I am so glad I found this site! I did not realized how many people have the same exact problem as I do. I am 19, but often am mistaken for a 14 year old. I tried changing my hair and wearing makeup but it does not seem to help. And it also does not help that I am extremely tiny for my age. I am going to start college soon, but I am so nervous because I think everyone will be looking down at me. And for the people who say I will enjoy when I'm older (and I hope I will), I just want to look older now because I don't want to feel awkward around people my own age.
But I am glad to be able to share my feelings with people who know what I'm going through.
But I am glad to be able to share my feelings with people who know what I'm going through.
I am so glad to see that there are other people with the same problem as I have. I am 19 but look 14. I tried to look older by changing my hair and wearing makeup but nothing helps. And for the people who say I will enjoy it when I'm older, I just want to feel comfortable around people my age. I don't want them to treat me differently because I look young.
Hi guys, I am 28!! and sh*t to death of hearing those famous lines ''wow no way!! so look about 20!!'' or ''you could still be in school'' etc etc and ''one of these days or in a few years you will love it'' I wana look 28!!! ffs.
I'm 20, and if i had a dollar for everytime someone told me i looked 12, i could buy microsoft >_
Sometimes i think taking up smoking is the only thing that'll age me sufficiantly.
And thats sad :-(
Sometimes i think taking up smoking is the only thing that'll age me sufficiantly.
And thats sad :-(
I'm 20 and everyone thinks I look about 14. People always ask me what school I go to and when I tell them the name of my college, they look at me surprised and then go "Oh, you're a freshman?" "Um, no actually, I'm already half way through my junior year." I forsee problems with looking so young in the future:
- I'm going to be an elementary school teacher and while I'm fairly good at making myself the authority figure in the classroom, I bet there are a handful of students who want to play dolls with me after school.
- Parent teacher meetings. I can see the dialogue now. "You're my child's teacher?! WOW! You look like you're in high school!" - "Well, clearly I'm not as I have graduated college and already have my Masters. Moving on."
- When I get married and have a child, I can definitely see people looking at me thinking "Oh dear, that poor teenager got herself knocked up. And look, she has a wedding ring! She probably got married just because of the baby." Meanwhile, I'll probably be in my late 20's and early 30's, have married for love, and be at an appropriate age to have a child.
Looking "cute" all the time pisses me off. At 20 years old, I want to look sexy - not cute. I want to be able to go places and not get carded when I turn 21, or get the occasional "Can I see your ID?" rather than me wanting to just tape it to myself so I can walk straight into places. I'm glad I came across this thread because it's nice to know that I'm not the only one who faces this problem.
- I'm going to be an elementary school teacher and while I'm fairly good at making myself the authority figure in the classroom, I bet there are a handful of students who want to play dolls with me after school.
- Parent teacher meetings. I can see the dialogue now. "You're my child's teacher?! WOW! You look like you're in high school!" - "Well, clearly I'm not as I have graduated college and already have my Masters. Moving on."
- When I get married and have a child, I can definitely see people looking at me thinking "Oh dear, that poor teenager got herself knocked up. And look, she has a wedding ring! She probably got married just because of the baby." Meanwhile, I'll probably be in my late 20's and early 30's, have married for love, and be at an appropriate age to have a child.
Looking "cute" all the time pisses me off. At 20 years old, I want to look sexy - not cute. I want to be able to go places and not get carded when I turn 21, or get the occasional "Can I see your ID?" rather than me wanting to just tape it to myself so I can walk straight into places. I'm glad I came across this thread because it's nice to know that I'm not the only one who faces this problem.
Wow, I'm not the only the one... So glad I found this.
I'm 20 but certainly don't look it. I've had this all my life, but right now it's more annoying than ever.
I have a normal height for my age, but I'm way too light, I think that makes me look younger as well.
I don't really know what else to say except... I know how you all feel.
Good luck all.
I'm 20 but certainly don't look it. I've had this all my life, but right now it's more annoying than ever.
I have a normal height for my age, but I'm way too light, I think that makes me look younger as well.
I don't really know what else to say except... I know how you all feel.
Good luck all.
