I Am Divine

Young, chubby Harris Glenn Milstead liked musicals, was drawn to feminine pursuits, and was bullied. He was privately playing "dress-up games" in his mother's clothes. By 1963, Glenn was brave enough to show up at a party with his then girlfriend dressed as an astonishingly passable Elizabeth Taylor, among the many glamorous stars he openly idolized.After meeting a crowd of gay hipsters and freaks. Glenn started camping it up, shoplifting, writing bad checks, and smoking grass. Glenn also met the man who was about to change his life - John Waters. Like Glenn, Waters was obsessed with movies and they bonded over the films of Russ Meyer and Jayne Mansfield. They began to forge a new character, one which mocked the conventional "pretty" drag queens that aspired to look as real as possible. With Waters' encouragement, this character started to emerge. She was outrageous, outlandish and obviously overweight. Glenn's wicked, rebellious side matched the sensibilities of Waters, and John christened his new star "Divine" and they started making films together.