For many plus-size women, especially Black women, the feature of seeing a curvy, dark-skinned woman on screen who was angry about mistreatment, actively pursued pleasure, and won a handsome, successful man without losing a pound was revolutionary, even if the film itself was flawed.

The central, defining feature of Phat Girlz is its aggressive and unapologetic celebration of plus-size women. Unlike many films of its era (and even today), it doesn't treat its lead character's weight as a problem to be solved or a source of tragedy. Instead, the film's entire comedic and dramatic engine is built around the concept of "Phat" (an acronym often used in the film to mean P retty, H ot, A nd T empting).