I’m 67, and people are always surprised that I’m that old. They say I look like I’m in my mid-to-late 50s. I think it’s because I still have hair on top of my head, and it’s still dark brown. It’s only my sideburns and goatee that have turned gray. Plus, except for a couple of frown lines, I don’t have much in the way of wrinkles. And the most important thing: Both of my parents looked younger than their actual ages.
On the other hand . . . I recently saw a current photo of one of my high school friends. We haven’t seen each other since graduation, almost 50(!) years ago. The guy looks like a man in his 80s. Wrinkles all over, bald on top, white around the edges, huge double chin, and liver spots. I had to study his face to find any resemblance to the kid I used to know. Most of the people around my age look a little older than I do, but this guy looks almost a generation older. I keep looking at his pic like staring at a bad accident.
I remember his parents, and I don’t recall them looking any older than mine. But now I’m glad I inherited young-looking DNA from my parents. Not that it makes up for all the health problems I inherited from both of them.
Yeah, I’m glad I got the young gene. When I meet people my age, I think “Who are these old people?” People usually guss my age as 10 years younger than I am. One woman guessed 20, but she might have been purposefully flattering me.
When people mention it to me, I look around to see if anyone’s listening, then I slighly ask “Want to know the secret to never aging?” They get really enthusiastic like I’m going to tell them something amazing. “Pick better parents.”
I’m going to get shit for this, but I turned 30 today and I feel old as hell. And it is because people age differently. I have all sorts of chronic pain and trouble with my memory* and just a lot of old people problems. I’ve been doing strength and conditioning work for a few months now and it’s gotten better, but I feel way older than I should. I’m in bed by 8:30 and asleep by 9:30pm.
My husband looks like he’s 20. He’s a therapist and his apparent young age freaks people out.
I’m turning 40 this month. Last night I was at Ikea and had to grab a handcart to pick up some shelving. Did you know how smooth those rights are? After a couple kicks I sailed from one end of the warehouse to the other. Apparently I got a dirty look from someone in their 50s who thought that my behavior wasn’t appropriate. (Hey, no one was near my line of transgress.) Age is really just a number and isn’t indicative of much.
I’m forty-one, and I’ve been carded in the last six months.
My dad looked 15 until he was 30. Then he looked 30 until he was 55, and so on. It wasn’t until a little over a year ago that his age really caught up with him, and now he looks every day of his 85 years, and then some.
I can’t believe William Shatner is 81 years old. His appearance has certainly changed over the decades, but he does not look at all like a geriatric human being.
I think both my parents look about what their ages actually are. I’m nearly 27 and already have a lot of noticeable grey hair so I’ll probably be pretty damn gray by the time I’m in my 40’s. My uncle went gray really early in life but I think it looks kind of cool. Kind of an Anderson Cooper look. I like it! No one in our family that I know of is bald so I think I’ll probably be ok on that front.
I’m 58 and have recently been carded. I think it was for the senior discount. Around here some places have ‘card everyone’ rules when it comes to alcohol.
Actually if I dyed my gray hair, I’d probably pass for a lot younger. I exercise about an hour a day on average. However I have noticed some age spots lately.
Not a lot you can do about gray hair and balding, but there is plenty you can do about keeping your skin young looking. For example, don’t smoke, don’t suntan, maintain a stable weight… Some people do everything right and still just are unlucky though.
I look just a little younger than 35, but only a little. Deep frown lines have settled in, especially on the brow, and every day I find more and more gray hairs. But I certainly feel young, and I think this affects how I carry myself. I don’t really want to look old, but as long as I keep feeling great, I’m not going to sweat a few wrinkles.
