[6] In East Los Angeles, California, 18-year-old Ana García, a high school student in Beverly Hills, struggles to balance her dream of going to college with family duty and a tough economic situation.

When the executive refuses, Ana convinces her father to give her a small loan after seeing how hard Estela works to produce clothing she is proud of.

Meanwhile, Ana works with Mr. Guzman at night to produce an essay for her application to Columbia, which she successfully submits, while also developing a secret relationship with Jimmy, a white fellow graduate.

Near the end of summer, Mr. Guzman comes by the house to inform Ana and her family that she has been accepted to Columbia with a scholarship, though it would mean moving across the country from LA to NYC.

The site's consensus reads, "Real Women Have Curves, physical as well as emotional -- and this coming-of-age story traces them in a vividly warm-hearted look at the Mexican-American experience.

[8] Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times described Real Women Have Curves as a "culture clash comic melodrama" that is, "effervescent and satisfying, a crowd pleaser that does not condescend.

A coming-of-age drama centered on a mother-daughter conflict, it also explores the immigrant experience; the battle to accept oneself, imperfections and all; and the importance of personal dignity.

Instead, they [the girls interviewed] admire thick, curvaceous bodies common among women of color in pop culture and Spanish-language media.

"[14] Ferrera went on to say, "when I think about anyone who's marginalized, or made fun of, or dismissed, or hated with some sort of passion; I mean I just see myself, I just think of myself," but she concludes "there's no person or award, validation, that is ever going to make you more worthy than you already are.

"[14] In 2013 Juanita Heredia of Northern Arizona University published an article in the journal Mester that discussed the representation of Latinas in Real Women Have Curves and Maria Full of Grace.

[15] The journal article states "the Latina protagonists in both visual narratives represent an autonomous voice resisting the institutionalization of patriarchy, be it in the family structure or the labor force as well as the containment of sexual expression, as limited choices for women within the space of the city.

"[15] The article criticizes Hollywood for not contributing "representations of autonomous and powerful Latina and Latin American women figures in mainstream cinema.