliness, and Divine wasn’t trying to stick out. He was trying to pass as a normal preppie kid going to school but no one believed it. He could never pass as normal.” (I Am Divine, 2013)
A friend said that Waters and Divine became “two entwined pieces of energy.” (So, J., 2017). An interest in movies, especially Russ Myer films, connected them, and their love for the more bizarre films. Waters and Divine also discovered drugs at this time, specifically pot and LSD. With Waters, Divine also discovered there were other people like him. “When Divine finally did go out and went downtown, he met gay people, and then he went out with a vengeance,” Waters said. “He never came back.” (I Am Divine, 2013) Friend Sue Lowe described their group as “freaks” not hippies. “Freaks drank, ate meat, and did, you know, drugs,” she said. (I Am Divine, 2013). Waters described it as a diverse group of “[…] rich kids, poor kids, gay people, straight people, all together on LSD.” Lowe said, “It was underground but that was the charm with Baltimore. You could get away with a lot.” “It was not like today where everybody was out and there was a gay scene,” Waters said. “There was but it was illegal to be gay. It was kind of more fun then.”(I Am Divine, 2013)
His mother said that at this point her son began to change. She started catching him in lies. Divine admitted that he was arrested a couple of times for shoplifting. He threw extravagant parties and ran up bills in his parents’ name. He got the mail every day and ripped up the bills so his parents didn’t see them. However, Frances recalled once getting an $800 bill for flowers. When she asked her son about it, he said he threw a party.
Diana
In the meantime, Divine started dating. Diana Evans recalled dating Divine from around 1959 to 1965. He took her to movies and plays and to see the Baltimore Symphony. Evans described Divine as very loving, attentive, and caring. He looked out for his friends and had a great sense of humor. “His first attempt to kiss me was when he was 16,” Evans said. “and it was just a very gentle kiss there was nothing animalistic or lusty. “ (I Am Divine, 2013)
Divine advised Evans on her wardrobe and had definite ideas about how he wanted her to look. He bought clothes for her that she would wear. Divine designed the look from hair to flowers when they went to the prom. “We went to the prom and they were all very envious of us and that’s what he liked,” Evans said. (I Am Divine, 2013)
Beauty School
Divine decided to put his talents to use. He decided to parlay his love of hair and makeup into a career. Frances recalled that when she went to have her hair done every week, her son always came with her. While in the salon, he liked to play with the wigs. His parents eventually decided to allow Divine to attend beauty school. They even bought him a shop. “[…] so he could learn responsibility,” she said. (I Am Divine, 2013)
He had no problem finding customers. Evans recalled that his customers loved him. It was also around this time that Frances said people began to talk about her son and question his sexuality. One day a woman said to her that he was a great hairdresser but he’s queer. “Growing up in those times, you just didn’t know about people being different in that way,” Evans said. “So it never dawned on me that he was gay or anything. I liked his creativity.” (I Am Divine, 2013)
The Divine Within
Divine became close friends with future Dreamlander David Lochary, an apprentice at a popular salon. Lochary was a high school dropout with an eccentric look and way about him including speaking with an English accent. Waters described Lochary’s radical look complete with long bleached blonde hair and dark heart-shaped roots. Lochary awakened the inner Divine in Glenn Milstead. Waters referred to Lochary as Divine’s “drag mentor” and said he was the person to get him into drag the first time.
Evans recalls the first time she saw Divine in drag when she was invited to a “costume party.” She said that Divine came to her house with Lochary. She admitted she didn’t like Lochary and felt that he was possessive of Divine. She said they went into her bedroom, and when Divine came out he looked like Elizabeth Taylor. “He wanted to be Elizabeth Taylor,” Waters said. “That’s all he cared about. He smoked Salems because she did.” “The dress looked great the shoes were great,” Evans said. “He looked gorgeous. So, we went on to the costume party and that’s the first time I noticed so many guys dressed like girls and he outdid all of the other girls there.” (I Am Divine, 2013) At this point, Evans and Divine began to go their separate ways. In the fall of 1964, she saw Divine less often and they lost touch.
Lochary and Divine attended drag balls in Washington which were underground events held in the wee hours of the morning, usually in bad neighborhoods. “Drag was pretty. It was glamorous but it was pretty and it was thin,” said drag performer Jackie Beat. Drag was about elegance—mainstream glamour. Many sources say Divine didn’t fit the mold simply because he was overweight. Instead of abandoning drag or starving himself to lose weight, Divine decided to do drag on his own terms.
The Daily Beast reports: “But drag, as Divine discovered during his visits to the balls, found itself adopting a style of its own in mockery of, but based on, outdated standards of beauty—Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy. Waters and Divine simply went further, and took the protest to an extreme, into the realms of aesthetic terrorism and zero-taste shock.”
Divine thought the drag scene at the time was ridiculously competitive and the other drag queens took themselves too seriously. Waters recalled the Divine wore clothes that an overweight person would not wear during that time. Waters encouraged Divine because, as Waters put it, “he was making fun of drag.”
