Child riding a pink toy tricycle outdoors on pavement.

Our Story

Been Beautiful was founded in March 2024 by 14-year-old Alice Tran. Inspired by her personal struggles with mental health and self-esteem, she decided to dedicate herself to helping others fight against the increasingly difficult battle of mental illness.

As a child, Alice was constantly bullied for her appearance, particularly her Chinese features and not-so-perfect skin, a result of severe eczema. As time passed, she became increasingly more insecure of not only these features but also her weight and eyes and, moreover, who she was. Eventually, she stopped wanting to go to school and socialize with others.

No child, nor anyone at all, should ever fear being themselves to the point that they deprive themself of living life. Been Beautiful was founded to ensure others recognize their beauty, which only they can define.

Timeline

2025

May 06

Group of students standing in a classroom behind a table with gift bags and boxes, floral wall decorations, and a whiteboard in the background.

Volunteers from Brookfield, Connecticut, assembled 50+ goodie bags filled with $300+ worth of items, including hygiene products (ie, shampoo, lotion, toothbrushes, etc.), coloring books, toys, and more donated by the Brookfield High School Leo Club. All goodie bags will be donated to The Center for Empowerment and Education alongside the menstrual products collected from the menstrual products drive in Connecticut.

April 18

Group of young people at a donation table outside a Gulf gas station with a sign reading "Support Our Cause."

The annual Spring bake sale is held in Brookfield, Connecticut, to fund operations. With the assistance of 9 volunteers, the bake sale raised $241 after 3 1/2 hours at Four Corners

March 28

Two people decorating a large cardboard box with stickers and letters on a driveway. One person is placing stencil letters that spell 'BFF' onto the box. A third person in a red sweatshirt is in the background near a table with supplies. Trees and a house are visible in the background.

Members and volunteers from Connecticut gathered to decorate donation boxes for an upcoming menstrual products drive in Connecticut and Mississippi, with all donations benefiting The Center for Empowerment and Education and Wear It Well, respectively. The Connecticut drive raised $1k+ worth of menstrual products and goodie bags donated by the Brookfield High School Leo Club. The Mississippi drive is currently ongoing.

Been Beautiful’s blog, The Butterfly Effect, is officially launched by co-editors-in-chief Alice Tran and Mya Johnson. The blog publishes articles covering a variety of fields relating to mental health.

January 04

2024

November 09

Been Beautiful becomes a 501(c)(3) certified organization.

April 20

Group of people at a bake sale table on a sidewalk, with a child holding a sign that reads "Bakesale Support Our Cause." Table has baked goods and supplies.

Volunteers organized and ran the first fundraiser, a bake sale that later marked the first annual Spring bake sale, to raise funds for Been Beautiful’s 501(c)(3) certification process. Over the course of 4 hours at Brookfield, Connecticut’s Four Corners, 8 volunteers raised approximately $533.