Looking underage (The Good Vs. The Bad)

[Olas]

I've always been told I look older than I am. Which is fine. Looking young for your age seems like it would really suck. You'd be asked for your ID more often, people would take you less seriously, many people your age and older would avoid hitting on you.

 

[Wyes]

I have something of a baby face and by and large an inability to grow facial hair (I can get my sideburns going, but besides a few stray hairs on my chin that's about it), so people usually think I'm in my mid to late teens, though I am 21.

That said, I still managed to score an older girlfriend (we started dating when I was 19, and she was 21/22). She looks her age, which has lead to a few funny situations for us. Admittedly she would rather I were older than I am, but it's never been a big issue.

 

[Ishal]

People often think I'm younger than I actually am.

I sometimes get asked "Got the day off school?"

-_-

I'm similar when I don't have a beard or goatee. I look 24-27 with facial hair but when I shave I'm told I look 15. My height probably doesn't help things either. Shit.

-_-

 

[thejackyl]

Well, the only real negative part I have seen so far is that no one seems to take me seriously as a manager where I work. My co-workers do, but the customers usually have the same attitude of "Why should I listen to some 13-16 year old?".

I'm 25, and if I shave I look like I'm 17 or 18, from what I've heard.

 

[Lonan]

This thread is mostly young adults feeling miffed about not being treated as adults on the basis of an easy and entirely understandable mistake of being mistaken for someone less than 5 years younger than them. People want to be treated respectfully, and see being called as a "kid" as disrespectful, but firstly, even if you tell them your real age, they will still think you''re a kid, and secondly, people aren't necessarily being disrespectful for calling you (or me) a kid. Its just their perception due to their age, as we might call them old.

In terms of not being taken seriously for young looks, you will be taken seriously by employers because they don't care how young you look, they just care about what you can do for them. If I go out with other university students during the weekday people might ask if we got let out of school, but that's because most older people don't bother to notice if someone is 16 or 21, there's only 5 years difference, how can they tell? People our age seem very focused on the idea of who is older and younger within that narrow 15-22 window, but its just a primal desire for immediate respect. Immediate respect is not necessary, if you don't like someone, you can talk to someone else.

 

[rawfy]

This thread is mostly young adults feeling miffed about not being treated as adults on the basis of an easy and entirely understandable mistake of being mistaken for someone less than 5 years younger than them. People want to be treated respectfully, and see being called as a "kid" as disrespectful, but firstly, even if you tell them your real age, they will still think you''re a kid, and secondly, people aren't necessarily being disrespectful for calling you (or me) a kid. Its just their perception due to their age, as we might call them old.

In terms of not being taken seriously for young looks, you will be taken seriously by employers because they don't care how young you look, they just care about what you can do for them. If I go out with other university students during the weekday people might ask if we got let out of school, but that's because most older people don't bother to notice if someone is 16 or 21, there's only 5 years difference, how can they tell? People our age seem very focused on the idea of who is older and younger within that narrow 15-22 window, but its just a primal desire for immediate respect. Immediate respect is not necessary, if you don't like someone, you can talk to someone else.

That was well thought out! Nailed it!

 

[TakeyB0y2]

I'm 20, but I look like I could be 16 or so. My massive acne problem doesn't help much either ._.

I work near a high school, and when I go to the fast food restaurants nearby for lunch, the high school there is also out for lunch the teenagers there talk to me like I go there. Sometimes it's fun to play along, but a lot of the time they're just annoying. They haven't bothered me much lately, so I'm guessing most of them have taken the hint by now. A couple of them asked me to buy them alcohol when I told them how old I was.

I don't mind. I take this as a sign that I'm aging slower, which means I'll live longer.

 

[mokes310]

If I shave, I look like I'm in my early 20's...by 5pm, it's back to being 29. I haven't been carded at the bar in a couple years...and when that happens, it's be beginning of the end.