When I was a teen-ager, everyone assumed I was older than my age. I developed early and acted mature and read a lot and listened to '60s music (in the '80s) so I knew a lot more historical and cultural stuff than most teen-agers — I could carry on a conversation with anyone of any age. I was also blessed with a very deep voice at the age of 12. When I’d answer the phone callers would ask if my wife was available.
Somehow, during college, my aging process stopped and many people I worked with or met assumed I was much younger than my age. Perhaps it was the Retin-A for the acne.
When I was 36 (three years ago) I was an adjunct instructor at a local university. One day, I stopped in the secretary’s office, and she spent a moment trying to remember my name and said – “Oh, yes, Kerrman … the adjunct who looks like a student.” Made my … well, my last three years, really.
But the real lottery I hit was marrying Mrs. Kerrwoman, who is seven years older than me and can easily pass for 30.
The keys? We don’t smoke or drink. We’ve always eaten moderately healthy foods (home-made everything) and tried to spend a lot of time playing with the Kerrkids and just enjoying life. Now the Kerrkids are mostly sullen teen-agers who avoid us (yay!), so we enjoy each other’s company, we ate really healthy and get plenty of exercise (some of it nekkid, even!). Now I’m built better than I was at age 20 and the grey streaks haven’t multipled, and no one can believe I have a Kerrkid headed off to college in the fall!
I’m 39. Up until about three years ago, I had to produce ID nearly every time I bought alcohol or tobacco – which I guess means that I looked like I might have been eighteen, to some people at least.
It’s relatively rare now. Ah well. (Gained some “married” weight in the past few years.)
90% of people who guess my age guess I’m at least 4 years younger than I am, and a fair amount think I’m up to three years younger than that. Guessing how old I am happens quite a bit, because besides mentioning my age surprising people I know, little brother likes to play a game called “guess how old my sister is.” grrr.
I tend to get people commenting on my age all the time when they find out I’m about to turn 49. People usually guess I’m in my 30’s. The whole thing is funny, because I really don’t care if I look 35, 39, 45, 49 or 55… To me, I just look like me!
I’m 27 and everyone thinks I’m about 16-20 years old. I almost always get carded for buying things that you have to be 18 to buy.
When my daughter was in preschool they had a parent meeting and middle schoolers were there to watch the kids, and the middle schoolers thought I was one of them! Then when my daughter was in Kindergarten and going to a K-12 school, it was always assumed that I was a student. Once I was standing outside of the Kindergarten classroom waiting for my daughter and holding an infant that I was babysitting and someone who worked at the school came up to me and asked if she was my baby and I said no, and she said, “Okay, because I was going to say…!”
I’ve always been mistaken to be at least 5 years younger than I actually am. Not so much now that my chin has started getting white… er, platinum hairs growing out in it. I’ve found that people guess your age more on your movements and attitude. If I act like an immature goof and flail my limbs around I get people thinking I’m younger than if I’m somber and more … surefootedness, I guess?
People consistently think I’m about 24, or slightly younger. I’m nearly 33. This happened most recently last month when I got my flu shot. The nurse asked me how old I was because she was going to suggest I get the Gardasil shot, which is free for under women under 26.
I used to work with my brother. Our co-workers were astounded when they discovered I am the older sibling, and even more surprised to realise I’m three years older than him.
I attribute my youthfulness to never going out in the sun, and being somewhat chubby. Fat hides lines.
Everyone seems to think I’m years younger than I actually am (20). And when I complain, everyone says the exact same thing: “You’ll be happy when you’re 30/40/50 and everyone keeps thinking you’re 20/30/40.” Every. Single. Time.
When I was 12, people often thought I drove myself places or had a car. 13? Mistaken for a local college student. 16? Usually didn’t get carded at bars. An upside was that when I got pregnant and married at 18, I didn’t get treated as a teenage mom, since I looked and acted older than I was.
Somewhere around 22-24, people started guessing my real age. Freaked me out at first, since I’d always looked older. By my mid to late twenties, everyone was guessing that I was in my early twenties. It was really funny - I got carded more at 26 than I did at 16.
I’ll be 38 in a few weeks, and everyone that meets me is usually quite surprised by my age. The average guess is around 31, +/- a year. If I’m with a younger crowd, the guess moves down to the late twenties.
My oldest son is 19 now. THAT shocks people! I’ve often heard someone blurt out “When did you have him?? When you were 12??”
I look about 18, it seems (my mother confirms this). I feel by rights that I should be about that age, so maybe that plays a role (my life really stopped moving forward at 17. I’m always somewhat appalled when another year goes by. I’m 25 now).
Interesting that most of the people posting here say they look younger. Either we’re all being insincerely flattered by other people, or the ones who look their age or older are mostly reluctant to say so.
My theory is that our generation looks younger than the previous ones did at the same age. When I was a kid, it seems like women in their 30’s started dressing and acting a lot older than I do now. A lot of us don’t look or act our age.
(Plus, good genetics. My father was often mistaken for 15 years or younger than his age. Still, I think I have a point above.)
Younger. It runs in my family. A waitress once talked her way out of a tip when she admitted to my sister-in-law that she thought my brother was my s-i-l’s kid.
I’m 39, and have been carded at least twice in the past 6 months or so.
Hubby looks (and acts) younger than he is, too. It’s always fun when hanging out with people in their 20s (like young coworkers) when they realize that Mr. Athena, the guy handing them beers and playing his guitar and going mountain biking with them, is as old or older than their parents.
When I roll out of bed, put my hair in a ponytail (all sweaty from the menopausal night-sweats), throw on some shorts and a sports bra and tshirt and hit the road for my morning two-mile walk, I look (and feel) every one of my 52 years.
When I shower and primp and do the hair and makeup and don the correct attitude, I look (and feel) at least 10 years younger.
I’m not sure that there is a “look” for an age. I half remember a quote from Gloria Steinem some years back. People said she looked great for being 50, and she said, “This is what 50 looks like.” Off to search . . .
Is getting carded really a criteria for proving you look younger? When I worked at a bar, we were told to card anyone who looked under 50. The local grocery store’s policy is to card EVERYONE, even senior citizens. I think the carding policies of a lot of places is to card anyone who isn’t obviously in their dotage.
Well, I’m 31 (32 in a few days) and I was carded for a rated “R” movie a couple of weeks ago. Draw from that what conclusions you may.
I am always carded for cigarettes and booze, but around here they card anyone who “looks” under 37, if the buttons are to believed. But a movie? How annoying.
Haha…yes, I have the same experience.
I’m old enough now (27) that I don’t care very much one way or the other (actually I’m kind of ambivalent about it). When I was a teenager I hated it, and in a few more years, yeah, I’ll probably start to like it.
Though it would be nice to be taken seriously sometime by people who don’t know me!
Carded for alcohol? Probably not especially.
Carded for buying a guinea pig or nearly every time I go to buy a single bottle of children’s cold medicine (and not the meth-making kind that is regulated)? I believe so.
I must say though, one time I was not carded at the liquor store. And they’re owned and operated by the state here, so they’re usually very strict on that. I was very surprised and a little concerned, but I think it was just a fluke.
