"Real Women Have Curves" is a 2002 American comedy-drama film directed by Patricia Cardoso, based on a play by Josefina López. The story centers on Ana García, an 18-year-old Mexican-American girl in East Los Angeles who struggles between her ambitions of attending college and her family's traditional expectations. The film is renowned for its theme of body positivity, portraying the strength and beauty of women with curves beyond conventional beauty standards. It received critical acclaim for its realistic portrayal of a working-class Latina family, its coming-of-age narrative, and its message celebrating diverse body types. The film won awards at Sundance and other film festivals, and in 2019, it was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry as culturally significant. The story has also been adapted into a Broadway musical, which opened in 2025.
The phrase "Real Women Have Curves," popularized by the film, expresses an empowering acceptance of women's bodies in all shapes and sizes, challenging societal beauty norms that often idealize thinness. The film's cultural impact has resonated especially within the Latino community and among those advocating for body positivity and diversity in media representation.
