# i look young for my age



## leomouse (Dec 1, 2008)

many people have told me that i look younger and they're surprised when i tell them my real age, i'm 23 almost 24 and look about 16.......... it's not really convenient for me since i just graduated uni and i should be looking for professional jobs and i'm sorta scared people won't take me seriously, a few times people asked me if i'm still in high school blahhhh also i smile a lot and i guess people think i'm "cute", possibly baby cute cause of my rounder face. 

i'm also trying to meet new people and i'm wondering if people my age would think i'm too young for them.

my bf is slightly older and once some man was staring and my bf thought it was cause i look young and my bf looks older, i don't want people to think he's some pedophile lol. i dunno. what do you think of 16 year old girls how do they act/ look like to you? i can't remember if i changed ever since i was 16. so any ideas of how i should act etc.?


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## dax (Nov 19, 2004)

That's nothing, I'm 30 and look about 19. When I tell people my age they're in a state of shock. I'm sure most of them think I'm right out of high school or something. It makes it really tough for me to get co-workers to take me seriously in my professional corporate job. I think it's also harder being a guy- looking boyishly young for a guy is considered an extremely negative trait by most people. Guys are supposed to look like men, not boys. Looking young for a girl is considered cute and attractive.

To answer your question tho- if you want people to perceive you as older, the best ways to do it are to talk and act more mature and dress more professionally.


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## leomouse (Dec 1, 2008)

thanks for the advice dax 

i guess we'll be happy to look young in like 10 years or we're like Brat Pitt in his movie Banjamin Bunton where he ages backwards.

i wonder why we look so much younger, maybe sleeping too much (i usually get 10 hours per night), not much drinking, no smoking or maybe not enough life experience. 
i think sometimes i act mature other times i really act younger as well.


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## WineKitty (Nov 26, 2004)

leomouse said:


> ... we're like Brat Pitt in his movie *Banjamin Bunton* where he ages backwards.


Do you mean Benjamin Button by any chance? :lol :b

Looking a bit younger is less of big deal than you might realize right now. It wont last forever. No one can believe my age either but that is fine. I am sure one day _EVERYONE_ will. Enjoy it while it lasts.


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## Futures (Aug 27, 2005)

I used to have that problem. But then when you truly do start to get older, you realize it's a good thing.


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## climbingupthewall (Apr 24, 2009)

Looking young is an incredibly positive thing for both guys and girls. Wouldn't that be better than being young and looking old? You're going to look young when you're old! What's more important is your maturity level. If you look young and act young, yes this is unappealing. Maturity is so unpopular these days...there's no bigger turn-off than an immature person.


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## WineKitty (Nov 26, 2004)

leomouse said:


> i wonder why we look so much younger, maybe sleeping too much (i usually get 10 hours per night), not much drinking, no smoking or maybe not enough life experience.
> i think sometimes i act mature other times i really act younger as well.


I think its genetics. I used to never get sleep all through my 20s, drank plenty, smoked, and had plenty of experiences, including raising a kid and two marriages. I should look 10 years older than I am if anything. I dont know why I have always looked younger; its pure luck, certainly nothing I have ever done!!! :lol


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## Bredwh (Jan 24, 2009)

I've always looked older than I am and when I was 15 kids tried to get me to but them cigarettes. I look like I'm in my late 20's even though I'm only 22. I apparently look younger than I am if I completely shave though. I've been trying to have a short, trimmed beard to find a middle ground that would show my real age.


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## DeeperUnderstanding (May 19, 2007)

I'm 26 but look like a teenager. It's frustrating when everyone asks me why I'm not in school.


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## MissChocolateMilkshake (Jul 25, 2004)

I get the same thing, Im 27 people still think im between 16-20 years old. I rather look young,than look old. It used be annoying at first, but now I say thank you when someone say you look young. Its a compliment, I wont need any botox lol!


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## Fairyxo (Jan 28, 2009)

I'm 20 and I look about 14, it's irritating, yeah, but when we're older we'll be laughing  Everyone else will look like old hags x]


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## InAFog (Apr 30, 2009)

Weird I'm the total opposite. People think I'm 5-7 years older than I am. I see how looking young could be a disadvantage but looking older comes with its own bag. Example: I'd feel uncomfortable dating someone my age or younger because they make me feel old (unless they look old for their age as well). Whereas when I hang with people in their late 20's early 30's I feel comfortable. I don't feel like people are thinking geez what is this older guy doing with these young people lol.


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## shyvr6 (Feb 18, 2008)

We need pics for proof, hehe. 


I used to look a lot younger, but I think I'm starting to look my own age now.


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## Bredwh (Jan 24, 2009)

For guys, if you want to look older, grow a beard. For girls, also grow a beard. Or just glue one on. You'll definitely look older. _Much_ older. Also much more like a circus performer.
Is it weird that I find girls with beards and mustaches oddly hot?


