The surprising reality of how teenage girls still define themselves

After all the hours of interviews, I’m left thinking about the youth clubs I visited. Their number reduced considerably in the years leading up to the pandemic. In particular, the netball club and dance company sticks in my mind. These are “third spaces”, with real-life community and so much activity. In these clubs, the girls I spoke to had something else, which set their interviews apart; places to be loud and physical, unafraid of making noise, taking up space or being subject to the judgement of boys or online critics.