World News National Health & Safety

You Told Us The Hardest Things About Being 15: #15Girls

5:21pm November 04, 2015

by Malaka Gharib

Prakriti Kandel wants to put a halt to menstrual taboos in Nepal â and the discrimination that goes with them. Poulomi Basu/VII Mentor for NPR

"I was 'smart' but I wanted to be 'cool.' "

"Hurricane Katrina hit."

"I was alone and homeless."

These are a few of the more than 1,000 thoughts that our audience shared when we asked them, "What was the hardest thing about being 15?"

This story is part of our #15Girls series, profiling teens around the world.

The question came as we launched a series of radio and digital stories looking at 15-year-old girls around the world. We profiled girls in El Salvador living in fear of gangs, a Syrian refugee who had to give up high school to work as a potato picker, a teenager in Nepal who has to sleep in a shed when she has her period, and a child bride in India who can delay going to live with her husband if she gets good grades in school.

Girls and women from the U.S. to Yemen rose to the challenge, digging deep to share their own poignant, personal stories of life at 15.

We wish we could feature them all in this post, but you'd be scrolling down your smartphone until 2017. So here's a sampling. If you want to read more, see all the submissions here.

@NPR The hardest thing about being 15 was thinking that where you were was all you were. #15Girls pic.twitter.com/wJOFZ9jF6a
— Jenn Walton (@jcwalton24) October 21, 2015

Hardest thing about being 15 was learning about the uncontrollable urges some boys and men have, that messes with their heads, even though they might be good people! #15girls @npr

A photo posted by Nidhi Shah (@globalcitizen_ns) on Oct 23, 2015 at 11:59pm PDT

#tbt The hardest thing about being a 15-yr-old girl is that you are so very very beautiful, but you feel like the ugliest person in the world. #15girls And for @NPR 's benefit: my name is Jenny Hoople, Wisconsin (back then, Pennsylvania!) Now I'm 36 and I finally believe myself to be beautiful. Most days. @blingthecat

A photo posted by Jenny Hoople (@jennyhoople) on Oct 21, 2015 at 6:00pm PDT

Hardest part about being 15 is dealing with what people say about you #15girls

A photo posted by Rissa Crum (@forever_a_reb3l) on Oct 21, 2015 at 9:50am PDT

What was the hardest thing about being 15? I am Yalines, I am 33 years old. At 15, I lived in Miami, Fl. My childhood was filled with physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, and my mother has struggled with drug and alcohol abuse. I ran away from a horrible foster home after growing up in foster care system , so I was alone and #homeless. I got a job and had my own apartment by age 15. With no support system or anyone to turn to, I have been taking care of myself all my life. While my friends were going to prom I was working and struggling to support myslf. I do not have a picture of myself because no one ever took one and therefore I do not have any pictures of myself as a young kid. Now I take pics of my children everyday. This is a picture of me & my daughter who will turn 15 tomorrow. She has never had to go to school hungry or with dirty clothes, she has always had running water and lights on in the house, she will never be forced to go out on dates for $, or take a beating and have to hide her bruises. She will not be alone like I was. I will carry her on my shoulders. I will never stay quiet. I will speak out every chance I get. @npr #15girls #malalafund

A photo posted by Bebe Martinez Toledo Lebron (@yalinesm) on Oct 19, 2015 at 12:10pm PDT

When I was 15, I learned to be afraid of my power. I'd always fought my parents. I could never just be quiet and obedient like my little brother. Then one day, I found the preschooler had drawn all over one of my drawings. And I snapped. I hit him so hard over his face that he bled. He cried long enough for me to realize, in horror, how much more like Dad I could be. Instead of figuring out better ways to manage my newfound power, I tried to bury my ugliest feelings. I thought no one would understand, but I know better now. #15girls @NPR

A photo posted by Frances S. (@soongfaye) on Oct 24, 2015 at 4:08pm PDT

@NPR asked what the hardest thing about being 15 and female was. AMIDEAST Yemen students are answering #15girls pic.twitter.com/V7WSjuFUAV
— AMIDEAST Yemen (@AmideastYemen) October 30, 2015

@NPR #15Girls Growing up in Suburban SF in the late 60s being told I would marry a doctor or attorney, not be one. pic.twitter.com/zXx75HQeBU
— Christine Suppes (@littlemissychro) October 23, 2015

@NPR "When I was 15, growing up in Kabul, I had a hard time even walking to school because boys made fun of my height. I never appreciated having long legs and being tall until I travelled abroad. Running without any harassment on a challenging trail was a very happy moment and full of emotions.... We, the new generation, are going to change the history of Afghanistan. I will keep running towards development and change. I have hopes for a better Afghanistan, where women and girls can run as freely as I am running in the U.S..” -Farah, 22, from Afghanistan is currently studying at college in South Carolina. She completed her first half-marathon through the BURCS Free to Run Trail Races in September. To learn more, go to http://bit.ly/1PciSpr #15Girls #FreetoRun #burcs #inspiringwomenrunners

A photo posted by @freetorunngo on Oct 31, 2015 at 12:30pm PDT

The most difficult about being a fifteen girl it was to feel confident about my weight and self esteem. #15girls @npr

A photo posted by Pamela Angeles (@pamelangeles) on Oct 28, 2015 at 12:28pm PDT

See all submissions to our #15Girls social media campaign here:

Thank you to everyone who took part in this action. It's not too late to share your story. What was the hardest thing about being 15? Post a photo of yourself as a teen with your answer on Twitter or Instagram, and tag your post with #15Girls and @NPR.

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