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## leomouse (Dec 1, 2008)

yea i think it's sorta genetic cause i asked my mom and she said she looked younger too at my age although my brother looks his age.

haha, i'm too chicken to post pics for proof, maybe i will one day.

and nooo i'm not growing a mustache but who knows maybe i would make a one sexy man, and then i can hide behind my beard/mustache.


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## Desperate (Apr 3, 2009)

People used to say I looked young for my age too.. When I was 15, people said I looked 12.. I don't know.. I'm 20 now and I have a friend who is also 20 and looks a bit older than me. Her sister is 16 and looks 18 or 19.. I don't know.. It's so weird..


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## Cheeky (Apr 1, 2009)

When people guess my age they usually say 22 or 23.
I work in a very specialized place where most people are really senior (in both senses of the word lol) and I always get the "Oh is this your first job?" or "Did you just finish school?"......Ummmm I've been working for 12 years and I finished university in 2002, thanks. 
In most cases I like looking young but it's hard where I work as I feel that I don't get as much respect because I don't have wrinkles or a grey, white or bald head. Once I was having a conversation with a guy at my desk and told him my real age and he literally shouted "OMG - I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE THAT OLD!!!" LOL It was funny and I was glad that practically the whole floor heard. :haha


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## christ~in~me (Dec 18, 2008)

ugh story of my life i go through this all the time,i have to pull my i.d. out on a regular basis,buying alcohol always ends up with then studying my id and staring at me funny. my advise is to dress older,wear skirts/dresses get a mature hair cut,there are a lot of cute shorter cuts that make people look older.


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## Graye (Jan 21, 2009)

Same 'problem', but since my hairline started receding, I stopped complaining.


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## srschirm (Jun 25, 2006)

I get the same thing. When I graduated from college, I used to tell people I just graduated, and they thought it was from HS.


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## teniralc21 (Oct 24, 2008)

I'll be 28 in two weeks, and I still get asked if I'm 17 or older whenever I buy an R-rated movie at Wal-mart.


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## MissChocolateMilkshake (Jul 25, 2004)

m10 said:


> how's getting carded while buying a lottery ticket? lol *sigh*


lol I got carded for a scratch off game.


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## SloopjohnB (Jan 1, 2009)

If I shave regularly I look like I am 18, but if I don't I look my real age (24). I don't mind looking younger, it shows two things, I take care of myself and I look like I take care of myself.


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## nzchick (Jan 4, 2009)

Haha well I'm 18 but I look like a 12 year old because I'm extremely short >< So yeah I know what you mean. It can be hard to get people to take you seriously and treat you like an adult when you don't look like one, but as long as you have a mature attitude and good work ethic then it should be sweet.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

teniralc21 said:


> I'll be 28 in two weeks, and I still get asked if I'm 17 or older whenever I buy an R-rated movie at Wal-mart.


I was never even asked for ID for R-rated movies back when I was 16 in 1989.

I think theaters are much more into this ID nonsense today than they were back decades ago. Back then they didn't ask for ID for porn mags either (keep in mind there was no online porn as there was no online anything back then).


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## Prodigal Son (Dec 11, 2005)

To be honest, I just think people are really bad at guessing somebody's age the majority of the time. I don't think I look that young and people have told me I look young for my age several times. Also, I think some people with SA maybe do not feel like they have had the life experience associated with their age. "I look young" can be used as a crutch and association with how they feel on the inside. 

I think it is policy for a lot of places to card if you appear under the age of 30.


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## mhmt89 (Dec 8, 2008)

i go to university and it is my second year.but people think that i go to high school because i look so young for my age.they are shocked when i tell them that i go to university.


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## Zephyr (Nov 8, 2003)

Yeah I'm all too familiar with this issue. Just earlier today I was at the clinic to get something checked out and after the woman brought me back to one of the offices to wait for a doctor, she said "You probably get this a lot, but you don't look twenty-eight." I just mumbled "Yeah I guess not." I was too scared to ask what I did look like.

I had just shaven before. In this condition I can probably pass for eighteen easily.


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## CyclingSoPhob (Apr 8, 2008)

I'm 38 and probably look like an 18 year old. My mature hairline is starting to emerge and that doesn't bother me as much as the bald spot on the back of my head. 

If the minoxidil doesn't work I guess I'll just look like a balding teenager. For a guy looking young is a severe blow to the self-esteem. Having a large bald spot on the back of your head only increases the lack of self-esteem.


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## DeeperUnderstanding (May 19, 2007)

You know, looking young isn't really a bad thing. Plenty of people look young. It's better to look young than to look your age, or look older.


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## CarlitoBrigante (Oct 29, 2006)

This is one area I'm pretty happy with, actually. Time is catching up with me, but I've always looked 2 or 3 years younger than what I am.


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## AmethystDruid (May 11, 2009)

Yeah I'm 18 and the oldest I've been told I look is 15, that was once. Most other people think I look about 14, and I was told recently by a relative that they think I look 12/13! It's something that _really_ get's on my nerves. I know I look young, why do people have to point it out though?


