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Original poster

Does anyone really look younger than their age?

762 replies

smoleyjolie · 04/12/2023 14:10

Online on forums, social media, on dating profiles and even in real life people claim to look younger than their age, they are X age but don't look it. They get ID's in the supermarket buying wine.

I am always highly sceptical because I've know people who say to my face how they look like they are 25 when they are actually 38 because they have no lines or wrinkles when I am looking at them and thought they were actually in their 40's and they have obvious wrinkles and grey hair, people are delusional! Honestly the capacity people have to delude themselves about anything is quite staggering and I have never met someone who claims to look younger and it actually turn out to be true.

When I was younger I thought some older people looked younger so I once thought a woman when she was 49 was closer to 30 but that was because I assumed all people of 49 looked "old" which isn't the case at all and looking back she looked great but she also looked her age which is fine.

Going back to the first case where the women was convinced she looked over 10 years younger, what could I say I just said yeah you look great and its the same anytime anyone makes that claim. People aren't going to dispute it.

OP posts:
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26
Neverpostagain · 17/12/2023 10:56

Have you not seen the fairground attraction? He guesses your age and your weight. He is never more than one year out. Everyone looks their age. FFS I'm 61 and was id'd for alcohol. It's not because I look young. It's because the staff don't look at all! And people who say you look younger are trying to be pleasant is all.

VanityDiesHard · 17/12/2023 11:01

Neverpostagain · 17/12/2023 10:56

Have you not seen the fairground attraction? He guesses your age and your weight. He is never more than one year out. Everyone looks their age. FFS I'm 61 and was id'd for alcohol. It's not because I look young. It's because the staff don't look at all! And people who say you look younger are trying to be pleasant is all.

What are you on about? What 'fairground attraction'? And I don't believe that you are ID'd at 61 because they 'don't look'. When I have been carded, I always can tell it's about to happen because they pause, sort of squint and look at me closely, and then ask for the ID. If they are asking without looking, it is possibly the store policy to ask everyone for ID when buying restricted substances, regardless of age.

happinessischocolate · 17/12/2023 11:05

Some people definitely look younger.

I'm 55 and have loads of people from school on Facebook and there is a massive difference in how old a lot of them look.

The younger looking ones are now catching up more, but when we were between 40 and 50 there was ones who still looked 35 and others who looked 60

Cozytoesandtoast00 · 17/12/2023 11:13

I got asked for ID up to my early 40’s on many occasions. I don’t anymore (45)
I don’t have any wrinkles even when smiling but I’m definitely starting to look more of my age.
I can’t put my finger on why though!

Fizbosshoes · 17/12/2023 13:35

Neverpostagain · 17/12/2023 10:56

Have you not seen the fairground attraction? He guesses your age and your weight. He is never more than one year out. Everyone looks their age. FFS I'm 61 and was id'd for alcohol. It's not because I look young. It's because the staff don't look at all! And people who say you look younger are trying to be pleasant is all.

I went to a man at a fair who guessed your age, iirc you got your money back if he was more than a year out. He was 7 years out for me! (I was 18 at the time!)

sashh · 18/12/2023 03:03

I've had people shocked by my age, and not in a 'guess how old I am'.

I didn't go to uni until I was in my 30s. I studies part time so graduated just before I was 40

I had moved and I was asking the admin staff which address my results would be sent to. Admin person didn't seem to understand why I was asking and told me, "Your results will be sent to your parents address".

When I said I had not lived with them for 20 years and the uni had never had their address.

And yes I know that being at uni the admin are used to dealing with teenagers to early 20s but there were a few mature students on our course.

Mairzydotes · 18/12/2023 07:45

sashh · 18/12/2023 03:03

I've had people shocked by my age, and not in a 'guess how old I am'.

I didn't go to uni until I was in my 30s. I studies part time so graduated just before I was 40

I had moved and I was asking the admin staff which address my results would be sent to. Admin person didn't seem to understand why I was asking and told me, "Your results will be sent to your parents address".

When I said I had not lived with them for 20 years and the uni had never had their address.

And yes I know that being at uni the admin are used to dealing with teenagers to early 20s but there were a few mature students on our course.

It's like someone else assigns an age to based on an assumption or a stereotype .

ConstantRain · 18/12/2023 07:56

People usually look around their age, give or take within 5 yrs, with some exceptions. I have a friend who looked like a teen up until early 30's and now looks her age over 40. Another friend who I met when she had a dc at 45 and I was shocked at her age as I thought she was mid 30's. She now looks late 50's in her early 60's.

You can get aI apps to guess your age if you're really concerned.

DrCoconut · 18/12/2023 10:44

I didn't get ID'd to buy whisky in Morrisons at the weekend. Unlike a few years ago 😭

CostelloJones · 31/12/2023 16:53

I’m early 30s and got refused a G&T in a can today because I didn’t have my ID … had to ask DH who was waiting outside to get them

and immediately thought of this thread 😂

HNY!

CormorantStrikesBack · 31/12/2023 17:06

Me, but I have a medical condition which means I don’t get wrinkles (or haven’t yet). I’m late 40s and no crows feet, forehead wrinkles, etc. saying that my hair is going grey (but I dye it). My mum was the same and only started getting some wrinkles in her 70s.

Fairyliz · 31/12/2023 17:09

I agree op I’ve never met anyone who has turned out to be 10 years older than I thought.
I have however perfected my surprised face and ability to say ‘oh you look much younger’. I sometimes think I deserve an Oscar.