I know how you all feel. I'm almost 21 (just a week or so), and I was in the military. When I came home, I went to a bookstore and signed up to get the discounts... the guy actually asked if I was 16 yet since they had an age limit with their cards. Same with going to an R rated movie- I'm always asked to show ID and when they see my military ID, they don't believe it. "No, really?! There's no way you're in the Marines, you don't even look like you could have your driver's license yet!".
All I want is to look my age. That's all. I'm tired of people talking down to me or ignoring me completely- talking to my husband or parents when I'm with them instead. Just because I LOOK young doesn't mean that I AM. I just want the respect that's due. No more "are you sure you're old enough" bs. Why's it so hard to be taken seriously?
All I want is to look my age. That's all. I'm tired of people talking down to me or ignoring me completely- talking to my husband or parents when I'm with them instead. Just because I LOOK young doesn't mean that I AM. I just want the respect that's due. No more "are you sure you're old enough" bs. Why's it so hard to be taken seriously?
This is seriously, the story of my life.
I try to talk to friends about it, but all the say is, "You'll appreciate it when you're older". Screw that. Seriously. I am a 23 year old career driven woman who will most certainly NEVER be taken seriously because I look like I'm 12. I really hate it when people mention how young I look, or how short I am. I know hate is strong word, but I honestly feel that way. Why do they tell you that like you aren't aware of it? I sometimes feel like saying, "REALLY?! Oh wow, you're right, thank you for telling me, I really had absolutely no idea!"
It's so hard to try and make a name for yourself when people constantly remind you how young you look. The other day, I was at an informercial shoot (part of my job), and the hired photographer said, "Wow, do you ever get told that you look like you're 10 years old?". I wanted to punch him square in the teeth. I feel like telling people I'm a child prodigy or something just to get them off my back. I get ID'd at bars all the time, to the point where I don't even want to go. I can barely buy alchohol because they never believe me. I even get ID'd at the movies or at Walmart while buying spray paint!. It's insane!
I cut my hair off, I use dark shades for make-up, I've tried dying my hair darker, wearing heals, wearing more age appropriate clothes. It doesn't change a thing. Just once... I would like to walk into a room and have people look at me for who I am, and not because they think that I'm a lost child looking for mommy. What do I need to do to be taken seriously?!
My poor boyfriend looks like a pedaphile or something. I just want this to change. I just want this go away. I feel like I'm whining like a child because I am treated like one.
Oh, also... to anyone who says that it's a blessing. Screw you, you have no idea what you're talking about. You haven't lived in our shoes. It's hard to grow up when people won't let you.
I try to talk to friends about it, but all the say is, "You'll appreciate it when you're older". Screw that. Seriously. I am a 23 year old career driven woman who will most certainly NEVER be taken seriously because I look like I'm 12. I really hate it when people mention how young I look, or how short I am. I know hate is strong word, but I honestly feel that way. Why do they tell you that like you aren't aware of it? I sometimes feel like saying, "REALLY?! Oh wow, you're right, thank you for telling me, I really had absolutely no idea!"
It's so hard to try and make a name for yourself when people constantly remind you how young you look. The other day, I was at an informercial shoot (part of my job), and the hired photographer said, "Wow, do you ever get told that you look like you're 10 years old?". I wanted to punch him square in the teeth. I feel like telling people I'm a child prodigy or something just to get them off my back. I get ID'd at bars all the time, to the point where I don't even want to go. I can barely buy alchohol because they never believe me. I even get ID'd at the movies or at Walmart while buying spray paint!. It's insane!
I cut my hair off, I use dark shades for make-up, I've tried dying my hair darker, wearing heals, wearing more age appropriate clothes. It doesn't change a thing. Just once... I would like to walk into a room and have people look at me for who I am, and not because they think that I'm a lost child looking for mommy. What do I need to do to be taken seriously?!
My poor boyfriend looks like a pedaphile or something. I just want this to change. I just want this go away. I feel like I'm whining like a child because I am treated like one.
