The Girls!

Gabrielle Begun

WriterSan Francisco, CAPhotos by Lauri LevenfeldStory by Gabrielle Begun

To write a bio about yourself, you have to know yourself very well, and trust that you will make yourself sound like a decent human being. Right now, I’m trying to accomplish this very thing. I’m going to start with the simplest thing; my name. I’m Gabrielle Begun, I’m twelve years old (even though I don’t look it), and I’m in eighth grade. I’m a published author with 15 book readings under my belt and a huge passion for writing. I also love performing; acting, singing, and playing guitar and piano. I’m in a band and I have to say, it’s really fun. And to add to all of this; I love reading books and watching movies equally, so there is no question which I like better. But I love both to such a high point, it’s undescribable. I love everything about movies, and I definitely watch a lot of them. The same with books. My current favorite book is Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children and my current favorite movie is Edward Scissorhands.

Well, now you know my interests and outside personality. I’m going to give a shot at the inside part now. I’ve been told I’m a deep person and an old soul, because of the fact that my heart, mind, and soul do not seem the same age as my body. I’m an introvert, but I like to talk to and be around people. I’ve also been told that I am extremely imaginative, talented, creative, and also weird in a good way. I usually express my feelings through writing, drawing (even though I’m not very good at it), or music. And just to be clear, I’m a completely normal- maybe- teenage girl like everyone who might be reading this, and I hope all the other teenage girls can relate to what I say. I’m ready to open my whimsical mind to all the girls facing the problems that other girls can relate to, and help them and myself get through the hardships of being a teenager. Here’s my go on the topic of acceptance.

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I’m really bad at starting things, so I’m going to jump right in. First of all, just to clarify, I’m not a computer, I’m not a celebrity (yet), and I’m not an adult. I’m a teenage girl who has problems and imperfections like everyone in this world. But you know what? I’m proud of my problems. I’m proud of my imperfections, and I think every girl should be proud of who they are because you can’t be anyone else. Everyone is already taken, (I think I might have stolen that from somewhere). Be the best you that there can be. There is no one else in this world like you. Believe me. I went through a good deal of hardships to achieve the confidence that I have today, but I still struggle with loving myself for who I am no matter what people may tell me. Everyone struggles with that sometimes. What some people don’t realize is that others are here to help, because they can relate. We can help each other get through tough times and we can awaken that confidence that is wedged inside of everyone. 

We can learn to accept, love, and be happy. We can stop judging each other for what we look like or our exterior, and start looking at the interior. That’s the most important part. The interior. If you see an extremely hot guy who is in love with himself and wouldn’t pay any attention to anything besides himself, would you be with him? Or would you choose the not so attractive guy who is caring, loving, kind, shows compassion, and will love you to the ends of the earth and back? I would go with the latter. So the key to loving each other for who we are one word; acceptance.

 

It took me a long time to accept myself and to be accepted by others. I was bullied for being me, which brought the confidence in me down. I fought for many years to be accepted, but in the end I understood that people weren’t the ones that had to accept me. I was the one who had to accept myself.

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But it isn’t that simple. Talking is a big part of it. You can’t be scared to talk about it. You have to find a person or two who will listen to you, and who you trust. For me those two people are my mom and brother, because they are the closest thing to me. I can trust them with my feelings. Talking has helped me get through a lot of rough times, so it’s a proven fact that talking helps. I’m serious, don’t keep it in yourself. I know it takes a lot of nerve and energy to tell someone something, but it’s good for you. Please talk, draw, write, do whatever you want! Just don’t let it dwell on your mind forever, because negative thoughts are like poison. They eat at all of your emotions until you have completely succumbed to them. Talk, and don’t be scared. If you choose the right people, they won’t let you down.

 

Accepting yourself is the biggest aspect of this topic. You have to love yourself as much as you want others to love you. Confidence is key, but so are comfortability, love, and a strong heart. I used to be terrified of wearing bikinis. I used to dread crop tops and shorts. But then I realized; why am I so scared of myself?

I still struggle with accepting myself, but I have understood that the only person judging me is me. Girls, especially teenagers, I hope you feel this because it will help you. It has helped me become more confident in myself and that has affected me in everyday life. I know how hard it is to love yourself, but you can do it. If we support each other, we can love each other and ourselves. We can accept each other.

 

So this might end in two ways; we love each other so much that we rise to power and rule the world, which would be a good thing in many ways. The other way won’t be so good; people don’t love themselves or each other and start to fight over which is better. I think the former would be best, (and can I add all round free ice cream in there too?).

 

Acceptance is what we need to have a brighter and more positive future. After reading this, do you think you will accept yourself for who you are? I would love to hear from you.

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One thought on “Gabrielle Begun

  1. Great content very well written. The author is clearly a teenager, yet possesses the ancient wisdom of self-understanding and that of others. I like the part when she says that she loves her imperfections. Perhaps, she had discovered by the age of 12 what took me 60 years to discover: Every serious character defect is the other side of a great talent, and both sides cannot be separated and come as a package. I agree that talking to people about your problems can help us cope with them and feel better in the process. I hope that the author will rediscover within herself even more efficient ways to problem resolutions. I am sure that there are powers of intelligence, creativity and intuition in the mind and heart of this old soul in a teenage body.
    I totally agree with the author’s conclusion that accepting oneself is a prerequisite of changing the world, and I am certain that Gabrielle has already become an agent of this positive change. Great work!

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