‘To the men who ran the world, I was just a photo op’: Malala Yousafzai on growing up, getting cynical – and how getting high nearly broke her

All portraits: Hollie Fernando/The Guardian. Stylist: Otter Hatchett. Set: Celina Bassili. Hair: Tyler Johnston @onerepresents using @schwarzkopf @schwarzkopfpro. Makeup: Mary-Jane Gotidoc using Nars. Skirt, shirt and scarf: Jacquemus. Earrings: Pond London. Cuff: Charlotte Chesnais. Head scarf: stylist’s own Photograph: Hollie Fernando/The Guardian

I am at the shed where Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai smoked her first bong. No, there’s no punchline – it’s not that kind of anecdote. “My life has changed for ever,” Yousafzai says sadly, as we gaze at the semi-derelict structure. “Everything changed for ever, after that [night].”

The shed is tucked away at the back of Lady Margaret Hall, away from the prying eyes of Oxford’s college life. You have to know how to find it. Yousafzai leads me through quadrangles and out into a hidden garden. Inside are dusty pint glasses and spiderwebs, and board games with the pieces missing.