He told NPR that the intention behind his appearance was to be 'the exact opposite of what normally would be beautiful.' Waters and Divine's first collaborations were the short films Eat Your Makeup and Roman Candles. Divine's sharp and unmistakable makeup look was created by the artist Van Smith, another frequent collaborator with John Waters. He would exaggerate the size of his forehead by shaving his hairline further back, which also made room for larger eye makeup.
These early projects were key in the development of Divine's iconic image. It was Waters who gave Divine the name and tagline, 'the most beautiful woman in the world.almost.' Divine became Waters' muse, and the two quickly began making movies together. After graduating from high school, he worked as a hairdresser, and it was this that sparked his interest in drag. Born in 1945, in Baltimore, Milstead soon met the legendary filmmaker John Waters, who lived on the same street as him. He was a multi-hyphenate who acted, sang, and performed drag. Harris Glenn Milstead was a performer whose stage name was Divine.
