Pink Flamingos

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Divine, with dramatic makeup and long blond hair, grins while holding a pig's head in a scene from the film Pink Flamingos.

Pink Flamingos

film by Waters [1972]

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July 21, 2026

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Divine, with dramatic makeup and long blond hair, grins while holding a pig's head in a scene from the film Pink Flamingos. — Pink Flamingos Divine in a scene from John Waters's black comedy film Pink Flamingos (1972).

Pink Flamingos is a 1972 cult film directed by John Waters, often referred to as the "Pope of Trash". The movie is known for its boundary-pushing and transgressive content, which initially repulsed many viewers and critics but is now considered a cult classic.12

The film features a grotesque scene where the drag queen Divine eats dog feces, a moment that led Variety to call it "one of the most vile, stupid and repulsive films ever made". Despite its controversial nature, Pink Flamingos has been recognized as one of the greatest films of all time by Variety. Waters's films, including Pink Flamingos, are characterized by their subversive humor and willingness to explore taboo subjects.21

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camp
Camp classics in film
…unabashedly trashy films that include Pink Flamingos (1972), Polyester (1981), Hairspray (1988), and Cry-Baby (1990), American filmmaker John Waters is widely referred to as the “King of Camp.” Waters’s canon is a knowing celebration of bad taste, fully conscious of its place as camp. Featuring the acting talents of larger-than-life
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…unabashedly trashy films that include Pink Flamingos (1972), Polyester (1981), Hairspray (1988), and Cry-Baby (1990), American filmmaker John Waters is widely referred to as the “King of Camp.” Waters’s canon is a knowing celebration of bad taste, fully conscious of its place as camp. Featuring the acting talents of larger-than-life
Read More

John Waters
The Pope of Trash: From Multiple Maniacs to Pink Flamingos and Polyester
…of his most infamous movies, Pink Flamingos, which features a grotesque scene showing Divine eating dog feces. Variety called it “one of the most vile, stupid and repulsive films ever made.”
Read More
…of his most infamous movies, Pink Flamingos, which features a grotesque scene showing Divine eating dog feces. Variety called it “one of the most vile, stupid and repulsive films ever made.”
Read More

The Worst Movies of All Time
Cult classics: So bad, they’re good
…of such tasteless fare as Pink Flamingos (1972), Polyester (1981), and the relatively mainstream Hairspray (1988), proudly embraces his title as “the Pope of Trash.”
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…of such tasteless fare as Pink Flamingos (1972), Polyester (1981), and the relatively mainstream Hairspray (1988), proudly embraces his title as “the Pope of Trash.”
Read More

Link Wray
Career
…John Waters’s dark comedy film Pink Flamingos (1972), and “Rumble” can be heard in scenes from Quentin Tarantino’s film Pulp Fiction (1994) and the movie Independence Day (1996). In the mid-1990s, Wray briefly returned to performing amid a surge in appreciation of his work. The documentary film Rumble: The Indians…
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…John Waters’s dark comedy film Pink Flamingos (1972), and “Rumble” can be heard in scenes from Quentin Tarantino’s film Pulp Fiction (1994) and the movie Independence Day (1996). In the mid-1990s, Wray briefly returned to performing amid a surge in appreciation of his work. The documentary film Rumble: The Indians…
Read More