VanityDiesHard · 31/12/2023 17:14

Fairyliz · 31/12/2023 17:09

I agree op I’ve never met anyone who has turned out to be 10 years older than I thought.
I have however perfected my surprised face and ability to say ‘oh you look much younger’. I sometimes think I deserve an Oscar.

Why do you bother doing that? I don't get the big deal. It seems as if people on here don't believe that any of us look younger than our age, even when we have been ID'd in shops etc., but seem to think that people demand that others validate the fact of their looking young. Very odd IMO. I am forty and I think I look a bit younger than that, but I don't go around asking people to guess my age!

VanityDiesHard · 31/12/2023 17:15

I had another 'you must be younger' moment today. The delivery driver for my supermarket order almost wouldn't give me my order, I had to dig out my passport!

Cappuccinfortwo · 31/12/2023 17:26

I'm in my fifties. People sometimes think I'm younger without make up. I conclude from this that either make-up ages me or people tend to think 50 year olds wear make up.

Mairzydotes · 31/12/2023 17:33

I bet you have . You could have easily come across strangers in public who you estimate to be in their 20s , but are actually approaching 40.

Namechange4448830938489 · 31/12/2023 17:33

RunnerDown · 04/12/2023 17:09

I’m thin. It makes me look young from a distance but if anything my face looks older than friends of the same age who have rounder faces .
And I would always knock 10 years off anyone’s age if I was asked to guess. In case i offended someone

Show quote history

As they say there are no wrinkles on a balloon 😂

Namechange4448830938489 · 31/12/2023 17:44

I hate to say this but people routinely think that I am between 5 - 10 years younger than I am. This has included several people in hospital who thought I was the wrong patient. To me it comes from good genes and parents who looked young. It is the clothes you wear, the health you have eg affecting the way you walk and your mind/attitude. Hair is also massively important. I never ask people how old they think I am - it may just occur naturally as part of the conversation. The fairground guy got me wrong! I don't and never have drunk that much. I do like to sleep and I have suntanned over the years from using oil only in the 1970s to now nothing less than 30SPF and a hat.

As regards @HeavenCANTwait I thought she looks about 54 namely due to the lines at the side of her mouth and jawline. They are real sods 😐

Fairyliz · 31/12/2023 17:44

VanityDiesHard · 31/12/2023 17:14

Why do you bother doing that? I don't get the big deal. It seems as if people on here don't believe that any of us look younger than our age, even when we have been ID'd in shops etc., but seem to think that people demand that others validate the fact of their looking young. Very odd IMO. I am forty and I think I look a bit younger than that, but I don't go around asking people to guess my age!

Show quote history

Well if someone insists on telling me they get asked for id in shops when they are 40 what am I supposed to say?
I’m not sure saying ‘the shop assistant should have gone to specsavers’ would go down well.
Much easier to give them the compliment they are fishing for.

CormorantStrikesBack · 31/12/2023 18:07

Fairyliz · 31/12/2023 17:44

Well if someone insists on telling me they get asked for id in shops when they are 40 what am I supposed to say?
I’m not sure saying ‘the shop assistant should have gone to specsavers’ would go down well.
Much easier to give them the compliment they are fishing for.

Show quote history

Maybe they’re not fishing for a compliment but are just laughing about it? I was regularly getting asked for ID in my late 30s in supermarkets, a couple of times since turning 40 though I admit not in the last 5 years.

Someone in the village (who I vaguely know) stopped Dd in the street and told her how lucky both me and Dd are to have this medical condition which makes us look younger. Dd was like, eh no, because there’s lots of awful effects of it as well! The excess collagen is the only benefit!

VanityDiesHard · 31/12/2023 19:45

Fairyliz · 31/12/2023 17:44

Well if someone insists on telling me they get asked for id in shops when they are 40 what am I supposed to say?
I’m not sure saying ‘the shop assistant should have gone to specsavers’ would go down well.
Much easier to give them the compliment they are fishing for.

Show quote history

Are people really 'insisting on telling you' or just mentioning it in passing? If it happens regularly, then the person probably does look younger than their age. Sorry if that annoys you.

OnBronze · 31/12/2023 20:23

These threads always make me smile

I'm 75 but was asked for ID yesterday
I'm 50 and get asked for ID EVERY TIME I go shopping
Everyone - including really, really honest people who hate me and so would NOT 'just say that' - tells me that I look 12
I'm 102 but look 27 because I wash my face with hot gravel and carbolic
Strangers grab me by the shoulders and tell me HOW YOUNG I LOOK every single day.
I'm 68 and got thrown off a bus because I look 5
Anyone who doesn't agree/believe that I look 35 years younger than my age are patently jealous

...and so on Grin

I'm 49 but look not a day over 18. The age-defying beauty of an anonymous forum, eh?

Rummikub · 31/12/2023 20:35

Im not fibbing. Happened all
the time. I thought it was because I’m short but turns out i looked much younger. I know as once I turned 50 it stopped happening.

MegaClutterSlut · 31/12/2023 21:22

People say I look younger than I am (41) I don't have any wrinkles yet but then neither does my mum in her 60s so hopefully I'll take after her.

both dds and ds friends have asked on separate occasions if I'm their sister which I don't mind 😁 but ds took offence 🤣

Lovetoshop365 · 01/01/2024 02:14

I'm 36. DC 5 and 6. I get asked a lot if they're my children. When I meet new people, some are surprised I have children as I "look so young, like I've just graduated not long ago"