We have all (I guess) started out as kids/youths who preferred to be considered more mature than we are (I for one e.g. at age 16 would have been delighted to be taken for 18 years old).
At some points we consider our age more in the light of added decrepitude than added social stature, and begin to feel flattered to be taken for younger than we are.
So, at what point did you start wanting to be mistaken for a younger version of yourself?
For me, it was when I hit 25 or so. Every once in a while, I’d be out with my sister, who is seven years older, and people would ask her if I was her daughter. Oooh, did I love that! 
That hasn’t happened in many, many years. Now, I’m delighted to be carded when buying alcohol – even at places that display a sign saying they card anyone under the age of 40!
I’m 25, but, due to various circumstances, I feel like I’m closer to 18. I feel my actual age is higher than it should be, so I enjoy being thought of as younger.
My 3 years younger sister is the opposite. She’s hating that you pretty much have to be married to be considered an adult woman around here.
I’m close to 28, but people still think I’m 23 or 24. I am of mixed feelings about this; on one hand, people in my line of work don’t seem to take me seriously. It’s also something of a Chinese culture too.
Right around 30 I started to be sort of pleased with myself.
The hubby and I went to see The Crazies a few weeks ago and I got IDed going into the theatre (it’s NC-17).
I looked at the gal sort of stunned and said ‘What?’ ‘ID. I need to see your ID - you can’t get into this movie if you’re under 18.’
Heh. OK. I’m 37. She actually said ‘Wow - you look really young.’
Believe me, I was DELIGHTED.
30-35
However, sometimes when I am mistaken for a younger person, I worry that I am dressed like a kid or something. That’s not cool. A former co-worker of mine had this problem. She was 40 ish, but dressed like her daughter, chewed gum, smoked a lot and generally hadn’t moved on since high school. SCARY! When people told her she looked young, they weren’t taking about her skin.
I just turned 37.
With my hat on, most people say early 30s. With my hat off: 62.
As for the OP, when I was around 30-32 I started to dig people thinking I was younger that I was, usually by a margin of four or five years. I still constantly get carded for alcohol… which is kind of annoying. Maybe I should kill the hat.
I’m 25 and don’t really care just yet. I guess I look younger than I am, but people that talk to me think I’m older than I am.
I’m in my 30’s and I still get carded once in a while. I still look like my driver license.
I’ve always liked being taken for younger as long as I can remember. You always grow old but never grow younger, so those days are finite and best to be enjoyed as much as possible.
I’m usually taken for older than my real age. What irked me the most is that it was more common when I was younger. Now that I’m approaching the 30’s, more and more people find my age right or put me younger. So I’ve always loved being taken for younger, since it happened so rarely…
How bad it was? It was bad for me… Imagine being 12 years old and asked if you’re the mom of your 2 year old cousin. And no, the implication in their voices was not “Oh dear, you’re a teenage mom!”.
I’ve never understood why some people obsessed about age and being taken for older or younger. I’m 56. I’ve always been honest about my age. If you look at me and think I’m younger or older, that’s your opinion and that’s fine, but I’m 56. Big deal.
One thing that does irritate me, tho, is being accused by my sister of coloring my hair because she’s younger and greying while I have no grey yet. Criminy, I rarely bother to get my hair cut - why would I waste my time having it colored?? Of course, the irritation might just be that one sister - she’s always had that effect on me.
It’s not that someone has an opinion about your age that’s offensive, it’s that they usually don’t believe you when you tell them they’re wrong.
I think the worst was when I had some ridiculous looking Grizzly Adams beard and the stupid ticketseller insisted I show ID for getting into an R-rated movie.
There’s “Oh, you look young for your age” and then there’s being disrespectful.
This, but in my case, the opposite happens. They take me for older, and don’t believe me when I say my real age…
So yes, I much prefer being taken younger than older.
I got asked for ID in a UK pub (which isn’t mandatory, and rarely happens to anyone who looks 18 or more) when I was 23. The huge smile across my face told the barman all he needed to know, and he served me without checking my credentials.
I have always looked way younger than my actual years. The funniest story I can recall related to this was…
I was thrown out of a bar in Denver Colorado for being underage when I was thirty years old.
When asked for my ID, I handed the bartender my Pennsylvania driver’s license, which at that time did not include the driver’s photo. The bartender told me “look, buddy, if you’d given me an ID claiming that you were 21, I might have bought it. But there’s just no way I’m going to believe thirty.”
My sister, who was 28 at the time and didn’t get carded, has yet to stop laughing.
I’m 62 now, and basically I stopped minding folks thinking I was younger than I actually was about the age of fifty. Now I just figure that I haven’t fallen apart as much as my cohorts.
I’m 42 and just got carded for booze last week! Nothing makes my day more!
I’ve always looked younger than I was, and was pretty used to being proofed, but it had been a while, and it happened about a month ago when my bro and I went out for karaoke. I’m 36, and starting to feel it because I am noticing how much more often I have to dye to hide grey. The lady at the salon says it’s better than 50%. I figure with the young face and a head of grey hair I’d look alright, but I’m trying to find a job AND date, so yeah, I’ll be dyeing for a while longer.
I got carded just a few months ago for buying wine at a grocery store (one I don’t go to often, the cashiers don’t all know me). I was 33. I informed her that I was thrilled to show her my ID, and when she looked at it, she agreed that my reaction was reasonable. That made my day in a small way.
I hated looking 14 when I was 18, but my mom was right; eventually looking younger wouldn’t seem so bad. Being asked “What high school do you go to?” at 25 was more than a little irritating, but getting cared in my 30s? Awesome!
