I worry over how young I look

[Guest jojo**]

Ive started to get very angry and upset over how yound I look for my age

When I get IDed I get upse, when people say i look 16/17 ( i am 21) i get really upset

I feel like no one respects me just because i look young for my age

it's affected my relationship with my parents as welll

Just wondering if anyone else has worried over this, I know it's silly to worry about, but it's really affected me.

[Guest Charlotte]

Hello

I look pretty young for my age but it's never really bothered me. A couple of years ago I got sent to paediatrics even though I was 21 at the time - I was a bit annoyed but laughed about it afterwards!

I've had it both ways - as a child I was very tall for my age and people constantly thought I was older than I was, but neither bother me. Maybe it's because age is a pretty fluid thing once you're in your late teens and early twenties - it's more about how you act and behave than what you look like. I have friends that are teenagers and friends that are middle aged - they treat me as Lottie, not based on my age, and I think you might find that's the case with you?

Lottie xxxx

[Guest Annabel]

Aww it does sound like an obsessional thing. I'm in my early twenties and I look it, some days I look older and I would absolutely love to look 16/17. Once recently a middle aged lady did think I was 17 and I was delighted.

Try not to stress too much, of all the obsessions out there this is one that you know will get better, at 35 there's no way you'll look 16

xx

[Guest orange socks]

i got refused entry into a 15 certificate film (4 weddings and a funeral) i was 25 at the time .

now aged 42 i just worry how old i look

enjoy it whilst it lasts hun ..... looking young is something which should be celebrated not worried over - try and change the way you see it - its a good thing - i know you wont believe me now - but i promise you its the truth

Edited July 3, 2012 by orange socks

[Guest FlyingEagle]

i used to get id'd a lot to the extent that my driving license got ruined... it did bother me like it does you but now i don't give a fig... you'll be grateful when you're older. good luck x

[Guest FlyingEagle]

don't worry be happy

[Guest FlyingEagle]

next time you get id'd i would start sucking my thumb and put some diapers on, that'll confuse them yet when see your id they will have to serve you. x

Edited July 6, 2012 by FlyingEagle

[Guest jojo**]

Thank you everyone

it doesnt bother me as much now but i still get angry over it because people seem to treat you differently depending on your age and i feel like shouting at them I am 21!!!

but yeah i tried to change my apperance and i snapped at people alot

[Guest FlyingEagle]

Try not to care what other people think.

[Guest FlyingEagle]

I remember when i got ID'd by a barman i showed them my ID to prove how old i was and my friend buying the drinks when he got the change he accidentily on purpose dropped all the change so the barman was scrabbling around on the floor to pick it up because it was on his side of the bar.

Edited July 10, 2012 by FlyingEagle

[Guest arctic_vixen80]

I'm 32 and I still get IDed occasionally for alcohol but I quite like it. Especially when they see my driving licence and get a bit of shock. I find it quite flattering when I get IDed.

[Guest ihaveocd23]

Hi me too i look young for my age get id'd all the time a woman in morrisons was guna id me for a film which was a 15 i said to her how old do you thagink i look 14? im 23 she let me have the film in the end. I just thought it was funny.

Looking young is not a bad thing just think about when your older, you still wont look your age thats a good thing to me. x

[Guest jojo**]

Yeah I guess it will be a good thing, I just hate it when people judge you based on appearance and therefore treat you differently. Also I am very quiet and nervouse all the timeand hate going out on my own I am always thinking what is that person thinking of me or something stupid, I just have very bad anxiety

[Guest zenboy]

well 21 is very young anyway,lots of 21 yr olds would look like teenagers and teenagers like 21 yr olds.Im 40 and everyone thinks in my 20s but not bothered,i was getting served in bars at 15 but never really aged at all physically,im sure it will catch up on me some day.

[Guest Allovertheplace]

Hello all

I empathise with you. I am 42 and people still think I look young. This issue is a double edged sword. Yes it is fortunate to look young at my age but I check and do not see what others see. I se years of pain in my eyes but others seem to see wide vulnerable young looking eyes which I think deflects them from looking closer at the rest of my face with it's ageing and imperfections. Anyway, I wanted to write because I hated this throughout my life. I am happy for my grey hairs as people might start realising I am older than they think. When I was younger this was a constant source of angst as I could hear the patronising comments and not being taken seriously. I used to announce my age in a conversation all the time to let people know and I still do this. It is true what others say on here. Try to enjoy your youth because this issue only gets bigger and bigger. If it's not how young I may or may not look, I obsess about getting older and things happening to me eg skin worries, ageing spots, face changing and looking worse than I already think it is. OCD and as I am learning BDD will always give you something to pick on. It is relentless and I am only just beginning to see how ill I have been for 20 odd years. Nip it in the bud while you are young. Don't end up like me eg suffering in silence for years without getting help. I have done so much that is on the OCD and BDD forums and it is a shock to know how ill I have actually been. Good luck.