Birth of Divine
In an interview on the set of Pink Flamingos, Divine talked about how Waters first filmed him. “I was having a birthday, a surprise birthday party for a friend of mine and John had just gotten his first camera then, and came over and decided to try it out at the party, and he shot some footage and used that in one of his earlier movies, Roman Candles.” (Divine Trash, 1998)
Divine started appearing in Waters shorts, beginning with Roman Candles in 1966. Waters re-christened his friend “Divine.” “They say everywhere that Divine was named from the Jean Genet book [Our Lady of the Flowers] but I remember it being named Divine because it was a Catholic word they always used in high school,” Waters said. “This is divine, and this is divine, and that’s where it came from for me. I didn’t remember the thing in Our Lady of the Flowers, although that must be impossible because I did read that book around that time,” (Divine Trash, 1998) “He just said that he thought I was Divine and that should be my name for the film [Roman Candles],” Divine said. (I Am Divine, 2013) Waters explained that whoever the audience noticed the most got bigger parts each time and everyone immediately noticed Divine.
Roman Candles was followed up by Eat Your Makeup in which Divine appears as Jackie Kennedy in a large-size reproduction of the former First Lady’s pink suit. Released only two years after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Eat Your Makeup didn’t go over well. “People really didn’t think it was funny,” Waters said. (So, J., 2017)
Divine was the leading lady in Waters’s next film, Mondo Trasho (1969). The persona we’ve come to know as Divine began to take shape. We get to see a partially realized Divine in Mondo Trasho, which did get national attention. However, In Waters’s next film, Multiple Maniacs (1970), Divine had dialogue for the first time.
Divine and Waters had definite ideas as to who the character Divine was. In their minds, Divine was an exaggerated and insane caricature of their idol, vintage Hollywood blonde bombshell, Jayne Mansfield. “John wanted a very large woman because he wanted the exact opposite of what normally would be beautiful,” Divine said. “He wanted a 300 lb beauty as opposed to a 110 lb. beauty. That’s what he got—the most beautiful woman in the world turns out to be a man.” (I Am Divine, 2013)
Waters wrote the dialogue tailored to what he knew about Divine. He considered Divine’s past as the bulled fat “sissy” kid. Thinking of Divine’s acerbic and caustic onscreen personality as a way to channel all of the anger Waters knew brewed within his friend. “I knew that Divine had this anger that he really hadn’t tapped into yet,” Waters said, “and that’s how Divine got born this character that I thought up for Divine, used that anger that he had from all his high school traumas.” (I Am Divine, 2013)
Divine Meets The Cockettes
Divine went on to collaborate in performances with the San Francisco drag queen troupe, The Cockettes. Waters described Divine’s meeting with the Cockettes as a turning point at which Divine fully embraced being Divine—Divine and Glenn Milstead merged and became one.
The story is told, in part, in my post on The Cockettes, who opened up the midnight movie show at The Palace Theater in San Francisco. Waters and Lochary had already headed out west. Shortly after arriving, their roommate told them about the midnight movie shows. The Palace Theater was one of few theaters outside of Baltimore that dared to host showings of Waters’s films. Lochary and Waters went to the Palace’s Nocturnal Dream Show and discovered the drag queen troupe that performed the chaotic and anarchic opening show. The Cockettes were already fans of Waters and Divine and wanted Waters and Divine to perform with them.
Divine agreed to fly out to San Francisco. But, before he got on the plane, Waters asked makeup artist Van Smith to create an interesting look for Divine. This is when Divine got his signature look complete with a partially shaved head and eyebrows to allow for elaborate eye makeup. Divine arrived and was overwhelmed by the warmth and acceptance he received. He decided to stay in San Francisco and became a Cockette.
Divine performed in a jungle-themed show complete with men in loincloths. Divine groped the men to decide who she would put in her pot to cook for dinner. In Divine Saves the World, she seduces Fidel Castro, hijacks a plane, and helps achieve peace in the Middle East. In Journey to the Center of Uranus, Divine was dressed in a bright red crab dress complete with padded pincers and a six-foot tail and sang “A Crab on Uranus Means You’re Loved.” Divine also played Divina in a Halloween-themed show called Vice Palace based on Masque of the Red Death.
Divine partied with The Cockettes at clubs, where he loved to dance. Many of the Cockettes described Divine as shy, far removed from the loud, acerbic character she played onstage. While in San Francisco, Divine developed a relationship with David Baker, Jr., his leading man in Vice Palace. “Divine was very timid still in those days when it came to his sexuality,” said Cockette Delores DeLuce, “but David wasn’t. There was definitely a relationship there.”
“Divine would tell you about someone that she was in love with,” recalled Cockette Fayette Hauser, “and then when it didn’t end well then Divine would come over and there would be a lot of weeping. When you were with Divine, it was a grand moment of excess and you would plunge in.” Soon, Divine would leave San Francisco to return to Baltimore to film Pink Flamingos.
