I'm a Native American woman who's 18 years old. I grew up on my reservation with my family and community. We're a tight-knit group of people who look out for each other, especially when it comes to our bodies. My mom taught me how to take care of mine when I was young - she'd tell me stories about how important it is to be proud of what we have.
I remember this one time when we had a big family gathering and my aunt came over from the city. She was all tanned up and had this beautiful 6-pack stomach that made everyone jealous! My mom said, "Look at her body - isn't she gorgeous?" And I'm like, "Yeah!" because even then I knew how important it is to feel good about ourselves.
As we grew older, my friends started talking more openly about sex. We'd get together sometimes and share stories about our first experiences or what we learned from our parents. It was always hushed tones but you could tell everyone was interested in learning more.

But one time when I was 16, a group of guys came onto the reservation looking for girls to take pictures with. They said they were doing some art project and promised us money if we did it for them. My mom caught wind of it though and immediately told me no way - she didn't want any trouble with outsiders coming in here.

However, later that year my best friend decided to sneak out one night when everyone was asleep. She snuck into town where those guys were still hanging around. I don't know what happened exactly but next morning she comes back all different... and it changed us both forever! Now we're not just friends anymore; now we're sisters.