Oh, also... to anyone who says that it's a blessing. Screw you, you have no idea what you're talking about. You haven't lived in our shoes. It's hard to grow up when people won't let you.
i'm so glad i found this thread. i'm 19 but am constantly told by many that I look 13-16 ever since I entered university. I'm thin but considered normal weight range, but have a baby face. Every time I try to be more confident, such comments really put me down and discourage me. They say it's good to look young, but looking young means you're not taken seriously, you're not acknowledged/disbelieved for your achievements. People marvel how I'm in college and wonder how am I going to get a job when I graduate, and they seem to wonder how on earth I got a bonded scholarship (i.e. I have a job in the govt when I graduate already).
Worst of all it's hard to find a bf coz at college age, all the guys are looking for someone mature/dependable (or at least looks it) to be their wife. Those of you who look young but are married, at least you have someone who can accept you completely so you don't have to care what others say.
I'm sick and tired of people mothering me and expecting less of me than my age. It has resulted in me becoming introverted around new people (who are usually less tactful than friends who have accepted me) and also resentful. Perhaps, children should be seen and not heard.
Worst of all it's hard to find a bf coz at college age, all the guys are looking for someone mature/dependable (or at least looks it) to be their wife. Those of you who look young but are married, at least you have someone who can accept you completely so you don't have to care what others say.
I'm sick and tired of people mothering me and expecting less of me than my age. It has resulted in me becoming introverted around new people (who are usually less tactful than friends who have accepted me) and also resentful. Perhaps, children should be seen and not heard.
Hi I'm 25 but I look about 16-19. I get all the comments and remarks from others and am as frustrated as the rest of you.
I originally went to google and searched 'how to look older' because that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to look older so people would stop commenting on how young I look because it upsets me everytime I hear it.
I was glad to read many other people's testimonies to see that I'm not alone at all in this. But as I was reading through the various "solutions", staying out in the sun longer, giving yourself more wrinkles etc., ....I was horrified at that notion for some reason. Not because I'm against the sun or laugh lines, but because of the notion that we would be going to extra effort to CHANGE THE WAY WE LOOK so OTHER PEOPLE would say something different or think of us in a different way. That to me is..... horrible.
At the end of the day, we are not living on this earth solely to be people pleasures (as in constantly seeking other people's approval). If I knew that today was my last day on earth, I wouldn't give two sh*ts about trying to make myself look older!!!!!
Everyone, I know it can be frustrating and upsetting - I've experienced it many many many times and my self-esteem has suffered because of it - but if we become consumed by trying to change how we look because we're afraid of what other people say, .... haven't we lost the plot somehow? If I knew that one of my friends, or even someone I simply met in person, was trying to change the way they look so that I would think differently of them, I think I would be sad. I would say "I love you for who you are, not for what you look like."
I originally went to google and searched 'how to look older' because that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to look older so people would stop commenting on how young I look because it upsets me everytime I hear it.
I was glad to read many other people's testimonies to see that I'm not alone at all in this. But as I was reading through the various "solutions", staying out in the sun longer, giving yourself more wrinkles etc., ....I was horrified at that notion for some reason. Not because I'm against the sun or laugh lines, but because of the notion that we would be going to extra effort to CHANGE THE WAY WE LOOK so OTHER PEOPLE would say something different or think of us in a different way. That to me is..... horrible.
At the end of the day, we are not living on this earth solely to be people pleasures (as in constantly seeking other people's approval). If I knew that today was my last day on earth, I wouldn't give two sh*ts about trying to make myself look older!!!!!
Everyone, I know it can be frustrating and upsetting - I've experienced it many many many times and my self-esteem has suffered because of it - but if we become consumed by trying to change how we look because we're afraid of what other people say, .... haven't we lost the plot somehow? If I knew that one of my friends, or even someone I simply met in person, was trying to change the way they look so that I would think differently of them, I think I would be sad. I would say "I love you for who you are, not for what you look like."
I also googled "how to look older" and came across this. Glad to see I'm not the only one. I'm 17 and I'm mistaken for a 13-15 yr old.
