People who comment on your age.

Anatidaephobia

WeAreGhosts wrote: »

I had an incident this week where someone in a bank asked my age (I thought they were doing it for their info), when I told them, they said I looked about 12.

I shrugged it off at the time, but I'm a bit upset by it. I think I can pass for 16/18, but saying I look 12 is just ridiculous.

I doubt they actually thought you looked 12; I think it's just an expression to stress the fact that you look young.

It's the kind of thing some of my friends might say - "oh he looks about 12!" - which just means "he looks much younger than me; he's probably 23 but I haven't come to terms with the fact that people born in the 90's are fully formed adults who are old enough to drink". It doesn't literally mean they look 12 though, it just means they look young.

I honestly wouldn't worry about any of this. When people ask me my age, if I feel it's inappropriate I might say "why, how old do you think I am?" but normally I'll just answer and smile. It's really not a big deal but you can't change what other people do, you can only try to change how you feel about it or how you react.

Amber_Sunshine

When I was 28, and buying a ticket for a visitor attraction, I was asked if I was under 16.

Sadly MSE hadn't been invented then so I didn't think to say yes

Then when I was 38, I was sharing a hospital room with an elderly lady. She asked me how old I was, and when I told her, she said "Oh, I thought you were 18 and your boyfriend was going out with a really young girl."

Poor sod was actually 18 months younger than me :rotfl:

Next year I turn 48. Should probably hang around with old folks, everyone looks young to them

Hermia

Quizzical_Squirrel wrote: »

I don't think people look all that closely.

I think that is very true. I think it happens with height a lot. I am short and people think I am much younger even though I am wearing 'grown up' clothes and don't have a kid's face. I have a friend who was six foot at age 13. She was always being treated as an adult even though she had a baby face and dressed in very young teen clothes. I have a friend whose hair went white in her 20s and she gets mistaken for a much older woman even though she has a very young face and clothes (and looks amazing). I think people just glance at you and notice something obvious (height, grey hair, very young clothes) and come to a conclusion based on that.

duchy

heuchera wrote: »

I suspect that might be more to do with their attitudes towards women drinking..

Nothing to do with "women drinking" and everything to do with the fact that unlike here US licencing laws have teeth and bars routinely "card" everyone. It isn't at all unusual to be asked for your driving licence in your forties in bars in the US.

FBaby

Trust me, make the best of it. I spent all my years until I reached 40 being offended that people made comments, that certainly came across as derogatory about me looking younger than my age. I'll always remember when I met an 18yo when I was 25 who was acting a bit superior to me, when I told him my age, there was almost a look of disgust on his face when he said I looked about 16! I did feel quite offending! In my 30s, it was the same experience trying to defend my position as a mum and work.

And then 40 came before I knew it and suddenly, any comment about me looking younger made my day! I don't mind if people comment every day, bring it on! As a matter of fact, I'm even starting to feel a bit jealous because we have a new colleague who I was sure was about 35 but I found out is 45, so she gets the trophy now of who looks the youngest in the office

dirty_magic

My OH got asked if his parents were in once too, he was about 27 at the time! He's got a baby face though, I think the person at the door just glanced quickly!

I know she's had surgery, but I can't believe Kylie Minogue is 48 this year!

pollypenny

My family has always tended to look young, up to about 45, then we fall apart.

When I went to uni at 31, many thought I was around 20. I got away with half on the buses for years, too. What a crook, eh?

Pollycat

dirty_magic wrote: »

My OH got asked if his parents were in once too, he was about 27 at the time! He's got a baby face though, I think the person at the door just glanced quickly!

I know she's had surgery, but I can't believe Kylie Minogue is 48 this year!

Why can't you believe it? She's had surgery! :rotfl:

Have you seen her in the flesh, with no make-up after a late night?
I haven't btw, but I doubt she looks as stunning as she does when performing.

honeypop

WeAreGhosts wrote: »

I had an incident this week where someone in a bank asked my age (I thought they were doing it for their info), when I told them, they said I looked about 12.

Where I am, the phrase "You/they look about 12" is an actual saying, meaning the person looks young for what they do (or the situation you meet them in), or younger than what you thought, but in no way actually means they look 12.

As in, "I went to see my new doctor today, he looked about 12".

Maybe that person meant it like that.

piglet74

honeypop wrote: »

Where I am, the phrase "You/they look about 12" is an actual saying, meaning the person looks young for what they do (or the situation you meet them in), or younger than what you thought, but in no way actually means they look 12.

As in, "I went to see my new doctor today, he looked about 12".

Maybe that person meant it like that.

Same here, I hear my daughter say it all the time,

I'm almost 42, and people tell me I dont look it, I can tell you I feel it and I think lately my hands are starting to give me away!