The ‘look of death’ is what I call it. I had it when I was younger but have perfected it now that I am a mom.
And the phrase I use with people giving unsolicited advice is, ‘good to know.’ Said as sarcastically as possible.
I would be more concerned about lunatics claiming they are from social services than my hair or facial expressions. "Cause that’s just freaking weird.
The “looking young” part will take care of itself as soon as your baby starts walking. Plus you will have a well-developed Mom Glare that you can direct at people who ask nosy questions or give unsolicited advice.
Regards,
Shodan
PS - Your baby is adorable!
Tell me about it, same deal with my wife and our son and she really lets it upset her. People will tell her she shouldn’t sold “the people’s” child like that:rolleyes:
I totally endorse telling everyone to fuck off, I have made several topics about obnoxious strangers offering parenting tips. Everyone of those strangers is older and female too.
The look of death doesn’t work on old women, or at least the facial expression of a axe wielding psycho is negated by the fact of being with a child.
My wife’s friend once mentioned she saw me, my wife asked why she didn’t say hi to me and she said I looked scary. So its not like I’m walking around looking approachable.
Don’t change a thing, please! I mean, pull your shoulders back and stick your chin out a bit if it makes you appear more confident, but you look, from the pics, plenty old enough to be taking care of your own business, and it seems, to me, like you are taking things a little too personally. And yes, that will come off as being insecure and there are certain idiot busybodies who jump all over that like snails on stinkbait. So, work on that.
But you are fine; you are FINE! Do not try to look older; that will not help. That will just make you more miserable. Sure, if there’s a particular haircut or look you WANT to try, go for it, but otherwise, screw them all. You’ve had people being super-rude to you and you think YOU need to change? No. Just…NO.
Pbbth, I mentioned your bogus social worker story to my husband, and his instant reaction was that she was trying to get you flustered and distracted so that she or her backup could pick your pocket.
The plan would make a fair amount of sense: hang out right outside a paediatrician’s office, you’ve got an endless procession of parents with small babies (= sleep-deprived, slightly overloaded victims), you’ve got a plausible ‘in’ to start the conversation, plus people are likely to have a huge reaction to the idea that someone’s called social services on them about their kids… Maybe you’re so used to dealing with unwanted advice that you didn’t get as flustered as most people, and she didn’t get a chance to rob you.
The lady was a lying lunatic. Your apparent age makes no difference in encountering someone like that. All you need to do is work on your assertiveness, and shut them down. I would let the cops know about the lady.
Look mean and angry and walk like a boss. Don’t take no shit.
I get told I look younger than I am regularly, but no one ever bugs me for longer than a couple seconds. Be a badass.
IMHO your looks are beside the point. Who would impersonate themselves as being being part of social services? That sounds ridiculous. Can’t you report her to someone? Isn’t that a crime?
By the way…you do look your age to me.
Asked and answered.
Carry a bottle of water in a brown paper bag; tell people it’s a bottle of vodka and ask for money to buy more.
If someone claiming to be a social worker approaches you, asking for identification would be a good idea.
I used to be a substitute teacher. Once I was called to cover a teacher’s class during the afternoon only. When the (adult) door monitor refused to let me enter the school on the ground that I was clearly a student, I showed her my driver’s license–something elementary school students rarely possess. (Also I was wearing a suit.) She still didn’t believe me. Finally I said that if she didn’t let me in, she could explain to the principal why nobody was covering Mrs. So-and-so’s classroom that afternoon. That worked.
On another occasion, I was heading into another elementary school when I was hit by a snowball. Only three kids were on the playground. I marched up to them, gave them my best glare, and asked, “Who threw that?” One boy raised his hand. “Come with me.” I marched into the school’s office, announced myself to the school secretary, and told what he had done. The principal, the secretary, and the boy’s teacher (who happened to be in the office) were all looming menacingly over him as I walked out. The last thing I heard was, “I wouldn’t have thrown it if I’d known she was a teacher!” (Snowballs were forbidden at that school period, so that didn’t help.)
It probably doesn’t help that I’m five feet tall.
