How to look older?

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24

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  • ILoveFroggies
    ILoveFroggies Posts: 120 Member
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    What? You are f'ing nuts. I'm 26 and people still think I look under 18. I always say THANK YOU. Be grateful.

    Okay, may I reiterate... I understand that when I'm old, being told I look 12 may be a compliment. At the moment, however, I would rather look my age, which is 19... There's no need to make suggestions along the lines of smoking cigarettes, etc... I don't want to look 50, only 19.

    I'm a medical student, undertaking clinical placements, which is why it's not favourable for me to resemble a young child, that's all.

    you are a young child.


    just dress in as a professional manner as possible when working or going on interviews.

    ...A "much younger child" then.
  • schmenge55
    schmenge55 Posts: 745 Member
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    When I had that problem I grew a mustache, but probably not an option for you. I would think the way you dress, accessorize and how you wear your hair could help. Maybe add glasses?
  • Carol_123
    Carol_123 Posts: 74 Member
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    I'm sorry you have to deal with some unhelpful information. My first thought too was to enjoy it cause you get old faster than you want but I totally appreciate your situation. Dark coloured glasses, the frame itself, helps to give a Librarian beyond your years look. Office attire like you are uptight can help.

    It's a different situation and one problem I wish I still had before I got fat lol... but I was pretty girl in a very high tech career that I didn't think anyone would take me seriously as a technician so I wore glasses, a pencil skirt and a blouse up to my eyeballs, and my hair in a bun and I appeared rigid and professional to the point that the office talk was what I looked like if I wore my hair down. I married someone from the company who filled me in, unaware to it then, that my uptight look trying to appear more "nerdy and older" created quite the interest lol. It made me mysterious apparently. So what you don't have in older looks, you can get in attitude.
  • DrJanet98
    DrJanet98 Posts: 138 Member
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    I'm a medical student, undertaking clinical placements, which is why it's not favourable for me to resemble a young child, that's all.
    Now that I can sympathize with! I did a program that put 7th and 8th grade into one year, so when I graduated vet school, I was a year younger than the typical grad. I did worry about looking too young for people to feel comfortable trusting me with their pets' health.

    Lucky for me, I had started getting grey hairs in junior high, and had enough at my temples to be noticeable by the time I was a working veterinarian, so I just let it be grey and made sure it showed. I still got a few comments how young I looked, but at least I looked like I might know what I was doing.

    Now, when I'm well established in the practice and still single, I've started coloring my greys so that I won't look too old prematurely. As an official Dark Auburn, I finally look my age. And I picked a color as close as possible to my real color, so roots don't show as much, and one with a Root Touch-Up Kit so I don't have to bother with the whole thing too often.

    I wonder if there's some way you can give yourself grey hairs? I don't mean really, but maybe there's some sort of highlights or localized coloring that would be light enough to give that impression? Only other things I can come up with to look older are along the lines of movie make-up to give yourself crow's feet or somesuch, which might need to be redone a few times a day.

    I had a friend in high school who looked twelve, and even got into movies at the child's price. We made him split the savings with us when we went together. Meanwhile I could get into the R-rated ones without being carded. When I'd go to a campus restaurant with friends who were in college, the waiter would bring a pitcher of beer and a glass for each of us, and I'd politely tell him that he could get in big trouble for doing that.... The *only* place that ever carded me was a comic book store!
  • DrJanet98
    DrJanet98 Posts: 138 Member
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    Had another thought....try getting your clothes tailored. I suspect that if you're in conservative clothes that are ill-fitting, you'll remind people too much of a little kid dressed up in Mom's clothes. There are a lot of places that do tailoring, and it doesn't cost as much as you'd think; in your case it would be a good investment.
  • gingerveg
    gingerveg Posts: 748 Member
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    my children aged me. Maybe babysit some horrible kids
    Lol!
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    I do understand how you feel. Wish I had advice, but I don't. This was how it always was for me. It still is and I still get carded (I'm 34), but I like it now. When I was 24 I was purchasing groceries in the store and the sales clerk was very concerned and he asked me how I got a bank card, turned out he thought I was 12, the bagger tried to stand up for me and said he could see that I was 16...lol. When I was pregnant at 26, people were always giving me teenage pregnancy lectures and people would shout "Babies having babies" at me...lol.
  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
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    I need to see a picture of you to say if you really look 12. I think I had that issue when I was 19 in looking younger. It didn't bother me though. I actually liked it. Get over it. It will catch up to you eventually or you'll be 30 and look 20 and be grateful.
  • Bahet
    Bahet Posts: 1,254 Member
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    We bought our first house when I was 24. One day a girl came to teh door selling magazines and asked if my mother was home. :laugh:

    On my 32nd birthday I ran out to the store. Hubby had a friend over and he asked me to pick him up some cigarettes so I did. I got carded. :laugh:

    I can laugh about it now but there were some times - especially from a professionl standpoint - where looking young was a hinderance. I found glasses and conservative clothes worked well. Also, speak properly. Someone saying "I be axing you to conversate" not only sound illiterate but also sounds like dumb kid instead of an educated adult. Stand tall. Confidence and poise are also not typically signs of a teenager. Look people in the eye when you speak to them.
  • Louisianababy93
    Louisianababy93 Posts: 1,709 Member
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    when i was 12, people thought i was about 18.

    now that im 19, people think im about 14 without makeup.
  • Serenstar75
    Serenstar75 Posts: 258 Member
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    Other than the tips someone gave, enjoy it. I looked 13 when I was 19 and had a daughter, all that. People thought she was my mom's kid. I'm 37 now and still told I look in my early 20s. I'd take that over the opposite ANY day.
  • charelg
    charelg Posts: 599 Member
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    Maybe if you had a pic we could give you tips
  • grrrlface
    grrrlface Posts: 1,204 Member
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    I'm 23 this week and still get mistaken for being under 18 despite heavy tattoo coverage on my upper body... So even they don't help! xD
  • Dan112358
    Dan112358 Posts: 525 Member
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    Poor you. My condolences.

    http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vN2WzQzxuoA
  • AimersBee
    AimersBee Posts: 775 Member
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    You should get a really old boyfriend. Could help LOL.

    creeper hahaha
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
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    Find other things to worry about, then you won't care so much about how young you look.
  • DMZ_1
    DMZ_1 Posts: 2,889 Member
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    1. Post a pic.
    2. Relax, enjoy being 19! It should be a worry free time.
  • AmberJo1984
    AmberJo1984 Posts: 1,067 Member
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    I wouldn't be complaining. Looking younger than you are will come in handy when you are actually older.
  • algebravoodoo
    algebravoodoo Posts: 776 Member
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    Yeah, okay, sorry, guys, I get it that when I'm old and grey, I'll appreciate looking young...

    It's just I don't find it particularly cool to look 12 when I'm actually an adult.

    So... Would make-up work? A more sophisticated hairstyle? Losing weight in my face?

    I actually understand what you mean... it is a curse for the moment but you will appreciate it when you are almost 50 and everyone thinks your eldest (30yo) daughter is your sister :)

    Demeanor has a lot to do with age perception. There are great make-up tips posted here as well, but I'd say ACT older. Hard to define since I don't know if you are a giggler or what, but take a look at how you carry yourself, little things you do. Combined with the outer appearance, this ought to make a difference.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    Break up with him.

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