Something that I have to go through is being thought of as younger than my siblings. I have a 15 yr old sister who people always treat as the older one. They ask her what college she plans to go to, etc. She gets tons of self confidence from this and I get the complete opposite. I'm even beginning to hate going out with her because guys my age talk to her and always overlook me. It all started out when people thought we were twins. But now her status has been elevated to "older sister". And recently someone thought I was younger than my 13 yr old brother!!
I know my situation not as extreme as some of the older people who wrote on this forum, but I just want to enjoy my senior year of high school without people thinking I'm still in middle school.
Something that I have to go through is being thought of as younger than my siblings. I have a 15 yr old sister who people always treat as the older one. They ask her what college she plans to go to, etc. She gets tons of self confidence from this and I get the complete opposite. I'm even beginning to hate going out with her because guys my age talk to her and always overlook me. It all started out when people thought we were twins. But now her status has been elevated to "older sister". And recently someone thought I was younger than my 13 yr old brother!!
I know my situation not as extreme as some of the older people who wrote on this forum, but I just want to enjoy my senior year of high school without people thinking I'm still in middle school.
I am 21 and i have before been mistaken, by nice friendly ppl, as a 13 yr old! i will not appreciate this when i am older and i don't think it helps when ppl say that. What 40 yr old wants to look 13! if i looked 18 or 19 i would love it but i just want to stop looking like a teenager and start looking and feeling like a woman.
im so glad that i came across this site..im also a frustrated 22 year old, who looks 15years old...what makes my situation worse is that body frame is small and i have small breasts..ive also tried everything..make up, clothes, heels,i even thought gaining weight would add a couple of years but nothing seems to work..its quite irritating..sometimes i just hate looking in the mirror..
I`m not the only one either I see!!
I`m a manager aged 24, but I look about 18 and the people I manage are late 50s to 68.
I can grow a long beard in a matter of days, I was shaving at the age of 12 and I was never refused entry in to clubs or buying alcohol by 14.
But I choose not to grow a beard because I don`t wish to..
What to do?
I`m a manager aged 24, but I look about 18 and the people I manage are late 50s to 68.
I can grow a long beard in a matter of days, I was shaving at the age of 12 and I was never refused entry in to clubs or buying alcohol by 14.
But I choose not to grow a beard because I don`t wish to..
What to do?
It's much harder for a man who looks young. Women do have options like clothing and makeup. I am 25 and am an Army officer and college grad, but I look much younger. When I was 23 I got hassled at a PG-13 movie because the teller told me I needed a parent present to enter. That was the worst case. Anyway, two years later I never get hassled like this. I often go to bars and don't get carded and I will tell men the three things to do:
1) Attitude- I'm an Army officer dealing with serious men in a serious business. I know the sting of having my appearance give people the impression that I am a young, immature, whimp. I correct them. Remember: appearances can be disceiving. If you are mature and can handle yourself, look people directly in the eye, and aren't afraid to show your teeth, you'll be alright.
2) Build a Body- Naturally I am short and it is hard for me to build muscel. But for the last two years, I hit the gym every day and am on a strict but very high protein diet. MOST IMPORTANT- The affects of a young face and short stature will not be seen as easily if you are well built. REMEMBER- A big strong man is a big strong man, even if his face is young and soft.
3) Don't Take sh*t! If people f**k with you, fight them. Get your nose broken a few times, get some facial scars. That way, even if people think you look young, they probably won't be laughing at you about it. And if the do, knock a few of their teeth in.
1) Attitude- I'm an Army officer dealing with serious men in a serious business. I know the sting of having my appearance give people the impression that I am a young, immature, whimp. I correct them. Remember: appearances can be disceiving. If you are mature and can handle yourself, look people directly in the eye, and aren't afraid to show your teeth, you'll be alright.
2) Build a Body- Naturally I am short and it is hard for me to build muscel. But for the last two years, I hit the gym every day and am on a strict but very high protein diet. MOST IMPORTANT- The affects of a young face and short stature will not be seen as easily if you are well built. REMEMBER- A big strong man is a big strong man, even if his face is young and soft.
3) Don't Take sh*t! If people f**k with you, fight them. Get your nose broken a few times, get some facial scars. That way, even if people think you look young, they probably won't be laughing at you about it. And if the do, knock a few of their teeth in.