IA here too. I thought you looked your age.
We are going thru changing times now. I think of Steve McQueen and Sean Connery and how older they looked despite early 30s, due to smoking. Someone mentioned a year ago on the show PanAm, that there would be no 30something flight attendant (CHristina Ricci is over 30) and that the pilots looked so young! (the actors were 30-31, but think about the 1950-60s, smokers again)
Anyone seen Mamie Eisenhower pics? versus Madeline Stowe on Revenge at age 53???
A new actress who made her debut on that show yesterday, Dilshad Vidsaria, who is 35. a couple of years ago, she was playing a college undergraduate on the show Greek! She just has great skin, genes, health.
There were two baby-faced actors on General Hospital, Jonathan Jackson who played a cop and Kimberly McCoullogh, playing Dr. Robin who are in their 30s and folks swore up and down they looked too young to be playing cops and doctors. And maybe in next decades we won’t have to say baby-faced as we’ve gotten used to less and less chemical abuse aging out skins.
And he should know. . .
I am friendly so I usually listen to people if they seem interested in talking to me. If what they’re saying is bullshit, I don’t let it bother me; I take it as an opportunity for free-form arguing. Or I just walk off if they’re crazy. But sometimes you can get actual usable information from people if you decide to listen them, or meet someone interesting.
Just another perspective.
That said, what people are saying about confidence and attitude are true. When I was actually young and in college, I dressed up in suits and skirts and dress coats, and walked around like I was large and in charge. I never got carded in the liquor store for example and was rarely hassled in general. I lived in the city, but nowhere huge like New York (which I have found to be a very friendly place BTW) so it wasn’t like I was Miss Bumpkin, my default state.
You can’t. And it will never end. I have never looked my age: I’m now 41, and am routinely mistaken for being 28-29. As others have said, you just have to grow a thicker skin and learn to let it roll off your back.
(That said, though, I certainly understand how the frustration can add up: no one without a baby face can truly understand what it’s like, or that sometimes it’s really not a blessing.)
Totally depends on the woman/face. I grew my bangs out a few years ago and kept my hair that way for a while, then decided that I didn’t like the way I looked without them. When I had them cut back in, I can’t tell you the number of "I didn’t think it was possible for you to look any younger! :eek: " comments I got.
(I definitely look better with bangs, though, so I’ve kept them.)
Also, she is 27. 
I get carded all the time when buying cigarrettes. You have to be 19 to buy them. I am 35.
(Whenever they ask for id now, I say, ‘Thank you!’ Once they read my DOB, they get the joke.)
I am carded the most when I am wearing my normal uniform (tight jeans and a t-shirt) and my hair is still wet from the shower. I also wear heavy eyeliner all the time.
So, I kinda look unkempt when I look young. When I get all dolled up with full makeup and nicer clothes (even just dress pants) people usually know I am past school aged.
(Though the best was one of our neighbours asked me how I managed to go to college since my daughter is 9. First off, she was only adopted three years ago. Second, I would have been 26 if I had given birth to her. That was three years after I graduated.)
I guess you could try plucking your eyebrows until they’re barely there and wearing makeup - very well applied, but still: my first thought was “pretty, and quite a lot younger than him”…
but I still gave this woman more than 10 years above her actual age. And yes, she’s younger than him: young enough to be his biological grandchild :rolleyes:
I can’t help the OP because I have always looked much older than my years. Even as a teenager, I was often guessed in my 30s. Now I’m in my 30s, and I still look much older. Regardless, if someone felt the need to comment on my looks in a way I didn’t like, I would be quite frank in telling them to fuck off.
I really wanted to post for these two points.
-
It just doesn’t make any sense how freakin’ *sweet *that baby is.
-
I learned the word ‘humblebrag’ in this thread. I googled it. Turns out it means the same as the word I made up, ‘sneakbrag’ and it has its own web page and twitter and it’s all popular and everything, and now my sneakbrag doesn’t stand a chance. But I will have you all know, my word was first. All of my googling shows ‘humblebrag’ with post dates of 2011 or later. I was robbed.