When photographer and journalist Elize Strydom turned 29, nostalgia for her teenage years set in.
She told BuzzFeed News that she felt she had motored through those years, and yearned for a way to revisit them.
That desire spurred the creation of Strydom's Small Town Girl photo project. The Australian native traveled to 18 towns across her home country, South Africa, and the United States, photographing girls aged 14 to 18 who live there.
Strydom, who is now based in Sydney, grew up in a small town, and focused specifically on areas with fewer than 20,000 people.
"I went into it thinking, 'You really matter, and I want to know who you are right now, not who you plan to be. Not who your teachers or coaches think you are,'" Strydom said.
This is where she went, and these are the girls she met.
Happy — Botha's Hill, South Africa
Emily — Grafton, Australia
Hannah — Ellenwood, Georgia
Jannah — Broken Hill, Australia
Maya — Justin, Texas
Merryn — Lismore, Australia
Mpho — Jouberton township, South Africa
Rebecca — Nieu Bethesda, South Africa
Sarah — New Waverly, Texas
Merryn — Byron Bay, Australia
Savannah — Parkes, Australia
Tara — Winthrop, Washington
Varoux — Eendekuil, South Africa
