These 16-Year-Olds Take on Culture, Race and Stereotypes

Around the world, more than 50 million girls who may not speak the same language, wear the same fashions, or chase the same dreams share one major milestone: They’re 16 years old in 2016.

What most defines them—the past, the present, or the future? These young women are growing up under markedly different circumstances, but all are bound by the familiar ties of navigating adulthood, heartbreak, and just who it is they want to be.