16 Girls Around the World Explain What It's Like to Be 16 in 2016

Ah, 16. For many of us, it’s the year of the drivers license, the homecoming dance, and even the first kiss.

But for some teens, it can also mean starting over in a new country after fleeing your home during a war, applying for your first patent, coming out as gay, and blogging about fashion. In fact, there are as many ways to be a 16-year-old girl as there are 16-year-old girls in the world—so, something like 50 million of them.

To explore what it means to be a 16-year-old today, TakePart, the digital division of Participant Media—the group responsible for documentary films like He Named Me Malala and Food, Inc.—created a video series called 16 in 16. It profiles 16 young women around the world who are turning 16 in 2016 and documents all the ways their lives are strikingly different—and surprisingly alike.

The group includes everyone from a small-town girl in Kentucky to a Syrian refugee living in Germany to a gifted student in Vietnam. And while each one lives a unique life, Celeste Hoang, the project’s editor, says that some things about being a 16-year-old stay the same no matter who or where you are. “These 16 girls are from different cultures, places, family dynamics, socioeconomic statuses,” she says. “But they’re still navigating a lot of the same things.”

For example: Dating.

Also, they all love celebrities. (Hey, 16-year-old girls—they're just like us!) “That’s something I can relate to, and I think we can all relate to across generations,” Hoang says. “Even Haiana, who is a Syrian refugee—she can talk at length about all of these terrible things she witnessed and all of these awful things she’s gone through. But at the same time, she’s like, ‘If I could see Bruno Mars I would just die.’”

So, why make a series about 16 16-year-old girls in 2016 (aside from all that awesome alliteration)? Because teen experiences are human experiences, and looking at this cross section is a great way to learn about what it means to be a woman in the world today. It's a helpful reminder that if we want to make the world a better place, we need to ensure that every girl has access to education, opportunity, and basic human rights.

Watching these videos, it's hard not to feel optimistic about the future of our world. "It can be really easy to buy into this cliche about how young people spend all their time clutching their phones and taking selfies, but while working with these girls I found the complete opposite," says Hoang. "They're well-read, well-spoken, enthusiastic, and they truly care about making a difference."

Source: http://www.glamour.com/story/16-girls-around-the-world-explain-being-16-in-2016