# Do you think you look younger than others your age? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 15, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953 "2012-05-15T02:33:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953/121 "2012-05-19T05:29:27Z")
> [@Trom](#): > > If you went to college at a wedding venue in Greenwood, Mississippi, perhaps… 😃 Ha! Oh well. For a second I thought I’d stumbled upon a fellow alum. I see what you’re saying, though. Clean-shaven I’d peg you around 28ish. With the beard, 35. > [@MeanOldLady](#): > > How \*you \*doin’? Sorry, had to be done. Yep. Agreed. > [@](#): > > Kaio, for you I’m guessing 38. Am I in the ballpark here? Eh. As long as people will seriously consider me for roles 12 years younger than me, I’m putting nothing in writing that disabuses them of the notion. 😃 Gives me a lot more options for work. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953/122 "2012-05-19T06:52:51Z")
I’m curious, how old do you think I look? [Dressed up](http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e98/CapeTwirlOfDoom/nwiycgi.jpg) with makeup. Regular [day to day look](http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e98/CapeTwirlOfDoom/hairphoto.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953/123 "2012-05-19T07:04:57Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I’m curious, how old do you think I look? Early 30s. And incidentally, you are misnamed. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953/124 "2012-05-19T15:42:55Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Well, shit. I’ll be 50 in a couple of months. Nailed it without having read the answer, and no I’m not just saying that the way people always “knew” the answer before they saw it. > [@Kaio](#): > > Eh. As long as people will seriously consider me for roles 12 years younger than me, I’m putting nothing in writing that disabuses them of the notion. 😃 Gives me a lot more options for work. So then I got it. > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I’m curious, how old do you think I look? 1. I think some people seem to have it in their head that “not haggard” = “looking younger than they are.” If I see, say, an attractive and fit 45 year old man with nice skin, I think “What a handsome, fit 45 year old man with nice skin.” You don’t look younger automatically because you’re taken good care of yourself. You just look like you’ve taken care of yourself. Some people just have youthful faces, though, and that’s what makes them look young. I’ve got a friend who is the same age as I am, yet he looks 22 and I don’t. We’re both in about the same shape (pretty decent, but not spectacular), have full heads of black hair with no grey, smooth skin, evenish complexions (though his is a little better than mine), but he just flat out has a baby face and I do not. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953/125 "2012-05-19T19:49:27Z")
Most people assume I’m a lot younger than I am (39). But in all fairness, kids these days are so fat and out of shape that they look like their parents gave birth to middle aged men. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953/126 "2012-05-20T00:46:32Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I’m curious, how old do you think I look? > > [Dressed up](http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e98/CapeTwirlOfDoom/nwiycgi.jpg) with makeup. > > Regular [day to day look](http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e98/CapeTwirlOfDoom/hairphoto.jpg). I would go with late 20s to early 30s myself. What’s the scoop? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953/127 "2012-05-20T00:59:30Z")
I always looked at least a decade younger when I was in my 30s and 40s. People told me so, and I really could see it. In fact, I looked so much the same as my 20s while well into my 30s that I started to wonder if I’d somehow gotten caught up in some sort of Picture of Dorian Grey situation. But Alas! My age caught up with me, and now I look like I’m in my 50s, which I am. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953/128 "2012-05-20T01:16:25Z")
I’m 27. Without makeup on, I think I look about sixteen. So that means any guy who likes me sans makeup is clearly a perv. 😉 I recently noticed that my skin isn’t as pretty as it was a year ago (or maybe I’m just feeling old?) and I’ve been using more concealer than normal so scheduled my first chemical peel. I hope to look about twelve by the time it’s over. 😃 I put on SPF 50 every day, so I think that time has (so far) been good to me. Still, I have freckles and red spots that I wouldn’t mind fading. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953/129 "2012-05-20T01:22:36Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I’m curious, how old do you think I look? > > [Dressed up](http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e98/CapeTwirlOfDoom/nwiycgi.jpg) with makeup. > > Regular [day to day look](http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e98/CapeTwirlOfDoom/hairphoto.jpg). 36-38. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953/130 "2012-05-20T06:01:48Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > So then I got it. No, you missed. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953/131 "2012-05-20T07:11:10Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I would go with late 20s to early 30s myself. > > What’s the scoop? 29, will be 30 next month. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953/132 "2012-05-20T07:36:18Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > 29, will be 30 next month. Nailed it! ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953/133 "2012-05-20T13:18:43Z")
