Real Women Have Curves, and Brains to Boot

The opening scene of Real Women Have Curves depicts a diligent young Ana Garcia, played by actress America Ferrero, hard at work before school, washing her windows. We get views of Latino laborers loading trucks to leave for work and many of the Latinas doing the same while caring for young children. There is movement, there is vida (life,) and there is Ana working hard to navigate her existence as a brilliant young Latina seeking to break the shackles of an overbearing mother, Carmen. From the opening scene, the audience gets the notion that Ana's oppressors are intimate and all around her as Ana's entire family gathers in the cramped confines of Mrs. Garcia's room. Though the men act as subliminal oppressors throughout this movie, the women gossip, belittle, and guilt one another into stagnation. Throughout the movie, Mrs. Garcia tries her best to trap Ana into working at her sister's factory and stays immobile within the household and within her community. We even view Ana's sister, Estelle, still residing in the home after she has created her own business. Estelle dotes over her mother and lingers on her every word, while Ana tries to resist her confinement with the hopes of pursuing higher education. What I find most interesting about the movie is the caring manner in which the men are depicted. For instance Mr. Guzman, Ana's English teacher, played by actor George Lopez, is very supportive of Ana going off to college.  Even when Ana doesn't recognize her chances of getting into a good university, it's Mr. Guzman who recognizes her brightness and aptitude, seeing the gem of a woman she can become. Even Ana's father and grandfather bear witness to her educational abilities and they both encourage her to find the gold in her life.  I enjoyed watching this movie. There was something classic in the struggle among the women, yet liberating in the power and strength of the main character. One could look at the title and be fooled into believing that this movie is merely about one young woman growing to love her voluptuous figure, thus finding power in her physical form. However, I believe that the real story is the testament of triumph over adversity and accepting the responsibility to achieve greatness, no matter what curve balls life may throw your way. Real women have many oppressors, intimate and societal, during their journey through womanhood. The highway of life is full of curves and bumps in the road, but it is up to us as women to find our own path and direction in the world.