I (18F) constantly get mistaken as 13/14, and I don’t know what I can do to change that. I know a lot of people see it as a compliment or whatever, but I don’t get taken seriously anywhere and people at my job constantly ask if I’m old enough to be working. Anybody have any advice ??
How can I make myself look older?
r/Advice
Comments
Draw on a mustache?
At some point in time you will appreciate looking younger. Rejoice!
Dm
Dress more mature (neutral colors, fitted clothes), style your hair more professionally, use subtle makeup (defined brows, lipstick), and carry yourself confidently. It sucks now, but it’ll be a blessing later.
Glasses with chain, large jewelry, ornate clothing, heavy makeup. That’ll have you looking like a grandma in no time.
you should start to practice better self esteem and confidence instead of trying to appear older. people will joke no matter what they look for easy targets, the best way to combat it is to simply not care and keep moving forward this happened to me all the time too it isn’t wise to let them win like that
Got to a salon that has make up services and ask them.
This is assuming that this isn’t a stealth ad for your OF.
Embrace your youth! Don’t rush to grow up so fast. I was in the same boat when I was younger, always trying to act older or be more mature. Now that I’m in my 40s, I often get told I look like I’m in my early 30s. Meanwhile, many of my friends look like they’re in their late 40s to early 50s.
Work out.
by 18 you could have put on more muscle that is possible for a 13 year old because you have 5 more years of eating under your belt.
eat a lot more protein , get the exact gram per day for your body weight from scientific sources. I think its like 1-2 grams per day per pound
then lift. smash every muscle group once a week. to complete failure. doable in 3 days of 1 hour work out a day if you go hard during those 1 hour sessions.
at 18 if you just do those two things you will grow so fast. god i wish i was 18 again.
Smoke cigarettes
Dye your hair grey, wear big glasses and walk with a stick
Get a chain for your glasses and hand out a lot of butterscotch candy. Seriously, it might suck now but there will be benefits farther down the road for looking younger than you are.
Why would you make yourself look older because you work with stupid people? I’d probably just agree and talk nonsense about the company’s slack policy on child labour.
Get a beard…that helped me 😁
Start smoking heavily?
Carry your ID around. Be grateful. Don’t try to age yourself
My advice would probably be useless to you because I’m a bloke, who looked 17 when he was 23. If I were you, change your hairstyle up and have a look at your wardrobe, or just own how you look. You’re probably very pretty
I’m 24 and get told I look 16/17 all the time. I take it as a compliment lol. There’s nothing more attractive than youth.
Smoke cigarettes and drink lots of coffee
I can relate to this 100%. Growing up, this was one of my biggest insecurities. People would make jokes all the time about me being a little kid, saying I look like a middle school student, asking when I’m going to put on some weight (I’ve always been on the thinner side). Like you, I felt like people didn’t take me seriously. Especially in the work setting. I didn’t feel like a “real woman.” The list goes on. Idk when the internal change happened for me, but I just stopped letting people control how I feel about myself. I know it doesn’t feel like it now, but it is an absolute blessing to look younger than you are. As you age, you will feel more and more grateful for your youthful appearance. Sooo many people are spending thousands of dollars trying to look younger. ( not saying how you feel isn’t valid) But on a more practical level — I’d say to switch your wardrobe. Limit the graphic tees and sweats (if that’s what you mostly wear). And opt for more mature looks (Pinterest has some great tips). Work out to build muscle. I’ll just finish by saying this, no matter how many changes you make outwardly, if you don’t feel confident in your skin, people’s words are still going to affect you.
Looking slightly older won’t change this. Everyone experiences this in the workplace until their late 20s/early 30s and you’re considered a kid until then. Once you hit mid-late 30s everyone considers you one of them and those younger are kids. This is just the way.
Consider yourself lucky , when you will be 28 everybody will he jelous of your looking , i had same problem , even today cant buy cigarettes without id
Tips and tricks
Mature makeup heavy eyeliner black and stuff should help
also walking like an adult and posture just more mature in general
wear not revealing clothes but instead wear clothes that emphasize maturity pencil skirts high heels and stockings etc.
be more confident in general I think young people tend to be more embarrassed and just shy while more mature people tend to be more put together and confident from their time in life✌️
Shop at steinmart or chichos. That will age you quickly.
Different glasses and hairstyles can def make you look older, youll need to experiment. I was/am in the same boat. Im turning 40 next month and a lot of co-workers think im in my mid 20’s, so you can guess what I looked like back in my actual 20’s!
