# Why do women lie about their age? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 31, 2002, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-lie-about-their-age/145782 "2002-12-31T00:55:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-lie-about-their-age/145782/21 "2002-12-31T23:19:08Z")
…I did it once. I was trying to get into an Idlewild concert at a Chicago club. Unfortunately, I was 17, and could just _barely_ pass for 16. 21 was just out of the question. I wouldn’t make myself younger, though; it’s how you look, not what number you’ve got in your book. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-lie-about-their-age/145782/22 "2002-12-31T23:34:36Z")
Like **Thylacine** , I don’t know anyone of my female friends who fudges her age, and I certainly don’t (this kid’s gonna turn 40 this year! Shock, horror!) Sometimes, it would be way better if I had another 10 to 20 years on me, especially as I deal with collecting local histories and interview the elders of my community, most of whom are quite stunned at my still fairly youthful appearence. So, actually, I’ll grab on to each true marker of my age and admit to it quite happily. It adds to th’ seriousness of the quest, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-lie-about-their-age/145782/23 "2002-12-31T23:37:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bob Cos \* > I always found the refusal to tell their weights even more confounding. I mean, you look how you look. If the number were known that won’t somehow make anyone look heavier or lighter. I don’t mind saying my weight (around 220lbs) the thing is I get a lot of people giving me double takes when I tell them that. I _look_ like I weigh a good 30-40lbs lighter than I actually do. I can recall going jeans shopping and having someone helping me. When they asked my waist size they looked at me like I was insane after I had told them. It usually helps on the weight guessing thing at the fair though 😉 Only once in the past few years have I actually been guessed close. Some people also just don’t like to admit their weight because of the whole ‘lighter is better’ mentality. I don’t really care, I pull off my weight rather well, but it helps being pretty tall (6’1) and mostly muscle. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-lie-about-their-age/145782/24 "2003-01-01T16:50:50Z")
Used to be a woman would be 39 years old. The next year she would be 39 too. I wondered why they don’t age. Of course, when a woman really is 39 & people ask her how old she is & she says ‘39’ then they think she must be much older… ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-lie-about-their-age/145782/25 "2003-01-01T17:14:53Z")
Lissa pinned it down right off the bat. A rather prim and proper colleague would **never** tell her age. We tried for years, out of curiousity, to find out how old she was. But she remained evasive. Unfortunately, she was charged with a DUI and her name and age appeared on the front page of the newspaper. ---
**Author:** ![JayElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@JayElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JayElle)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-lie-about-their-age/145782/26 "2003-01-01T18:13:51Z")
Well, first of all, it’s no one’s business how old I am or how much I weigh. I’m not ashamed of either, but I answer those two questions on a “need to know” basis. The guy adjusting my skis needs to know my weight - my co-workers do not. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-lie-about-their-age/145782/27 "2003-01-01T22:59:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\*Of course, when a woman really is 39 & people ask her how old she is & she says ‘39’ then they think she must be much older… \*\* I haven’t lied about my age since I was trying to pass for 21, and I had a really difficult time with this. When I was 39 (and 29, for that matter), I always felt like I was lying if I told someone my age. Towards the end of those years, I did start to fudge a little - I’d say “pushing 30” or “almost 40” instead. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Spiff \* > \*\*Ah, yes, **Celyn** and **Dangerosa** , the memory is the first thing to go … 🙂 \*\* Nope. The _knees_ are. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-lie-about-their-age/145782/28 "2003-01-02T01:57:16Z")
Couple of years ago I met this woman’s mother & is usual for me to be abrupt, I asked her mother ‘why shouldn’t a man ask a woman how old she is?’ she said ’ ask me how old I am.’ So I did, & she said ‘63’. I guess it depends on the lady. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-lie-about-their-age/145782/29 "2003-01-02T02:22:03Z")
My great-grandparents lied about their age (great-granny more so). My father never figured it out until he had to investigate some information unrelated to the family (but that included great-granny’s official age). The reason she lied is the same of what Lissa said, vanity and clinging to youth… In contrast, people don’t believe me when I tell them my real age. They think I’m older. _sigh_ If only that gave me some benefits I could use… ---
