I'm in the opposite boat. I'm a little bit younger than someone I am interested in. He's 40 and he's worried about the age gap. He has never voiced it directly to me, but he has to a mutual friend. I don't typically go for someone 12 years older than me, but there is an extreme amount of priorities and other issues in common. Whatever works out for you, go for it.

Kinda reviving an older thread here, but ...

Sorta like what @sewerchick93 posts, if you've got a heavy load of family and/or friends that judge/react based on preconceived norms, then you'll be trying to justify things to people that have already narrowed their thoughts enough to preclude reasonable success. Some governments and societal standards have some age-based access restrictions that can be a bit awkward as well in kinda 'extreme' cases; a few more of these things for the lower-aged folks (alcohol, age of majority, etc).

I've worked these both ways (never more than twice or half my age, but close), and they can be a bit awkward with some families & friends. Like all relationships, sometimes compromises and understandings must be reached (again, friends & families included).

In my world, it's always been more about the interpersonal value & future value than worrying about other's perceptions and biases.

That said, the "half your age, plus seven" guidance seems incredibly broad when you really think about it. You can read that as 86 though 33 for my creepy oldness, zoiks, or 27 through 66 for the OP, which makes "early-20s" a bit off the list, but who really cares?