Do you look young or old for your age?

In My Humble Opinion
1

People have always mistaken me for older. I’m only 32, but I often get people guessing that I’m in my early 40s for some reason.

They will often follow it up with something like, “you don’t look ancient, it’s just that you seem so mature”. My boyfriend is a year younger than me, but looks much younger. People often think that he looks 21, and think that he’s dating a 40-something woman.

When I was in college, I was often mistaken for a grad student, and not an undergrad. I was mistaken for 28 my freshman year. One of my best friends, who is Japanese-American, is the same age as me, but she can easily pass for 18. It’s crazy!

How about you? Do you look young or old for your age.

2

Younger. I’m 41 and a lot of people express their shock that I’m older than my early 30s. I’ve always looked young for my age, even at age 5 people thought I was about 3.

3

Younger. I’m 39 and have gotten carded twice this summer.

I’ve got adult acne so uh, I’ve got that going for me.

4

I definitely look younger. Since my 30’s, I have looked about 10 years younger than my age. Though lately it’s more than that. I mean, at 49, people shouldn’t be gasping that I have a 20 year old son.

Them: “Oh, no way! You got started young! How old were you when you had him?!?!”
Me: “Almost 30”
Them: blank stare

I’m not complaining about looking younger, but sometimes it just seems so silly.

5

Since my late teens almost always appeared older to people than my age. Probably from having a beard all the time. Somewhere in my mid-40s I looked about right for my age, and in my early 50s even a little young for my age but then my beard turned grey and much of my hair turned flesh colored, so now looking older again. Probably catching up to my actual age around now.

6

Younger. It seemed to happen sometime around age 40 (I’m now 53). The fact that I still have hair is probably part of it (a lot of my contemporaries have gone mostly bad, or shaved it off), as well as the fact that, thanks to good genes, I still have no gray hair.

Most of my colleagues are in their 20s or 30s. We had a conversation at work last year about ages, and very few of them guessed me as any older than 40 or so.

7

Depends.
My face and head is probably about right for my age, but I have (IMHO) a better physique than many men 1/3 my age.

8

I’m 64 but most folks would guess younger. No gray yet, and not many wrinkles due to well-plumped skin. :smiley: Tho if anyone guessed under 55, I’d figure they wanted to borrow money…

9

It’s weird: when I hit puberty, at age 11, I started looking older than I was. People started mistaking me for being 2-3 years older than I was, and when I was in high school, I was mistaken for as old as 20 when I was only 15.

It had a lot to do with having an early growth spurt, and hitting 5’2 by the time I was 12 (I grew another inch before high school, and two more inches very slowly over the next 6 years), and being a 34B in the 7th grade.

The weird thing was, my aging really slowed down when I approached 30. I never got carded when I was 21, but when I was 28, and Indiana started this “We card if you look under 27,” I started getting carded all the time. When I was in my mid-30s, people would put my age at about 8 years younger than I was. Once, when I was 34, I got asked by a Walmart cashier if I was old enough to buy an R-rated movie.

Then when I was 38 I had a baby. Over the next 3 years, I aged about 10 in appearance. So everything got caught up for a while. But now I’m 51, and when I say I’m “in my 50s,” people say I look younger. I don’t know if there’s something mentally about 50, that just sounds really old to younger people, so if I’m not looking like I’m ready for assisted living, I can’t be 50-- they think of 50 as elderly, not middle aged, you know, middle age may end at 49 for them, so I can’t possibly be older than that.

Personally, I think I look about right for my age-- but I think I look good for it. I have good posture, and I don’t have jowls or a double chin, I don’t have varicose veins, and I’m fairly muscular for a woman (which is just lucky genes), so it takes up some of the slack skin I might have on my arms or legs, but I don’t think being in good shape hides my age. I think I’m pretty spot-on for 51 right now.

Duh: it just dawned on me. My hair isn’t very gray. It’s a little gray, but compared to most 51 year olds, it’s still pretty brown. My parents were both the same way, so it’s just genes, but that’s probably another reason people think I look a little younger than I am.

10

Young. I’m in my late 30s and when I go to my college town sometimes i get confused for a student. Its nice. I’m going to enjoy it for the next few years until it stops.

However about ~5 years ago, liquor stores stopped carding me everytime I bought alcohol.

11

The moon has a few new wrinkles,
It shines a bit more silver now than gold.
I’m staying young, I’m staying young,
But everyone around me’s growin’ old.

– Take Me Along

12

Younger. Most people think I’m in my 50s but I’m in my late 60s. It’s all in the genes!

It’s mostly my skin that makes me look younger I think – my face, arms, etc. just don’t look like others my age plus I’m trim, no beer belly or other fat.

I know a barmaid in her 40s (looks younger and is VERY cute) who wants to go out with me, but I’m avoiding the whole situation. If she pushes, then I’ll tell her how old I really am – that will end it right there. :eek:

13

Most people think I’m younger. It has always been the case. When I was 17 I was pulled over because they thought I was too young to be driving. I got carded constantly up until my early 30’s. I’m 39 now, People assume I’m under 30 when I deal with them in person. They assume I’m an older guy when I deal with them on the phone. I’ll show up to a job sight and people ask if it was my father they spoke with on the phone.

14

I get the impression I had looked younger than my age for a long time. Same with my sister. But I turn 55 on Wednesday and I’m not so sure any more. If I let my beard grow, it would definitely be grey. My sister, though, is almost 60 and definitely in better shape than many. I think this runs in the family; my aunt and cousin (89 and 70) are also in very good physical shape.

15

Younger. I’ve always looked younger, which was a bummer in high school but is pretty good now. No weight gain, no wrinkles, very full head of hair though mostly gray.
People at work were surprised when I retired because I didn’t look nearly 65.

16

I’m in my early thirties but sometimes people think I’m ten years younger or even more. I chalk it up mostly to still having a full head of hair and though I don’t make an effort to do so I usually keep a very neutral facial expression so maybe the laugh lines and forehead wrinkles have been kept at bay a little longer than usual.

17

Younger; I’m 30 but still get asked if I am a college student.

18

Younger. I am old enough to be retired but people find it hard to believe that I am as old as I am. I guess it is because I still have all my hair and, in any group of people I will be amongst the least “adult” members of the group. I seem to spend more time socialising with friends in their 30s than people my own age.

19

Much, much younger. I’m 73 but easily pass for 71.

20

Younger. I have always wanted to appear older, but no I have a baby face. And I guess I appear helpless a bit. So people put me in a different age group. It’s not real bothersome.