![]() ![]() Having struggled with obesity throughout his life, he died from cardiomegaly, shortly after the release of Hairspray.ĭescribed by People magazine as the "Drag Queen of the Century", Divine has remained a cult figure, particularly within the LGBT community, and has provided the inspiration for fictional characters, artworks and songs.Ī worthwhile documentary film devoted to his life is I Am Divine (2013). He achieved international chart success with hits like ’Shoot Your Shot’ (1981), ‘You Think You're a Man’ (1984) and ‘Walk Like a Man’ (1985), all of which were performed in drag. Meanwhile, in 1981, Divine embarked on a career in the disco industry by producing a number of Hi-NRG tracks, most of which were written by Bobby Orlando. He starred in two more of Waters' films, Polyester (1981) and Hairspray (1988), the latter of which represented his breakthrough into mainstream cinema. Then Divine moved to theater, appearing in several avant-garde performances alongside San Francisco drag collective The Cockettes. Divine next starred in Waters' Pink Flamingos (1972), which became a cult classic and established Divine's fame within the American counterculture. By the mid-1960s he had embraced the city's countercultural scene and befriended Waters, who gave him the name "Divine" and the tagline "the most beautiful woman in the world, almost."ĭivine joined Waters' acting troupe and adopted female roles for their experimental short films. Milstead developed an early interest in drag while working as a women's hairdresser. Discover his struggles with bullying, body image, and personal struggles, as well as his legacy and influence on music and culture. ![]() Divine was an American actor, singer, and drag queen, born as Harris Glenn Milstead.Ĭlosely associated with the independent filmmaker John Waters, Divine was a character actor, usually performing female roles in cinematic and theatrical productions and adopted a female drag persona for his music career. Learn about the life and career of Divine, the iconic drag superstar who starred in John Waters' raunchy films and became a cult figure. ![]() Divine puts a steak between her legs to simultaneously parody the rhetoric of women. 1.On this day, 35 years ago, Divine died at the age of 42 ( - ). drag queen's reliance on visible contradictions, as opposed to the. Here are some of my favorite throwback photos of the queen. Genet rarely uses the word travesti transvestite for his drag queens, but calls them folles drag queens or tantes queens. Her larger than life character was always utilized to the best of its ability by John Waters and getting to see how Divine was outside of the cinema, there's no doubt that this character was so much more than just a gimmick, but a true icon. queen, the butt mocked even in fag hangouts, her pearl coronal broken and strewn upon the floor, Divine rallies the absurd courage to proclaim, Dammit. These pictures capture the essence of Divine in a way that otherwise only her filmography could. Drag them all down and kill them all God Emperor said with a cold expression God. Instead, I can only look back to their legacy with admiration, appreciation, and a few tears in my eyes (not enough to mess up my gold eyeshadow, though). Divine Queen God Emperor stared coldly at Divine Queen. I'd love to have seen Divine's Drag Race or hear Freddie Mercury produce music during my lifetime. Although I was far from fat at the time, and " body positive" wasn't even a term yet, Divine helped me love myself and my specific brand of glittery peculiarity all the same.Īs I mourn the loss of my biggest hero, David Bowie, I can't help but wish we'd had some of my other idols for just as long. Queen and Paradise Lost The concern of writers like Sidney, Spenser and. Spending my teen years marathoning John Waters movies and coming to terms with my own queer and oddball identity, this '70s drag queen helped me understand a lot more about myself than any boy band ever would. divine effusion and as the illumination of the human world, and though the. Out of all of my alternative heroes growing up, Divine - aka Harris Glen Milstead - was definitely among one of the weirdest.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |