Not looking your age?

[nick n stuff]

there is a petrol station on the way to college. me and my mate pop in every so often. i'm nearly 18 and at college and my mate is 16 at school. whenever we go in he's in school uniform i am not. i am old enough to drive he is not. he is always asked if he needs to pay for any fuel i am not. where is the logic.

 

[chinangel]

I'm 25, and I get carded all the time, or people ask me if I'm old enough to work. It's quite the compliment :3

 

[HiWayXingFrog]

A little while back, I was out at a pub with my friends to celebrate my birthday (I turned twenty one.) When the waitress asked us what we wanted to drink. I asked for a Keiths and she said that someone that is my age should not be ordering beer. I asked how old she thought I was. She responded with the straightest face ?turning sixteen". I was so pissed. I showed her my ID and said to suck on that and told her she just lost her tip for that night.

I did not let this bother me, but just today when I was walking my dog at about eleven in the morning. A woman had come up to me asking about my dog and then asked why I was not in school. I told her that I was finished school and I was in college. She had apologized and said that I looked seventeen.

I know this should not bother me but it does because I am in my early twenties and people who look at me think I am still in secondary school.
So my question is
Have you ever been mistaken for being older or younger and does it bother you?

I'm currently 21 and still get mistaken for 16-17. At least you didn't get offered a kid's menu when being taken to dinner for your 18th birthday. Imagine the stares I got when I bought a bottle of vodka. I'm gonna get carded he rest of my life, dude. You ain't got it that bad.

 

[RockOn3906]

Had it happen once to me about a couple years ago (at a Gamestop, of all places). I went to buy GTA:San Andreas and the guy behind the counter says "Well, I need to see your ID, even though I know you're over 30..."

I was 20 at the time. >.<

(He corrected himself to say "over 18", but the slip-up was done; you can't get it back after that. )

 

[Lambi]

I'm 21.

With a beard I'd say I look about 24, 25.

Without it, about 17, 18.

 

[RatRace123]

Depends, with my facial hair I could pass for 22, without it I'd probably get pegged as fifteen. It's amazing what some beard will do for your apparent age.

 

[CrazedRaptor]

I've heard that if it weren't for my height (5'3), I'd look a lot older. not sure if thats good or bad...

 

[BigCat91]

I'm 16 and most commonly people think i'm 22 or 23. Its funny because i went out with my brother to watch a football game, and the bartender was confused why i wasn't ordering a beer.

 

[StrangerMouse]

I often get mistaken for someone much older, what with being 6"11 and still in high school.

 

[kjh242]

i look about 16 (I am 16) but whenever someone hears my voice they think i'm like 30 or something

 

[Dags90]

I'm 20 and I'm often told I look 17 or 18. I've always looked younger and it made sense when I was short for my age. In particular when I was 17 and fairly tall (about 5'11") and people thought I was an unusually tall 15 year old rather than someone who looked young. I was carded a few weeks ago buying Dragon Age: Origins, though I think that's just Gamestop's ridiculous carding policy they put on their employees.

 

[Savage_Girl]

I'm 19 and have been pegged at every thing from 13 to 22, I'm also mistaken for a boy about 2-3 times a week.
It's great getting card for R movies when wearing low cut top where you see my huge chest piece. Law here is 18+ for tattoos no matter what.
But really don't get pissed at people who card you, some store make their people card everyone, I know I have to card 40 year olds for beer because of my stores policy (card anyone who under 45).

 

[Ramona Flowers]

I'm turning 21 in two weeks, everyone thinks I look 11 years old. I'm a tiny girl, so it's a simple mistake but it's sad. :/

 

[Eatbrainz]

I'm 14 but i've been told i look 18.

 

[swolf]

Um, breathe? Servers get mistreated a lot unfairly. It was just an honest mistake, let it slide. I've worked in restaurants and have seen some foul mistreatment. Also, have you ever seen "Waiting"? I have never seen/done anything like that but I've heard stories of placing that would make you sick just hearing about it.

Also, grow a beard and the confidence in yourself not to be offended but such small things. Besides, think of it this way: you will be able to pick up younger dates when you get older. Also, you can win those guessing games at theme parks / carnivals a lot. My dad used to do that all the time. Sometimes, they would think he was lying when he claimed to be my father (I'm 23) because they honestly didn't think he was that old.

 

[russkiimperial]

I think it all comes down to facial hair (for men in their younger years and some women in their much older years hehe). I'm almost 27 and still can't grown a full mustache, beard, you name it. About two years back I was carded to see if I was 18 to buy ammo, and the clerk was reluctant to believe me even then after I showed my id. I noticed the older a person is the younger they think you are, whereas people our age are a better judge of that. Ah well, enjoy it while you can I suppose.

 

[Dark42]

I?m 19 I?ve been told I look anywhere from 19 to 22, I have no idea how there can be such a big gap. My guess is it depends on what I?m wearing. If I wear a suit I look younger, but in my leather jacket I look older......how does that work?

 

[ghostrider409895]

I have always been taller than my age. Now I am fifteen, so looking like sixteen is not a stretch, but I remember when I was 12 if I stood up straight and said I was sixteen I could pass as sixteen easily.

 

[GWarface]

A beard always helps getting you look older... Im glad i started early on that, i could buy booze when i was 14...

 

[Abedeus]

I'm 18 next week, I've looked like a college student for over 3 years now. So in theory, I look about 23-24.

Beards > ID.

A beard always helps getting you look older... Im glad i started early on that, i could buy booze when i was 14...

I'm sure you'd have no problems showing this post (an translating, if you aren't native Brit/American/Aussie) to your parents.