Pink Flamingos and New York
Divine became a cult film star in 1972’s Pink Flamingos, for the shocking scene in which he ate freshly pooped dog shit on camera. Divine would be asked about this scene for the rest of his career.
After Pink Flamingos‘ success in New York, Divine moved there. He and Waters were swept up in a whirlwind of recognition. They were invited to the famous Studio 54, met Andy Warhol, and hung out with his superstars.
In New York, Divine acted in plays, and performed comedy and musical shows. He continued playing many different incarnations of Divine—bold and ballsy women. Divine landed a lead role in an off-off-Broadway play at the Truck and Warehouse Theater, Women Behind Bars. He played a matron, “a very cruel, sadistic woman who had her way with the youngest who came in.” (I Am Divine, 2013) The show was a success, with celebrities such as David Bowie, Diane Keaton, Warren Beatty, and Elton John coming out to see it. Divine’s role in the play led to striking up a friendship with Elton John, which led to Elton John inviting Divine to perform at his show at Madison Square Garden.
While Divine embraced his burgeoning success, he didn’t forget where he came from and the Dreamlanders wished him well. “I thought it was great because I knew how talented he was and how much he needed to spread,” Lowe said. “He was ready to stretch a little bit and not just be a John Waters star.” (I Am Divine, 2013) Divine expressed his gratitude for Waters giving him his start. “I know that I couldn’t be successful without John because I started with John,” Divine said. “and I owe John quite a bit, and he gave me my beginning in the whole business, and sometimes I thank him, and sometimes I hate him for it but mostly I love him and thank him for it.” (I Am Divine, 2013) Waters said he was happy that Divine was finding work outside his troupe. “I was all for it because I couldn’t make a movie every year,” Waters said. “I couldn’t get it together. I couldn’t get the money to make it. So, I hoped Divine found a way to get other work.” (I Am Divine, 2013)
Divine’s popularity continued to soar. In 1978, he starred in a play in New York called The Neon Woman, as Flash Storm, a tough stripper who owns her own club. Divine eventually went back west, living briefly with Joan Agajanian Quinn, the West Coast editor of Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine.
Return to Dreamland
Aside from acting, Divine recorded some disco songs such as “Shoot Your Shot,” and “You Think You’re a Man.” However, Divine wasn’t satisfied. As I said before, he didn’t consider himself a drag queen but a character actor who played women’s roles. Many sources reiterate that Divine did not identify as a woman. While he was always called Divine off-stage and on screen, the onscreen Divine was an alter ego, a character he helped create. He was ready to move on and wanted to play men’s roles. “The minute he was off camera he’d take all that shit off,” Waters said. (So, J., 2017) Divine had difficulty finding work. At this point, he wanted to branch out to male roles.
In 1980, Waters and the Dreamlanders regrouped to film Polyester. Divine was cast in the lead role of a housewife. He enthusiastically rejoined Waters’s troupe. For this film, Divine starred opposite 1950s heartthrob, Tab Hunter, which he was excited and nervous about.
Divine starred in drag opposite Hunter once again in the 1985 film Lust in the Dust. However, the same year, Divine starred as a gay male gangster in Trouble in Mind. He donned drag one last time to team up with Waters for Hairspray in 1988. He also landed another male role in the sitcom Married with Children. Unfortunately, only three weeks after Hairspray’s release and just before filming on Married with Children started, Divine passed away on March 7, 1988, from an enlarged heart.
His costars in Lust in the Dust reported Divine suffered health issues onset, even passing out on one occasion. He was provided with oxygen tasks between takes. The excess weight Divine carried must have taken its toll. According to friends, he loved eating. “I think food filled the void with him. He was very vulnerable. People didn’t see that because he covered, you know, a lot. When you got to know him, he was very sensitive,” co-star and friend Helen Hanft said.
Divine didn’t live a healthy life but his friends all say he lived life to the fullest. By all accounts, he was a generous person and a loyal friend. Not only that, he was a trailblazer. Although he didn’t consider himself a drag queen, he inspired future drag queens and many other queer artists. Along with the Cockettes, he put himself out there as a drag queen who broke the mold. He couldn’t be a slender cookie-cutter model of societal perfection, he did things on his own terms.
Sources:
Yeager, S. (Director). (1998). Divine Trash. [Film]. Fox Lorber.
Schwarz, J. (Director). (2013). I Am Divine. [Film]. Automat Pictures.
Goodman, E. (May 25, 2018). Drag Herstory: The Wild Life and Untimely Death of Divine, Drag Queen of the Century. Them. Read here.
So, J. (July 11, 2017). A Tribute to Divine, Hollywood’s Most Infamous Drag Queen. The Daily Beast. Read here.
Wintemute, D., Furdyk, B., (January 23, 2023). The Unforgettable Life and Career of Drag Superstar Divine. Nicki Swift. Read here.
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