When People Think You’re Older Than You Really Are
I’m starting to get a complex. Actually, this complex started a few years back but in the past year or so I’d say has increased significantly. You see, people always think I’m older than what I really am. My feelings towards this have shifted drastically from the time I was a teenager to now; I once loved hearing that I looked older and could order a drink without showing ID but now when this happens, I feel that little flutter in my stomach called anger and disappointment.
If someone is off by a year or two, I can let that slide pretty easily without feeling offended. However, when people guess my age and are off by nearly a decade (yes, a decade), I can’t help but wonder if I should start using anti-wrinkle cream and consider getting a mini facelift. This happened a few nights ago when I woman starting chit chatting with me. In the midst of this, she looked at me and said, “Well you look to be about… twenty-seven.”
She must have been able to read my reaction right away because she quickly asked me my age and when I said twenty-three she apologized as though she knew she offended me. She then covered her mistake up with flattery by saying I just seem so much older and more mature. I get this a lot when people guess my age incorrectly. I’m starting to think it’s becoming a classic line to get out of the situation like ‘It’s not you; it’s me’ or ‘No I remember you, I’m just terrible with names.’
That woman was only off by five years, which may not seem like much but it’s the difference between young twenties and almost thirty. Much more horrific was when I was twenty and a guy guessed the same age that the woman did. I just entered the realm of the twenty-somethings and this guy thought I was twenty-seven. I wanted to punch him in the throat.
It’s not that I actually think I look much older than I am. But I am starting to wonder why everybody else does. Does everyone my age get this offended when somebody else thinks they are in the child-bearing and Botox age bracket? So here are some words of wisdom to those of you who are asked to guess a woman’s age:
- ALWAYS guess younger, not older. This appreciates in value the older the woman actually is.
- If you start by saying, ‘I wouldn’t guess you were any older than…’ it automatically makes it sound like you think it’s possible she’s younger than your guess but completely unfathomable that she be any older.
- State what makes you think she may be older and why you think she may be younger and make it seem like that’s why it’s hard to guess her age. Ie. You don’t like any older than 24 but you’re really smart, or mature, or you’ve experienced so much, that makes me think you could be anywhere up to twenty seven.
- Think of a celebrity that is younger than the woman and say that she could easily pass as her younger sister. Or my mom’s favorite, if she’s out with her daugters, ask if they’re all sisters.
- Give a reasonable range to widen your guess. Ie. ‘I’d say somewhere between twenty two and twenty six.
Or avoid guessing her age altogether. Sometimes girls may ask you to guess but don’t; this is a trap. Get out at all costs unless you have a smooth answer that will flatter the girl rather than offend her.
Similar posts you might enjoy:
1 Comment to When People Think You’re Older Than You Really Are
I’m 23 myself, and while most people remark on my maturity and acting older, based on looks, most people place my age in the late teens, even as young as 17, depending on how I wear my hair. I’m not really insulted, mostly amused.
October 15, 2009