I thought I was Claire Foy, but I’m Olivia Coleman

[Moaningturtle]

I’m rewatching The Crown and I was sure I was still in my Claire Foy reign. But series 3 starts when The Queen was 38. I’m 40, well into my Olivia Coleman years.

Don’t get me wrong, I adore Olivia. She’s an amazing woman. But her portrayal of her maj in series 3/4 is definitely that of middle age. I just don’t feel like a middle aged grown up yet, I don’t even have a mortgage!

I wonder if/when I will mentally feel older than 25?

(My body however is a different story…that definitely believes I’m middle aged )

I felt old when I watched Blood Brothers and realised i was no longer going to play Linda when I get my West End break.... I was now Mrs Johnson. I feel your pain....

When they made Trainspotting 2 in Edinburgh a few years back, rumours flew about needing extras for nightclub scenes.

My friend was SOOOO EXCITED because nobody does nightclubbing like her.

In the end her rugby player 19 year old son was chosen, which kiiiiind of makes sense but still sticks in the throat a bit. I mean we're cool as fk?

The struggle is real!

We were there for the original Trainspotting, we had the posters in our student accommodation, we argued about who was hotter Sick Boy or Renton…who else but us could be better at clubbing?! @MorrisZapp

I get you OP, I'm 37 and still don't feel like a grown up!

To be fair, the Queen was born in the 1920's, so when she was 40 or so, women did seem to 'get old' over night. Not actually, but they wore their hair in an old fashioned way and sensible shoes etc. Women were supposed to just hide away and accept middle age.

Thankfully things are very different today.

I remember my Nan turning 60, she had already been an “old woman” for several years. She had typical old lady hair and clothes, even her house decor was old lady. It’s amazing how things have changed, my mum is now 61 and soooo different!

I felt like this too

I look at other people my age (41) and think Christ they look old and like a proper grown up.

I’m in total denial.

Olivia Coleman was miscast!

I remember the crushing horror of realising I would be in the 'over 25' category on X Factor...!! (That was some years ago now.)

@Moaningturtle

I remember my Nan turning 60, she had already been an “old woman” for several years. She had typical old lady hair and clothes, even her house decor was old lady. It’s amazing how things have changed, my mum is now 61 and soooo different!

Yes, I was looking at photos of me as a baby with my grandparents recently and realised that my mum's mum, who looks like a stereotypical 'little old lady' in the photos, would have been 53! Absolutely no one looks like that at 53 any more.

I remember being quite upset when I joined the Labour party and realised that I was too old for 'young labour' - quite a while ago now!

I also think I'm in denial as I think other people who must be my age are older than me. I think the other parents at nursery are grown-ups and I'm not, but I had children at an entirely average age so they're all around my age. I also have a weird mental block where I think of the parents of school-age children as 'real parents' and grown-ups, in contrast to me - I suspect this distinction will disappear in my head when DS1 starts school next year.

Best not to google the age of the mum in Home Alone then….

I feel you! I have similar realisations all the time.

I saw a picture of me as a newborn with my grandmother who was 48 at the time - she looks older than my mum does at 60, the hair, the clothes, it's different now.

At the cinema, watching the new James Bond

‘Goodness, how old Daniel Craig looks!’

followed by…

‘Oh God, we’re the same age.’

it’s comforting that I’m not alone. I wonder if I will still be deluding myself in my 60s or 80s?

Does anyone ever actually feel like a grown up? And what did it take?

@PGordino

At the cinema, watching the new James Bond

‘Goodness, how old Daniel Craig looks!’

followed by…

‘Oh God, we’re the same age.’

Who remembers the eighties supergroup, the Travelling Wilburys? Ageing rockers our dads loved, all together for a last hurrah? Enjoy:

@MorrisZapp

Who remembers the eighties supergroup, the Travelling Wilburys? Ageing rockers our dads loved, all together for a last hurrah? Enjoy:

😩😩

I feel you pain OP. I’m 45 but still don’t feel like a ‘proper’ adult. The thing is, until a few years ago I was one of those annoying people on Mumsnet who is positive they look much younger than their actual age (it was actually true in my case). Being not much over 5 feet helps. I saw a photo of me at 35 and I barely looked 25.

Problem is, I feel like I’ve aged years overnight and my age is catching up with my physical appearance. My skin is still pretty wrinkle free but you can tell from my neck that I’m in my forties and I’m just starting to get the sagging jowly bits. It’s soooo depressing. I even asked my dermatologist to recommenced a place to get the frown lines between my eyes botoxed. I never thought I’d even consider getting Botox!

@Moaningturtle

it’s comforting that I’m not alone. I wonder if I will still be deluding myself in my 60s or 80s?

Does anyone ever actually feel like a grown up? And what did it take?

I remember in my late-20s have an existential, almost out of body experience where I was horrified to realise that I was divorced, had two kids and everything in my house belonged to me. I couldn't connect how grown up all of that was compared to how daft and young I felt inside. It was as though I'd been on autopilot all of my 20s and suddenly woke up 29 years old and realised I'd made some pretty massive life choices!

So, whilst it was fleeting, I did have a "jeez, you're actually a grown up" moment

Someone I know's definition of being grown up is if you have a dining room. I've never had one and I'm 50-something!

Oh god I'm Olivia Coleman too I definitely don't feel like I should be

@MrsMadderRose I technically have a dining room but it's buried under all the crap we can't keep anywhere else

Tbf, they did massively frump up Olivia Colman to play the queen. Everyone I know that’s middle aged (inc me) in their 40s/50s still looks great.

I saw Stephanie Cole in The cleaner the other day and was thinking she seemed to have been playing older women forever. I’m 42 and that’s about the age she was in Tenko. Hoping to goodness I seem younger than that character appeared. At 50 she was playing a character in a care home in ‘waiting for God’.

Am shocked at the travelling wilburys revelation