If you haven't seen a 300-pound drag queen in a liquid-look catsuit doing backflips on a trampoline while screaming about her "career," have you even lived? Honestly, probably not. We’re talking about Dawn Davenport Female Trouble, the 1974 cult epic that basically invented the "famous for being famous" trope decades before Instagram existed.
It’s gross. It’s loud. It’s glorious.
John Waters, the "Pope of Trash," didn't just make a movie here; he built a monument to bad taste. At the center of the hurricane is Divine, playing Dawn Davenport, a Baltimore delinquent whose life spirals from a Christmas morning tantrum into a literal death row execution.
The Cha-Cha Heels That Changed Everything
Most movies start with a "call to adventure." In Dawn Davenport Female Trouble, the call to adventure is a pair of shoes. Specifically, black cha-cha heels.
It's Christmas 1960. Dawn wants the heels. Her parents, being "sensible" Baltimore types, get her a nice pair of sensible flats instead.
Big mistake.
Dawn doesn't just cry. She loses her absolute mind. She shoves the Christmas tree onto her mother, calls her parents every name in the book, and storms out of the house. That’s the catalyst. No turning back. She hitches a ride with a greasy guy named Earl Peterson—also played by Divine in "macho" drag—gets pregnant in the back of a car, and begins a decades-long descent into a life of "crime and beauty."
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It sounds like a soap opera. It’s actually a nightmare dressed in polyester.
Why Divine Was the Only One Who Could Do It
Let’s be real: nobody else could have pulled this off. Divine was a force of nature. In Pink Flamingos, she was pure shock. But in Dawn Davenport Female Trouble, she actually acts.
She plays Dawn through three decades of life. We see the bratty teenager, the struggling unwed mother, the "thief and shitkicker," and finally, the high-fashion criminal superstar.
The range is wild. One minute she’s beating her daughter, Taffy (played by the legendary Mink Stole), with a car aerial. The next, she’s being recruited by the Dashers—two "morally bankrupt" salon owners who believe that "crime is beauty." They want Dawn to commit increasingly heinous acts so they can photograph them.
It’s a bizarre, satirical take on the modeling industry. Donald and Donna Dasher (David Lochary and Mary Vivian Pearce) are the ultimate enablers. They don't want Dawn to be "pretty" in the traditional sense. They want her to be horrifying.
The "Crime is Beauty" Philosophy
This isn't just a movie about a lady who kills people. It’s an ideological war. John Waters dedicated the film to Charles "Tex" Watson, a member of the Manson Family.
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Kinda dark, right?
Waters was obsessed with the idea that the more "evil" someone was, the more famous and "beautiful" they became in the eyes of the public.
"I'm a thief and a shitkicker, and I'd like to be famous!" — Dawn Davenport
That line is the soul of the film. Dawn doesn't want redemption. She doesn't want to "learn a lesson." She wants to be on the front page of the paper. She wants to be a star.
When she gets acid thrown in her face by a jealous ex-husband, she doesn't hide. She puts on more makeup. She leans into the scars. The Dashers love it. They think the "ugly" is the new "glamour." It’s basically a middle finger to the 1970s beauty standards.
The Supporting Cast of "Dreamlanders"
You can't talk about Dawn Davenport Female Trouble without mentioning the regulars.
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- Edith Massey as Aunt Ida: She’s obsessed with making her nephew, Gator, "turn nelly." She literally begs him to be gay because "the world of the heterosexual is a sick and boring life."
- Mink Stole as Taffy: As Dawn's daughter, Taffy is the ultimate victim of "female trouble." She’s forced to live in an attic, gets shackled to a bed, and eventually runs away to join a Hare Krishna group. Watching Mink Stole play a child (despite being a grown woman) is one of the film's weirdest and best choices.
- Cookie Mueller as Concetta: The ultimate Baltimore "bad girl" archetype.
Why It Still Matters in 2026
You’d think a low-budget movie from 1974 would feel dated. It doesn't.
If anything, it’s more relevant now. We live in the era of the "scam artist" influencer. We watch people do "prank" videos that are basically just harassment for clout. We follow "villains" on reality TV because they’re more interesting than the heroes.
Dawn Davenport was the original influencer. She just used a gun and a trampoline instead of a ring light.
The film's ending is the ultimate payoff. Dawn is in the electric chair. She’s not crying. She’s not apologizing. She’s performing. She tells the audience she loves them, then she dies for her art. It’s a total inversion of the "morality plays" of the 1950s.
How to Watch and What to Look For
If you’re diving into this for the first time, grab the Criterion Collection version. The restoration is crisp, and the colors—the neon blues and puke greens—really pop.
Watch for these specific moments:
- The Trampoline Act: Divine did her own stunts. That’s actually her doing those flips (after training at a local YMCA).
- The Eyeliner Scene: Dawn eating eyeliner because she’s so "vain" she wants to be beautiful on the inside.
- The "Scaly" Look: When Dawn’s face is scarred and she wears that massive, structured wig. It's iconic drag history.
Actionable Insights for Cult Cinema Fans
If you want to truly appreciate the depth of Dawn Davenport Female Trouble, don't just watch it as a "gross-out" movie.
- Study the Sartorial Choices: Look at the costumes by Van Smith. He used cheap fabrics and extreme silhouettes to create a look that was "expensive-trashy." This influenced designers like Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier.
- Compare to "Women in Prison" Films: Waters was parodying the "exploitation" flicks of the early 70s. Notice how he uses the tropes of the "wronged woman" and turns them on their head.
- Research the Baltimore Locations: Most of the film was shot in condemned buildings or the houses of Waters’ friends. It gives the movie an authentic "grit" you can't fake on a soundstage.
Dawn Davenport isn't a hero. She’s a "monster." But in the world of John Waters, being a monster is the only way to be free. Next time you're feeling a bit rebellious, just remember: you could have had it worse. You could have gotten the sensible flats.