‘Emma Watson: The Girl Who Inspires All’ by Alize Benavidez
This piece was part of the Ánimo Voices Writing Competition, which invited students to write about innovators, upstanders, visionaries, or rebels that have made a difference in their local or broader communities. The competition was an opportunity to motivate, recognize, and celebrate our strong student voices and writing skills.
Why I always strive for Perfection
by Alize Benavidezz, 6th grade, Ánimo Jefferson Charter Middle School
Has there ever been a person in your life who gave you confidence? A type of role model? Well, that’s the case with Emma Watson for me. Emma Watson is the most intelligent woman whom I look up to. Born in Paris, Emma made her way onto the big screen at a fairly young age, playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movie franchise. There, she portrayed the clever bookworm, who always wanted to do the right thing and fought for what she believed was right. Watson, in reality, is very clever and headstrong as well. As a young girl, Watson’s teachers thought she was a very active and cheerful student. Also, while spending most of her days on set, she still was able to attend Brown University and Oxford. Just recently, she appeared as the protagonist in Beauty and the Beast. She acted as the tough, yet gentle female lead, Belle. Belle, as many people know, is very intelligent and confident. That may be why Watson admires her so much and accepted the role. Over the past few years, she has become such an inspiration to all young girls, like me, all over the world. Those who believe that they have no importance, or aren’t beautiful, can now look up to someone who helps them see their self-worth. Teaching us that we are all capable of doing anything a man can do, and do it better.
When I first started reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, my first thought was that she’s just an annoying “mudblood” know-it-all. That soon changed as soon as I started to observe her with much more thought than I had previously. I started to admire her for everything she did- how she was so smart, how independent she was, how she put others safety before her own, and especially how much she made an impact on her peers. Over time, I found myself acting a lot like Ms. Granger and I started to put her way of thinking into my lifestyle. My grades skyrocketed and I saw that I was becoming very proud of my work, rather than being insecure that I was trying too hard.
Watson also played as another female lead, Sam, in the movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Here, she showed to be comfortable in your own body and surround yourself with people who love you for you. Sam would wear very revealing outfits while portraying Janet in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and never did she once feel uncomfortable or insecure. Being quite the outgoing girl, Sam caught the eye of the introvert, Charlie, who joined the accepting group of friends who never got tired of her. This helped keep her head up and stay confident, even after going through a breakup with someone who took her for granted. This teaches us being around people like this can help us feel loved and not make us feel ashamed of who we are.
During the summer, I saw a Tumblr post that reported a young woman who wanted to be just like Hermione when she was younger. She followed in her footsteps, which led her to get accepted into a brilliant university. This young girl and I see the same connection between the roles Emma plays and herself. Like her characters, Watson is very much the same person. To say that Watson is a role model would be an understatement. She gives young women the idea to work hard in order to get where you want to be and prevent becoming someone you aren’t proud of. I continued to read even more stories about similar experiences. Watson hasn’t just made a difference in one community, but thousands. However, she is my role model for a different reason. I want to be able to give people the power to walk out into the world with so much confidence and they wouldn’t be afraid to show it. Like Watson, I want to achieve great things, I want to change the way people think about themselves and not need to be afraid to walk out of their own home. I want to set a positive image to all of my younger relatives; like my baby brother and show that you do not need to pretend to like something or act some way that others want you to. I want to make an impact on people’s lives, and she gives me the power to be able to do that.
Whenever I felt as if I was being an insufferable know-it-all, I remember statement that is now so important- “Girls should never be afraid to be smart.” It helps me keep going all throughout the day and reassure me not to be scared of who I am and what I can do. Whenever I feel that I am not beautiful on the outside, I would remember a portion of another statement- “I truly, truly, believe that beauty comes from within.” This gives me confidence and makes me remember that I am beautiful always, not needing to worry about what I look like on the outside, but focus on what I am on the inside. Words cannot describe how Emma’s words helped me since I’ve been introduced to her and learned what she has done in and out of her movies. She is truly a splitting image of what confidence looks like.
In conclusion, Watson will always be the woman I look up to the most. She can never be replaced, because I can’t think of a better person to make a difference in people’s lives. Overall, she helps me when times get rough, and reminds me that I am enough, that I am worthy, and that I am needed. If there was one person in this world that I would want to meet, it would be Emma Watson and all I would do is cry and thank her for all she’s done for me. Words can never explain how thankful I am and always will be. I will be grateful until the last syllable of recorded time.