Dont worry about it when ur 40 looking 20 it’ll be awesome
I feel like I would need to see a picture to know how to help
i get this i’m 17 and some peopel (when i don’t have makeup on) say i look 10-13 LIKE WHAT
I got id’d until my hair started getting grey 🤣
fake beard
Glasses. Mature clothing.
When I was in High School I was only 4’ 5”, still am. I dressed business type adult. And I had lots of confidence, still do. I was approached more than once by both students and staff thinking I was a teacher. I hope this helps.
You’re still very young. This will slowly pass over the years. Enjoy your youth while you still have it.
To those saying op should be grateful for looking 14, you should ask yourself why you feel that way cause it’s not healthy.
Gain weight
Makeup and clothes are a good starting point. For makeup, you dont have to wear anything heavy. Maybe try defining your eyebrows, wear mascara, and use a good lip combo. Im not sure if you have a certain dress code for work, but for outside of work, try wearing shoes that aren’t sneakers, crocs or slides. You can wear more boots, heels, or sandals. Clothing wise, try wearing fewer jeans and t shirts. Accessorize with cardigans, light jackets, and vests. Dangly earrings (apart from hoops), bracelets, and necklaces make a plane outfit look good and look more mature because younger teens dont usually wear much jewelry.
Makeup can make you look older or younger depending how you do it, dressing more like a millenial will make people assume that as well but overall people will still say that to you even when you’re in your 20s if you just have that look – it’s also genuinely not a bad thing as annoying as it must be
It’s only a trigger if you let it by reminding yourself that you are in fact an adult now – no matter much people say stupid things.
you control how you react
Sorry about that comment I made in the store that one day. I was completely caught off guard and I was just amazed at how “young” you looked… I truly meant it as a compliment………..
i’m 24 in a couple of months, ppl assume i’m still 16/17. i have been talked down to, not taken seriously, and even been told that i’m “just the babysitter” when one lady asked to speak to the mother of my son. it’s not a esteem issue, or anything, it’s a respect thing. i completely understand.
what has helped me over the years so far is a few tasteful tats, and carrying myself with confidence. unfortunately i know the comments and digs and laughs at my expense aren’t slowing down so having a calm and mature response to these comments will also show ur true age. not getting too upset or snippy will show ur matured past 14. and if called for you can turn if back on them in an appropriate way, “bc im a short woman u assume XYZ? that’s a bit odd.” if they get upset and try to backtrack and say it was a compliment you can apologize for the mix up and let them know it didn’t seem phrased as one but you appreciate it, but of course if it is just genuine mistake or compliments be gracious, it does have it’s benefits! not everyone means to be rude, they just have ideas of how ppl might or should look at certain ages idk
maybe i’ve become too petty haha but personally this has been my experience and handling it this way works for me. best of luck!
Start talking about how your neighborhood was safer back in the day. How you miss Ronald Regan as president.
Social Media was so much easier when MySpace was king.
Before you know it they won’t be questioning your youth but instead asking what you skincare routine is because of how young you look for your age.
Document those interactions, they are a form of harassment and discrimination. Don’t change a thing. You have plenty of time in your life to look old.
Makeup, piercings, hair are probably the place to start. Medium-short hair with layers looks more mature than a straight line cut. Things like nose piercings can help if that’s your vibe. And for clothes the best option is probably less cropped/bright/patterned pieces. More professional looking pieces will increase your assumed age.
I was the opposite, people always thought I was older than I was when I was a teenager. Helped me get into bars lol especially if you’re all glammed up. My advice would be makeup. But looking young is a good thing!
Wear outdated clothes. Works like a charm.
This was true for me, and very frustrating. I’m 67 now and as you get older it’s great.
I’m a guy who has this issue so maybe it won’t apply to you. But in a professional setting it is essential for me to have good posture, stand tall and have the shoulders back. Having a more serious demeanor and not being quick to smile and laugh can also make a person seem older. Certainly don’t change yourself, but bubbly, hyperactive personalities seem to convey youth, maybe because adults are all so doom and gloom in the workforce.
I don’t know, but it is embarrassing when I want my patients think I’m some fresh faced newbie.
Glasses and makeup
im 20 and literally the same problem, everyone thinks it’s a good thing for when im older but it’s actually been the bane of my existence for years, i’ve looked 10 since like 2014😭
Makeup. I know it sounds weird, but when I wore makeup when I was younger, people thought I was older. I’d say get better at makeup and see if people treat you like your age.
There’s ways of doing make-up that can give you an older profile. Go look up some tutorials.
Naturally tho? Not sure. My youngest sister is 28 and she still looks 15. It kinda grosses me out cuz her boyfriend of many years looks to be in his early 30s and it just feels weird.
Lt yes
Enjoy it while it lasts. This isn’t a problem.