Across Europe, teenage girls step into adult nightlife spaces where age boundaries blur and regulation often fails.
I’m in Italy with Luna. She's sixteen and her bedroom still tells you that, a mix of two worlds: plush toys, dolls, pastel-colored furniture, makeup scattered around the room, bras, shopping bags thrown on the floor, heels by the door. The space feels suspended between childhood and adulthood, not quite one, not fully the other. Exactly like her.
It’s Friday and she is getting ready to go clubbing at an event called “Perreo” - her phone vibrates constantly as she chats with her friends, deciding what to dress, sharing mirror selfies: “which one?” “skirt or dress?” “black??”.
I can feel her excitement, and it’s contagious.
She starts by straightening her hair, then applies makeup while watching a tutorial on TikTok, she applies Victoria’s Secret glitter to her collarbones and legs. From a Zara bag, she pulls out a new dress, black, sheer, tight, lingerie-inspired: “It’s the same dress Ice Spice wore in her last video,” she says proudly, as she steps into high heels. A sweet, tropical scent fills the room.
She entered the room as a teenager and now she exits it as a twenty two year old. Not because she suddenly grew up, but because she learned what adulthood is supposed to look like and how to perform it.
Downstairs, her friend is waiting with her father, who will drive them to the club. They need to arrive before midnight - entry is free for women before then. Men pay, and tonight even more because there is a special event.
Once there, Luna and her friends slip into the bathroom to take some pictures for Instagram and I don’t see them again for the rest of the night.
The nightclub is getting packed, flashing lights, music is vibrating, people start to order cocktails. Men and women of different ages move through the space, but the imbalance is immediately noticeable: many of the men are adults, but many of the girls are not. Teenage boys are just a few because they struggle to get in, when they do, it’s often because they are accompanied by other girls. Nightclubs are selective, but not equally.
Underage girls stand out, not because of their age, but because they navigate the space differently. Very short, see through dresses, corsets that sculpt every curve, lace bodysuits that leave little to the imagination. High heels or cowboy boots under micro-skirts. The same perfume everywhere, Sol De Janeiro 62, sweet and unmistakable. Older girls are equally confident and stylish but less conspicuous - the contrast is immediate. Some adult men flirt with younger girls, offering drinks and dancing with them. At that age, the attention of older guys can feel exciting, fun, validating - not wrong or unusual.
The MC announces that at 2am, once everyone is properly warmed up, the special event will begin: the twerk contest. Anyone who wants to participate just has to get on stage.
The night continues, everyone is drunker than when they entered it, they move more freely, people are less stiff and shyness has faded. Music ranges from hip hop to reggaeton, dembow, R&B, and everything in between.
Minors drink, as there is no law strictly forbidding it here, but on this chaotic night, with so many people crowding the bar, the bartender doesn’t have time to check everyone’s ID.
It’s two o’clock, the music drops, and the twerk contest is announced. Shouts from girls and boys fill the room - after all, for many, this is the moment they’ve been waiting for all night. The girls step onto the stage, despite their makeup and clothing, their inner youth remains apparent.
Below the stage, the audience is mostly men in their twenties and thirties. They start filming on their phones while judging: who moves best, who has the best curves, who is the most sensual, and who doesn’t belong on that stage. The MC starts eliminating girls according to the crowd’s reactions, sending them off stage, sometimes accompanied by harsh comments about their performance and bodies. This type of comment can stay with a young girl, leaving long standing wounds and self doubt.
The night continued and I began to reflect on what I’ve witnessed: a culture that profits from their inexperience, where female youth is valuable, desirable and marketable. The message is subtle but constant.
No one explicitly tells these girls how to dress or act, and no one forces them through the door. So where does all this come from? Every day, we are bombarded with explicit music videos and lyrics, TV programs featuring nearly naked showgirls dancing, and social media content that sexualizes women. We all grew up with this type of content, and of course it shapes us, it becomes the norm. The line between choice, influence, and conditioning is thin.
This is not about blaming teenage girls, because they are not fully aware of the dynamics they are stepping into. They move through adult spaces, but without the knowledge, experience, or awareness of adults that would help them set boundaries and make confident decisions. It’s about questioning an industry and a society that still normalises the presence of underage girls in adult nightlife - and doesn't just normalise it but welcomes and rewards them, precisely because of their age and appearance. Free entry, free drinks and attention.
This is not an isolated phenomenon, similar situations happen in many European countries. Stricter regulation of nightlife could help protect minors. While I wrote about the sexualisation of minors, the risks extend far beyond that: accidents, abuse, violence, assaults, and other dangers are all too real in unregulated adult spaces.
Teenage curiosity and the desire to socialise are natural, which is why safe, regulated spaces designed for their age are so important, places where they can enjoy nightlife without exposure to exploitation, pressure, or danger. “Beyond creating age appropriate events, stricter rules should ensure that minors are not allowed into adult events. These measures can safeguard their well being while still letting them experience nightlife on their own terms.”