Image shows three teenage girls lying on a bed side-by-side.

Daisy Harrison

Being a teenage girl is confusing.

It’s experiencing emotions you didn’t even know existed, learning about the woman you’re becoming, and making some of the best — and worst — memories of your life. Being a teenage girl is frightening, difficult, rewarding, delightful, valuable and so much more.

I’m writing this as a 20-year-old, which means that my teenage years are not that far behind me. Despite this, as I reflect back on my teenage years, I barely recognise the person I once was.

“I realised how significant female friendships are when you’re navigating teenage girlhood”

Obviously, some aspects of my lifestyle are the same – for example, I’ve always been a bookworm. However, in my early teens, I was quiet, and shy and still had a lot to learn about myself. Since then, I have become a feminist, a writer, a gig-enjoyer and even a sweet potato enthusiast. Most importantly, I’ve become confident and independent.

Being a teenage girl is about growing up and discovering all the things that bring you joy.

“Moving to university allowed to me be a teenage girl once again”

One of the defining moments of my teenage years was moving to university in 2021, a life change that was fundamental in preparing me to leave girlhood behind and embark upon womanhood.

Moving to university shortly following the pandemic, everything felt a bit uncertain. Nobody knew if we’d be going into another lockdown, or if life would ever fully return to normal.

As is the case with most young people, the pandemic was the worst period of my life. Suddenly, every familiar aspect of day-to-day living was lost and for many, their teenage years came to a halt.

An essential part of maturing as a teenager is the time spent as a 17/18-year-old, socialising, partying and experiencing a series of firsts. When this was no longer possible during the pandemic, I felt unable to navigate my ever-evolving womanhood.

I lost myself during this period of my teenage years, which is why moving to university was the best decision I could have made. I was able to regain control of my life, find new friends and make new memories in a city I adored.

Moving to university allowed to me be a teenage girl once again. Being surrounded by other girls, each navigating their own transition to womanhood, allowed me to form bonds with those who were going through the same monumental life changes as me. During this time, I realised how significant female friendships are when you’re navigating teenage girlhood.

“As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to value my female friendships a lot more”

I recently read Dolly Alderton’s esteemed memoir, Everything I Know About Love (2018). It made me laugh and even made me cry and, despite her university stories being much crazier than mine, I felt we were connected by our experiences as teenage girls.

Alderton frequently draws inspiration from her female friendships, stating that: “Nearly everything I know about love, I’ve learnt from my long-term friendships with women.” For many, this perfectly sums up the experience of womanhood. The friends you make at each stage of your life shape your character and judgement. By experiencing a variety of female friendships, both good and bad, we are able to better appreciate those who get us.

@thriftaddict222

dolly alderton gets it! i love my friends!!

♬ i love women – alle<3

Since the release of Barbie (2023), there has been an influx of media discussion surrounding female friendships. Women are creating compilations of their most valued memories with their female friends, showcasing the special bond we create with other women throughout our lives.

As women, we are often united by the desire to be more confident, mature our mindsets, laugh, cry, treasure moments of silliness and joy, and live our lives as we please. As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to value my female friendships a lot more. No matter how tough growing up feels at times, I know there’s a network of women who are there to offer support, to laugh with, to treasure, and to love. To me, that is what being a woman is all about.

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Featured image courtesy of Katarzyna Grabowska on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.

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