In Pink Flamingos (USA, 1972), the criminal Divine (living under the alias of Babs Johnson) takes great pride in her filth and is declared the “filthiest person alive.” When Connie and Raymond Marble attempt to steal the title, Divine fights back in an increasingly revolting battle that engages nearly every known human taboo. When Divine finally confronts the Marbles, they pretend not to know who she is, causing her to proudly declare, “I’m the filthiest person alive, that’s who I am!” Divine’s iconic look was designed and styled by Van Smith for the film.

Though John Waters became known for films that deliberately push the boundaries of good taste and challenge traditional institutions, recently he's also achieved more mainstream acceptance, with Pink Flamingos (USA, 1972) and Hairspray (USA, 1988) added to the U.S. Library of Congress’s National Film Registry, speaking engagements worldwide, and now an exhibition here at the Academy Museum—to which he responded, “I’m so respectable, I could puke.” Waters has sported his trademark mustache for decades, which he enhances with a Maybelline Velvet Black eyeliner pencil.

Tracy Turnblad is the self-identified “pleasantly plump” teenage protagonist of Hairspray (USA, 1988) who goes from bullied outsider to queen of the auto show. With infectious optimism and righteous morals, Tracy confronts the prejudices of 1960s society around race, class, and body type—all while showing off her confident dance moves and a modern fashion sense. When she gets cast on a local teen dance show, she excitedly proclaims that all of Baltimore will now know she is "big, blonde, and beautiful!” Tracy’s hair design was created by Christine Mason.

In the Cry-Baby (USA, 1990) script, Mona “Hatchet- Face” Malnorowski is described as having “the body of a goddess, and, unfortunately, the face of a mule.” Her beautiful, Veronica Lake–style blonde waves contrast with lopsided red lipstick, skewed eyeliner, and a lone arched eyebrow, giving her a permanent sneer that conveys her always-tough attitude. To anyone who dares suggest she’s less worthy because of her appearance, she scoffs that “there’s nothing the matter with my face. I got character.”

Edie, from Pink Flamingos (USA, 1972), is a woman of simple pleasures. Each morning, she awakens in her crib and awaits the arrival of the egg delivery man, so that she can have her usual breakfast. If he does not arrive on time, she may despondently cry out, "Eggs! Eggs! Eggs!" until her daughter, Divine (living under the alias of Babs Johnson) calms her down. Though Edie worries about the possibility of a world without chickens—which would mean a world without eggs—Divine assures her this anxiety is mere “egg paranoia.”