I think most people kinda forget how old they are and how old they look, because inside they’re still pretty much the same person they were in their twenties and occasionally it can be a shock to see some old guy in the mirror. That’s what you were talking about and I think it’s unarguably true. However, I don’t think most people really think that, to other people, they look younger than they really are. (This is a self-selecting thread where there will naturally be a lot more positive responses than negative). Bodily I’m slimmer and firmer than most people my age; just based on weight statistics, that’s definitely true, but it’s the face that counts the most and there I think I look pretty much my age. I do frequently got told I look a fair bit younger, but it’s always younger people telling me that; while I’m sure they’re actually being honest, not just flattering me, I’m also sure that they’re just imagining me as being around their age - because I’m hanging out with them - and that’s affecting their perception of the way I look. I mean, I have frown lines between my eyes - there’s no way I look like I’m in my twenties. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2012, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953/134 "2012-05-20T13:27:27Z")
Nope I think I look about my age. My son however who is 32 is frequently guessed to be 19-20. My wife is 58 and most people put her at 35-40, he gets it from her. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953/135 "2012-05-21T15:38:00Z")
> [@Kaio](#): > > No, you missed. As coy as you’re deliberately being about it I think she’s a lot closer than you care to admit. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953/136 "2012-05-21T16:51:53Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > See, these responses are suspicious to me. Sure, people _tell_ you how young you look; they “_guess_” your age to be way low because that’s the _polite thing to do._ When I have reason to tell people my age, I doubt their jaws are dropping and their faces are registering expressions like this :eek: just to be polite. > [@](#): > > I’m talking about your _own_ perceptions, if you can divorce them from these sorts of comments (and maybe you can’t). I don’t regard my own perceptions as useful because I’m somewhat biased on the subject of myself. 🙂 Now that my beard’s turned mostly gray, I’d say I look early 50s while I’m actually in my late 50s, but the reactions I get from others would lead me to believe their guesses would have been off by more than that. ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953/137 "2012-05-21T17:19:34Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > How \*you \*doin’? Sorry, had to be done. Seriously now, I’ll say, oh, 29. > > … > [@Kaio](#): > > Ha! Oh well. For a second I thought I’d stumbled upon a fellow alum. > > I see what you’re saying, though. Clean-shaven I’d peg you around 28ish. With the beard, 35. > > Yep. Agreed. > > … Yep, I’m 28. 35 with the beard? Woah! I knew the beard added a little, but didn’t think that much… ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953/138 "2012-05-21T17:33:45Z")
I think you look the same age regardless. So many kids have those stupid hipster beards now that having a beard is no longer an old man thing. Edit: Not that your beard was stupid, but you know. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953/139 "2012-05-21T17:51:46Z")
I think people generally look younger than they used to at the same age. Maybe it’s the fact that most people work indoors and don’t get as much sun, maybe it’s cosmetics and hair coloring. I watched a movie made in 1939 the other day (They Shall Have Music). In it, there’s a music school for underprivelged kids. At one point the evil creditors are threatening to repossess the instruments and the mothers blockade the door to the school. I swear, all those women looked more like the kids’ grandmothers than mothers. Plump (if not outright fat), graying and just grandmotherly. Actually, most grandmothers in this day and age look younger than these women. As for myself, I have few wrinkles, but my hair is graying and I don’t care enough to color it. I’m 50. StG ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953/140 "2012-05-21T18:40:43Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > When I have reason to tell people my age, I doubt their jaws are dropping and their faces are registering expressions like this :eek: just to be polite… That’s how I do it. I figure, if I’m gonna make someone feel good, I may as well commit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-look-younger-than-others-your-age/621953.md?page=8)