The movie Real Women Have Curves depicted the typical struggles that women go through. However, as depicted in the movie, most of these struggles are borne of their own perceptions of themselves, which are also influenced by their environment—other people and the media among others.
As was seen in the movie, Carmen had so many notions about what the right figure of a woman should be and what the role of a woman should be. For example, Carmen always criticized Ana’s figure and always urged her to lose weight. Carmen didn’t see any value in a higher education for Ana either as she believed that the important things that Ana should learn were how to be a good mother and a good wife. It can be said that women’s perceptions of themselves are influenced and shaped by one’s culture and society. Even if a woman does recognize these perceptions as unfounded, it makes it difficult for her to break free and prove her worth as an individual as she would lack the support of the people around her. For example, Ana was a very bright student. She knew she could do so much more and become someone great and yet it was so hard for her to get her family’s support and approval.
Unless a woman tries really hard to break free from all these norms and beliefs then she would continue to be stuck in a substandard way of life, as portrayed by the kind of life that the women in the movie lived. For example, Estela had a lot of talent in fashion design and yet she was not able to make the most of her talent. As did most of the women in the movie, she must have believed that there was no place for her in society or that she wasn’t good enough to make it big, that she didn’t deserve to be more than what she already was. She was willing to settle for the cheap fees she was paid, probably because it was better than nothing. Although she was being clearly taken advantage of, she didn’t dare question the way her business was conducted – probably due to a fear that she might lose the business.
It was also because of these notions and stereotypes that the women in the movie continued to live in poverty. They’d rather settle for whatever they could do and whatever they could have instead of seek ways to introduce change and improvement in their lives. For example, just because Carmen had been working since she was a young teenager, she expected her daughter to do the same and that it was the right thing to do.
In addition, the movie depicted the notion that women should get married and that it would be a shame if she didn’t. In the movie, Carmen especially felt strongly about Estela not having married. She even used amulets to ensure that Estela got married. Estela, on the other hand, seemed comfortable being her own woman. She was independent and was taking care of herself pretty well, but her mother couldn’t seem to appreciate it. It was further depicted in the movie that marriage would enable a woman to have a better life, that a woman needed a man’s support in order to live a comfortable life. This was evident in the scene where Norma showed off the dress that her fiancé had given her.
While a belief in and support of marriage was evident in the movie, the opposite was true of losing virginity and premarital sex. Premarital sex was seen as something disgraceful or shameful, as could be seen when Carmen reprimanded Ana for losing her virginity.
Finally, the movie also depicted close family ties. Although this was a good thing on one hand, it could also be limiting on the other. In the movie, Ana’s family reacted negatively to the thought of her moving to New York. They saw this as a way of breaking the family apart instead of as a great opportunity for Ana.
Fortunately, Ana was strong enough to stand her ground, to go against these notions, and to continue her pursuit of a better life.
Works Cited
Real Women Have Curves. Patricia Cardoso. Perf. George Lopez, Lupe Ontiveros, America
Ferrerra. HBO. 2005. DVD