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## nothing to fear (Mar 23, 2005)

i am 20 but i look pretty young too - probably as young as 15. people used to say i look as young as 13 but since i started wearing more revealing clothes it added a couple years haha.
it's embarrassing though, and honestly i really dislike it since i feel like it's less likely that i will get attention from guys my age or just get taken seriously.

i think it's also my voice that makes me sound very young. it sucks becaues its really difficult to change, other than making an effort to speak louder and with more confidence.

oh and at a concert on the weekend i striked up conversation with another guy standing alone. he asked me if i was in uni and i said no and he was kind of like "um.. is this show all ages then...?" that seemed like a way to more politely ask how young i was..


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## Shannon (May 22, 2009)

I know how you feel. I'm 23 years old and at least once a week I get told I look like I'm 15 or 16. Let's see here are some examples. 1) I was working as a teacher's aide and went to take a sick student to the nurses office and the nurse thought I was an 8th grader (I was 21 at the time), 2) I was going to a concert with my sister and some lady behind us in line asked how old I was and I told her 21 and she said, "Oh honey! I thought you were like 15!" and laughed and 3) Earlier this month when I went to the bank to open a business account the guy looked at me and said "Is it for a lemonade stand?" I looked at him and said uh no....I'm 23 years old and it's for a tutoring business....and he looked shocked and said "oh my God. I'm so sorry. I thought you were like 16!" and laughed....

I used to just brush it off, but now that I've graduated college I want to be taken seriously, but worry that looking so young is going to make people not take me seriously at all if I look like a student. I want to be a teacher so I went through the multiple subject credential program and I know when I did my student teaching the parents thought I looked really young to be teaching their kids...that was annoying to constantly hear how young I looked from them. Thankfully they didn't seem to care after watching me teach and looking past my appearance. However, now that I'm applying for teaching positons I'm worried about getting hired since I look like so young....honestly I know it'll be tough. Oh and I'm always dressed very professionally by the way...it's just I have a young face as everyone points out to me (haha I guess when I'm 30 I'll maybe look like I'm 20 so that will be a good thing!). So yeah..I know how you feel!


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## Tony99 (Jul 27, 2008)

Looking young for your age seems to be a common characteristic of us SA people.

I'm 22 and I'll still get carded for cigarettes most the time.


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## alex999 (Oct 21, 2008)

It's a good thing I believe. When you're 18-30 and look young for your age it sucks, but when you get older you will be very thankful you still have your looks. Seems common in my family. All my siblings looked their age until about 25 and then just stopped aging (they're all in their 30's). My mom is 56 but easily looks 40.


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## anomalous (Jun 12, 2004)

Tony99 said:


> Looking young for your age seems to be a common characteristic of us SA people.


Indeed. It seems like looking "too young" is one of the more common causes of SA, from my observations here (and I'm certainly a member of that group).


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## leomouse (Dec 1, 2008)

anomalous said:


> Indeed. It seems like looking "too young" is one of the more common causes of SA, from my observations here (and I'm certainly a member of that group).


hmm, i don't know if it's a cause or effect of SA, or both.... even when i feel like i look my age i still have SA and i guess my anxiety increases when someone mentions my age, i also hate being treated like i'm dumb and young cause i feel like i'm acting in a way that makes people not take me seriously. i wonder if the anxiety made us avoid more situations so we feel younger/ inadequate and it somehow translates on to our face or maybe it's cause we sleep more to avoid life lol i dunno


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## alex999 (Oct 21, 2008)

I've come across very outgoing, extroverted people who look young for their age. And I've come across introverted people who look old for their age. I don't think introversion has anything to do with having a physically young appearance, unless there are outside factors like inadequate sunlight (which ages your skin over time) and not smoking or doing drugs. Looking young may be a catalyst for our SA, as it can make us self conscious about our appearance. The ones who are outgoing and look young for their age just don't let it bother them. 

And shy people generally give off a child-like vibe, probably since shyness/introversion is a trait most associated with children, not adults.


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## leomouse (Dec 1, 2008)

ohh nooo, what you said here really worries me....

"And shy people generally give off a child-like vibe, probably since shyness/introversion is a trait most associated with children, not adults." 

i think i act childlike sometimes and i tend to smile a lot so it's possible these comments that i look young have something to do with the way i act (not only the way i look). ohh well i guess i gotta learn to accept that. eeek


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## BlueAngel24 (May 31, 2009)

The same thing happens to me. I'm 22 and people think I look 15 or 16. When ever anyone asks me my age and I tell them they are usually surprised. It is a problem though when people my age think I'm younger and that if they go out with me they would be like a pedophile.


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## jjeon (Jan 20, 2009)

The worst is when people think your 16 year old brother is the older brother when you're 21!


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## DeeperUnderstanding (May 19, 2007)

jjeon said:


> The worst is when people think your 16 year old brother is the older brother when you're 21!


Or when they think you're in high school when you graduated nearly 10 years ago.


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