America Ferrera was 17 when she landed the role of Ana Garcia in "Real Women Have Curves," a coming-of-age tale about a teenage Mexican American girl who wants to go to Columbia University but whose mother insists she stay in Los Angeles to work at her sister's dress shop. Ana is smart and charming, beautiful and — as the title implies — shapely.
In one scene, Ana, working in her sister's shop on a hot summer day, takes off her shirt as her mother, who nettles Ana about her weight, looks on in horror. The other female employees, all of whom are also curvy, dress down to their undergarments as well, proudly comparing stretch marks and cellulite. This is the essence of the movie's conceit, and it beautifully encapsulates Ferrera's motive as an actress: People, no matter who they are or what they look like, deserve to be seen.
The 2002 film was critically and publicly acclaimed, earning Ferrera an Independent Spirit Award nomination. Speaking to Glamour in 2007, Ferrera recalled that one of her fondest memories about the movie was how it resonated with audiences around the globe. "We screened the film all over the world," she explained, "in Jewish communities, Black communities, Greek communities, German communities — and people across the board said, 'That's my family.'"
