Nineteen years ago, trailblazing Hollywood filmmaker Nnegest Likké’s debut film, ‘Phat Girlz’ bounced its big beautiful, curvy storyline into theaters, determined to make history.

And history it made! It captivated viewers with its compelling storyline and celebration of self-love, global black cinema, and bridging the cultural gap between Africans and African-Americans. 

Mo’Nique and Jimmy Jean-Louis in ‘Phat Girlz’

Released globally on April 7, 2006 by 20th Century Fox Studios, the rom-com showcased an all-star black cast with Academy Award-winning actress Mo’Nique in the lead role as the sexy and desirable love interest of “Dr Tunde”, a gorgeous Nigerian doctor played by heartthrob Jimmy Jean-Louis who is a well-known actor across Africa and has starred in many popular Nollywood films. Additional key cast include the hilarious Nigerian-American comedian Godfrey Danchimah, and award-winning thespian Dayo Ade, both of whom also play handsome, well-to-do Nigerian doctors.   

The filmmaker, Nnegest Olufunmilayo Likké, who both wrote and directed the groundbreaking film, has a unique tri-cultural background—she’s half-Ethiopian, African-American and Nigerian–which she describes as being like a walking dish of fufu, injera and fried chicken. A weird culinary mix but when it comes to whipping up these ingredients in a film, the result is a one-of-a-kind entree like ‘Phat Girlz.’

Likké’s pepper-rich ‘Phat Girlz’ broke the mold, challenged beauty standards, and redefined the romantic comedy genre. And what a legacy it created.

The partially autobiographical movie changed lives, introduced culture, and elevated the confidence and self-esteem of millions of women around the world who felt unattractive because society called them “fat”. But the film took that derogatory word back and transformed it into PHAT which stands for “Pretty Hot And Thick.”

Phat Girlz Many Firsts

‘Phat Girlz’ recorded many firsts. 

BEFORE BODY POSITIVITY WAS A BUZZWORD…  it celebrated “Thick Madames”—placing them at the centre of a love story that was fun, fresh, sexy, and empowering.

BEFORE BBL’s… ‘Phat Girlz’ celebrated women who were naturally endowed with naturally big bottoms, unlike now when women run to go get BBL surgery. The film encouraged supple sisters to embrace their sex appeal with pride and learn to love their bodies the way they are.

BEFORE BLACK PANTHER…                                                                                                                                   Phat Girlz was the first Hollywood movie to showcase Nigeria’s traditional trendsetting fashion, exotic cuisine, characteristic enigmatic national swag, and distinctive dance styles that include spraying money and twerking (yes, Nigerian sistas were twerking before it was a name!). Refreshingly, there were no 419 scams, no crime plots, and no shady business like most foreign films portray Nigeria. It was just all love, laughs and lots of… well boom-booming because the ‘Phat Girlz’ were getting it on! 

Kenny Ogungbe, Nnegest Likké and 2Baba

FIRST HOLLYWOOD FILM TO FEATURE AFROBEATS …Before Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy made it big in the American music scene, and well before Afrobeats ruled the world, ‘Phat Girlz’ boasted a banging Afrobeats soundtrack that made history with its theme song “African Queen” by 2Face Idibia (now 2Baba).

The fire soundtrack also featured bangers by the Danfo Drivers. The carefully selected compilation wasn’t just a vibe—it was the beginning of a global music movement.

PHAT GIRLZ IS A LOVE STORY THAT SPANNED CONTINENTS …

Three rich, educated, handsome Nigerian doctors stole the show—and our hearts. ‘Phat Girlz’ flipped the script, showing Nigerian men as sexy, successful, and desirable. It was the first romantic comedy to match African-American women with Nigerian love interests—and fans have been asking for more ever since. Just check Twitter X, TikTok, and IG to see how many posts are created daily by people of all generations expressing how the film changed their lives and turned them on to African culture. 

Reflecting on the moment she knew her film was a hit, Nnegest said, “Soon after the movie came out, African-American women were coming up to me saying, ‘Ooh, I need to find me a rich Nigerian doctor, they’re so fine!!”

‘Phat Girlz’ couldn’t have been the film it was without the invaluable contributions of renowned Nigerian filmmaker, TV producer and founder of Zuri24 Media, Femi Odugbemi who was a Production Consultant on the film and the Second Unit Director for the Nigeria scenes. The team also included Nigerian Olympian and former world boxing champion, Moses “Eagle” James of Delta State, who was the Associate Producer and key story consultant. 

SNAPSHOT OF MANY FIRSTS

Nnegest Likke’s Phat Girlz stands as a milestone in cinematic history for its many “firsts”:

• First mainstream Hollywood movie written and directed by an African woman

• First romantic comedy to pair African-American women with Nigerian male love interests

• First film to portray Nigerian men as highly desirable, sexy, and aspirational

• First to celebrate thick-bodied women without caricature or secondary status

• First to introduce Afrobeats as a central component of a Hollywood film soundtrack

• First Hollywood film to have a major premiere in Nigeria. One was held in Lagos and another in Abuja. After the screenings, 2Face performed his iconic ‘African Queen’

LEGACY & CULT STATUS   

From the global rise of Afrobeats, to the body-positive revolution, ‘Phat Girlz’ was way ahead of its time—and it’s still making waves. Today, the film remains a fan favourite, with a new generation of viewers discovering its powerful message and keeping the conversation active on all social media platforms.

Nnegest Likké

Nnegest Likké continues to shape important cultural narratives through cinema, most recently writing the Netflix Original ‘A Sunday Affair,’ which debuted at #1 on the platform and became Netflix’s most-watched Nigerian film in the first half of 2023. 

In 2019, another movie Likké wrote, directed and produced titled, “Everything But A Man”, also debuted at #1 on Netflix across Africa and remained a top-watched trending movie for four years. 

Today, ‘Phat Girlz’ retains a strong cult following and continues to inspire women to embrace their “bootyful” bodies, honour their rich African Heritage, and love themselves fully and unconditionally… The film’s legacy is as powerful and relevant today as it was in 2006.

Asked what she most wants audiences to take away from her film, Nnegest replied: 

“Well, there are a lot of important messages in the movie but perhaps the most poignant of all is for women to love themselves. You gotta love yourself before you can love a man. A man may cheat on you, but you also cheat on yourself when you lower your standards just to be with someone who treats you poorly or offers you less than you deserve in the relationship. So make self-love your life’s top priority. As a reminder, I often sing the words of “African Queen” to myself… 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 19TH BIRTHDAY PHAT GIRLZ! The world is ready for PHAT GIRLZ 2: SECOND HELPINGS!

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