The Life of a Teenage Girl

By Megan (14)

Most people say womanhood starts at age 13

the year you’re officially a teenager

but that’s just not true

womanhood starts the age you first get told by a group of girls that a boy likes you

the first time you get told to pull your skirt down

the first time you wonder why those same girls never liked you

in primary school when the teacher needed help moving chairs she’d ask for the strongest boys in the class

yet wouldn’t dare to look over at the girls

but still I’d put my hand up every time just to be chosen over the tallest boys in the class who thought all the girls loved them

womanhood starts the day you question why you can’t go out at night on your own

it starts the day you stare into the mirror wondering why you don’t look like the girls from your favorite TV shows

why do boys get to have an opinion on us?

but the minute we open our mouth it’s

“something they can’t change”

why can’t I wear my hair down when walking home?

why do I need to keep my keys ready?

why can’t I just walk home without thinking of what might happen?

Why is making female friendship so hard, they either love you or they want to compete over who has more Instagram followers

they talk about the people they claim to be their best friends behind their backs and expect it won’t be done to them but in reality that so called best friend is doing the exact same thing right back at them

why has nobody ever realized that back when we did history, 90% of it was about boys?

I get that they have to teach about the history of Scotland and the Kings before our time but why was it never on the Queens?

how come I’ve learned more about Rosa Parks in primary 2 when reading a book than throughout school altogether?

that’s a part of life

why are we told we look sick but all we’ve done is not put as much makeup on?

why do we stand in front of the mirror wondering if our outfit is good enough to go to the shops in

“just in case”

you say to yourself knowing you might see someone you know

why can’t I just pick the subjects I want without having to worry that it’s a boy subject?

why can’t we just be ourselves without worrying what people might think?

not yet an adult yet still not a kid

why are we treated like adults when it comes to us and responsibility but treated like kids when it benefits you?

why do they expect us to be perfect at everything?

why didn’t I do good on that test?

why did I say that?

why am I always on my phone?

But sometimes there is no why, I just did.

why didn’t I do the dishes when I was asked?

why didn’t I study for that test?

why did I do my hair like that?

And it’s just me looking back at a photo from when I genuinely didn’t care about how my hair looked

4 years, four whole years of being a teenager

It sounds so short but feels so long

when we were little we couldn’t wait to be older

I even made my favorite number the number I was so excited to become

I would look up at the girls in the year above me

their long lashes and their beautiful hair

but little did we know what it would be like to constantly stress about school and having to live behind a mask.

Then getting told you have people to talk to but in reality it’s your parent who’s at work

the teacher who just sees you as another kid they teach

and your friends who are going through the same thing.

so why did we try and grow up so fast?

why did we stop playing with toys at age 8 and why did we get our first makeup set by 9?

why did we try so hard to become something we wish we didn’t later?

but now it’s reality and you have to live with the memories of your short childhood

and that’s just a little insight into what it’s like to be a teenage girl.