Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas on Monday shared a picture collage featuring two contrasting images of herself — one as a pre-teen kid and the other as a teenager just after winning the Miss India title — as she mused on how far she has come since her early years.

While the first picture shows a nine-year-old Priyanka with cropped hair, the second image, taken shortly after her Miss India win in 2000, features her basking in the glamour of makeup, styled hair and fashionable clothes.

“So wild to think about what puberty and grooming can do to a girl. On the left is me at my awkward pre-teen era with a ‘Boy cut’ hairstyle so it wouldn’t be cumbersome at school. (Thanks ma @drmadhuakhourichopra ) I went from a ‘katori cut’ to this. So, it was a win. And on the right is me at 17, having just won Miss India in the year 2000 and basking in the glory of hair, makeup and wardrobe,” she wrote in a long note, detailing her transformation journey.

The actress went on to explain how she felt caught between two worlds during that transformative period. “As Britney Spears very articulately put it... I’m not a girl, not yet a woman. That was exactly how I felt then, entering the big world of entertainment,” she wrote.

Priyanka further noted that the process of growth and self-discovery has not yet ended for her after all these years. “Almost 25 years later...still figuring it out,” she mentioned.

Priyanka shared how looking back at her younger self has enabled her to be kinder and more compassionate towards who she is today. “Looking back at my younger self often makes me kinder to myself today. Think about your younger self and how much she has done for you. Love yourself, you’ve gone through a lot to be where you are today,” she concluded, thanking the person who had made the collage for her.

On the work front, the 42-year-old actress recently wrapped up shooting for her upcoming action film The Bluff, helmed by Frank Ewen Flowers. She has also started shooting for the second season of her popular Prime Video series Citadel. Additionally, Priyanka is set to star in Ilya Naishuller’s Heads of State alongside Idris Elba, John Cena, Paddy Considine, Stephen Root and Carla Gugino.