**Author:** ![Burnt\_Sugar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee59a6/32.png) [@Burnt\_Sugar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burnt_Sugar)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-lie-about-their-age/145782/30 "2003-01-02T03:10:22Z")
I don’t know why some women lie about their age. I don’t, but then I am only 18. I get carded an awful lot too, which is a pain, but everyone’s always telling me that looking young will be a blessing when I get old. [off topic] when I was in grade one, I told my teacher it was my mother’s birthday that day. So, my teacher asked how old my mum was. I said: “Umm, I can’t remember, either 36 or 63.” 😛 [/off topic] ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-lie-about-their-age/145782/31 "2003-01-02T06:16:58Z")
I am vague about both my weight and my age. I am a very private person in some ways, and I guess age and weight are two things I feel private about. I feel it is a very nosy and intrusive question to ask. However, if it’s a “need to know” thing, then I have no problem sharing. Also, one mustn’t forget how _some_ people _react_ when you reveal your age or weight. Sometimes they’ll treat you differently after they know. It’s weird, but true. Or, they are amazingly rude when they find out—“You weigh _that_ much! Man, you’re fat!” I mean, people do this. They really do. I choose to not give them the opportunity. I think how fat I _look_ and how old I _look_ should be sufficient information for them. I also don’t think that it should be so all-fired important that they _ought_ to know. A better question might be—“Why do people want to know something that is utterly and completely none of their business, like a woman’s age or weight?” That’s something I’d like an answer to. (And by that I mean, when it really isn’t any of their business, not like a professional or health question.) ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-lie-about-their-age/145782/32 "2003-01-02T08:25:51Z")
One problem with women lying about their age downward is that it gives the impression that women age terribly fast. When Gloria Steinem turned 50, she was told by many that she “didn’t look 50,” to which she replied, “This is what 50 looks like.” ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-lie-about-their-age/145782/33 "2003-01-02T14:21:51Z")
I’ll tell anyone who asks that I’m 41. But usually they don’t ask; probably because I look like I’m about 41. But I always figured that if I **was** going to lie about my age, I’d say I was _older_ than I really am, so people would think “damn, she looks **good** for her age!” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lyllyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@Lyllyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyllyan)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-lie-about-their-age/145782/34 "2003-01-02T14:40:44Z")
I honestly do not have a problem with revealing my age (44). I do have a problem remembering how old I am. I can usually remember my husband’s age more easily than my own, so if asked for my age, I just do some quick math. However, I am still not quite sure of my mother’s age. About 10 years ago, she did tell me that she was the same age when she had me as the age I was when I had one of my kids. But I can’t remember which kid she was talking about. I do not like telling my weight. This is due to the fact that I have gained weight in recent years, and have been too lazy to get it off. Therefore I feel guilty and refuse to give that info. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-lie-about-their-age/145782/35 "2003-01-02T15:20:19Z")
Men lie, too. My friend, 36, dated a good friend of ours for years before figuring out that he had taken 6 years off his age when they first met. He thought their age difference would turn her off. ---
**Author:** ![occ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8c91f0/32.png) [@occ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/occ)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-lie-about-their-age/145782/36 "2003-01-02T19:26:34Z")
It’s a biologically ingrained and socially reinforced behavior. Age is far more important for women than it is for men in the context of forming a sexual partnership; a 75 year old man can produce a baby, but once a women gets up above 40, it gets increasingly difficult. Therefore, it can often be in the woman’s best interest to stretch her age, when asked. Obviously, men do this as well, because youth is always desireable. However, from a logical standpoint, it does make sense. ---
**Author:** ![Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krisfer_the_Cat)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-lie-about-their-age/145782/37 "2003-01-05T06:00:53Z")
**FCM** you are the best! For the record handy I am: 37 38 April 21rst 190 lbs on average 5’5 nearsighted as all hell size 9 shoes size 34 or 36 jeans (depends on the manufacturer) 40DD… okay maybe that one isnt necessary! But I fell I have earned every line around my eyes and mouth. I have lived and loved and worked for them… my age is only a number… ask the girl who carded me two years ago… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-lie-about-their-age/145782.md?page=1)