The Tarble Arts Center presented “Real Women Have Curves” Tuesday night to a diverse audience.

The film was the first shown at the Tarble Arts Center, and according to Museum Education Manager Tim Abel, the showing was a success.

“It was good to see people come out,” Abel said.

Abel said the film was a great one to show at the Tarble, because some of the themes are relatable for students.

“It’s about someone who wants to go to college,” Abel said. “It’s really nice that seen (at the Tarble) it kind of leads to going to college.”

The film was presented as part of the fall semester programs in conjunction with the “In the Eye of the Beholder” exhibition.

“I like how it’s this one person’s perspective and this one person’s kind of problem solving,” Abel said. “It’s just like how the art is in the (‘In the Eye of the Beholder’) show. There’s this complete understanding that this is someone’s perspective and this is their way of being brave in the world and that’s only their direction. That idea of narrative is really strong in the movie.”

Kinzi Duncan, a senior English major, said the film was very empowering.

“It made me feel very OK with myself,” Duncan said. “I especially loved the scene when all the women were like stripping down and talking about how much they loved themselves. It was very sweet.”

The film also resonated with Simone Reynolds, a junior theatre arts major.

Reynolds said she read the play for a class, so she loved to see the movie.

“The play is very different from the movie,” Reynolds said. “Even just reading (the play) and seeing (the film) there were a lot of similarities.”

The film also connected with Reynolds on a personal level, because her father worked for the city of Chicago.

“It was nice to see the dad not act a certain way,” Reynolds said. “He was more open and accepting to the main character Ana going to college and stuff like that.”

Reynolds said there were several important messages people should take away from the film.

“The grandfather tells Ana, you are at the goal, now you need to go find what fulfills you,” Reynolds said. “I think a lot of women of color, if you don’t hear that, a lot of people especially family members telling you that, it’s everything.”

Another important message Reynolds took away from the film was the idea that both kinds of women portrayed in the movie are important.

“If you choose to go the traditional route, you still have rights,” Reynolds said. “If you choose to go to college, we should all be included and respected for whatever decisions we make as women.”

Reynolds said she would be interested in seeing a modern adaptation or sequel to the film with more inclusion.

“What about the women who don’t have breasts and what about the women who don’t have vaginas?” Reynolds said. “So being more inclusive, I think that’s always a way to make something better.”

Mercury Bowen can be reached at 581-2812 or mjbowen@eiu.edu.