Hollywood’s track record with body image? Messy, to say the least. For decades, the value of women on screen was measured in inches, dress sizes, and unrealistic expectations, with plus-size characters often sidelined or reduced to stereotypes. But gradually, we have come to see the change – rom-coms that not only depict bigger bodies but also bring them to the center as the main characters without being laughed at. These instances didn’t merely resist archaic beauty standards; they also showed that love, joy, and happier times are for everyone. Here is the list of eight rom-com scenes of all time that highlight plus-size characters leading the way, in reverse order from 8 to 1.
8. Dumplin’ – Redefining Pageant Beauty
Danielle Macdonald, as Willowdean, is not a typical member of her mother’s beauty queen clique; thus, she entered a beauty contest to show that beauty is not only size-dependent. Besides Dolly Parton anthems glitterers, and hearts, Dumplin made a screen character that was hilarious, relatable, confident, and completely her own.
7. Last Holiday – Queen Latifah’s Glorious Leading Lady
In the role of Georgia Byrd, Queen Latifah stars as a character who, after being given a terminal prognosis, decides to live a big life at last. She resigns, splurges without limits on luxury goods, and starts her journey to happiness. Georgia’s story is about getting the most out of life and on your own terms—a rom-com where the plus-sized heroine is the hero, not the joke.
6. Sierra Burgess Is a Loser – Redoing the High School Playbook
Shannon Pursers Sierra subverts a teen rom-com stereotype altogether. She is clever, ambitious, and doesn’t really conform to Hollywood’s beauty standards. Even though Sierra fights bullying and insecurity, finally, the film is about her acceptance of her brains and kindness, which are way beyond being pretty.
5. Trainwreck – Imperfect, Faulty, and Adorable
Amy Schumer brought us Amy Townsend, a woman who was the complete opposite of the standard rom-com heroine. Amy is a drinker, a mistake-maker, and has trouble with intimacy, but the story of her journey is one of growth and self-love. Only her body is not the joke—she can be a complex character, very fun, nice, and basically human.
4. Isn’t It Romantic – Rebel Wilson as the Romantic Hero
Before her makeover, Rebel Wilson played Natalie, a woman who wakes up stuck in a rom-com universe. The film celebrates and mocks the genre, while Natalie comes to appreciate her own value. The message is explicit: plus-sized women have a place in love stories, center stage.
3. Just Wright – Queen Latifah Redefines Romance Rules
Latifah repeats on the list with Leslie Wright, a physical therapist who romances an NBA star. Rather than stereotype her, the movie shows Leslie to be talented, empathetic, and charismatic. The love is real, based on respect and shared values as opposed to shallow attraction.
2. Phat Girlz – Mo’Nique’s Bold Rom-Com Takeover
Starring as Jazmin Biltmore, Mo’Nique portrays a plus-size woman who fantasizes about designing fashionable clothing for women such as herself. Along the journey, she gets romantically involved with a doctor who loves her for who she is. Outrageous, proud, and hilarious, Phat Girlz is an unapologetic message that anybody is worthy of love.
1. Life of the Party – Melissa McCarthy’s College Comeback
In Life of the Party, McCarthy’s Deanna is a newly separated mother who comes back to school, finds herself, and learns to love herself once again. She’s hilarious, she’s genuine, she’s people-friendly—and the film is not the joke of her being fat, but an entirely, comprehensively, and creatively developed character with her own love life. Life of the Party has given us a rom-com heroine who was the total package.
That is not to say that Hollywood has never had a history of one-tier progress. For many years, “fat suits” were used instead of real plus-sized actors— a practice that was both lazy and insulting, as it simultaneously denied actors of great talent their rightful jobs and perpetuated stereotypical portrayals of fat characters. Body ideals in the early 2000s were especially harsh, as women were subjected to relentless criticism and impossible standards, whether they liked it or not, through TV, magazines, and movies.
Thankfully, things are changing. People like Nzinga Imani have been fronting campaigns that promote a more inclusive and more realistic definition of beauty, one that accommodates a variety of body shapes and honors uniqueness. As she has said, beauty is not a question of one “look” to be the only way to succeed or to be important.
Those movies are proof that the rom-com enchantment is not in a dress size—it is in truth, heart, and the courage to reveal fresh types of love stories. There is still a lot of work to be done, but every one of these moments testifies that audience members want plus-size leads who have the right to the romance, the laughs, and the happy endings.