Babs Johnson: transgression and rebellion in ‘Pink Flamingos’
“Kill everyone now! Condone first-degree murder! Advocate cannibalism! Eat shit! Filth is my politics! Filth is my life!” are the iconic words that Divine’s Babs Johnson proudly championed in John Waters’ cult classic Pink Flamingos. The controversial filmmaker rose to prominence with the 1972 film, which is still banned in several countries and American states to this day.
After making several shocking shorts, Waters truly came into his own with Pink Flamingos, which starred several frequent collaborators of his, known as his Dreamlanders. Divine, the drag alter ego of Harris Glenn Milstead, is at the centre of the movie, playing a criminal who lives in a trailer park. Proud of her outrageous reputation, Babs is enraged to discover rivalry in the form of The Marbles, a couple who run an underground baby ring for lesbian couples.
The movie is packed full of stomach-turning moments, such as close-ups of a prolapsed asshole, bizarre sex scenes involving chickens, and even a scene featuring Divine actually putting real dog shit in their mouth. Waters cemented himself as the king of provocation and transgression with the film, purposefully subverting cinematic and societal expectations through the weird and wacky characters and storyline.
Babs Johnson is one of Waters’ most enduring creations, which Divine brought to life with expert precision. The character sports a bright, figure-hugging dress with tulle adorning the hem, her hairline is shaved far back, and her makeup is extravagant and exaggerated. The unforgettable look even inspired the character of Ursula in Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
For the entirety of the film, Babs’ behaviour is relentlessly shocking and over-the-top. Becoming a camp icon, Divine purposefully acts with an unnatural flair, giving the character a larger-than-life sensibility. The role would become Divine’s most recognisable, a representation of all things bold and brave. Waters and Milstead wanted to purposefully make audiences uncomfortable, using extremity and humour as a coping mechanism for the state of America they were experiencing. Waters once told Letterman, “I find humour in all the things that are terrible about America and things that people have anxiety about, but the first step of getting rid of anxiety is to laugh at it.”
Babs is a terrible person; after all, she’s vying for the crown to be called “the filthiest person alive”. Yet, you can’t help but worship the icon as she graces our screens (although her level of grace is debatable) with unashamed hideousness. By the end of the film, the narrative descends into even greater chaos as Babs has a birthday party that results in the police being called.
Babs and the party-goers only have one logical solution for this issue – killing and eating the police officers, of course. After fellating her adult son, Babs heroically frees the women being held captive by The Marbles before shooting her enemies in the head in front of a camera crew. It’s a lot to take in.
Pink Flamingos is a wild ride that is not for the faint of heart, yet one that is certainly worth the watch for all lovers of camp and grotesque cinema. Divine’s performance encapsulates the ultimate rebellion against normalcy and decorum, with Waters forcing audiences to face up to the ultimate embodiment of someone completely at odds with the ideal American citizen.
