I remember being young and thinking: I can't wait til I'm 16!
But today, I got frustrated when I heard some men talking about me. I had to pick up flowers today because I'm making the centerpieces for our Alumni Dinner tomorrow night. As I was walking to my car, there were a pair of men sitting on a bench nearby.
"Haha...look at that little girl with her cart full of flowers. What's a 16-yr-old going to do with all of those?" they said. They continued and said other "forgettable" things but I was blocking out their irritating words and putting flowers in my car.
Hello? I can hear you...it's so rude to talk about people like that. And I am NOT 16.
I know. You may think that I should be "grateful" that people think I'm younger than I am...and I won't mind losing 10 years when I'm 50-60 years old...but I am in my twenties and I want to look it! So I'm thinking of shaving off most of my hair...
Totally kidding- nothing that dramatic. But I am seriously considering what I could possibly do to make myself look older. Here are some things I came up with:
a) Jewelry. I always forget to put it on (and sometimes I feel overdone).
b) Belts. They finish an outfit and are not usually worn by teens (unless they've got major patterns or metalwork on them...(stereo-typing...I know, sorry.))
c) Heels. I just can't bring myself to wear them often- I feel tall enough.
d) Eyes. I like to look natural, but I'm thinking some more make-up to my eyes might make me look older than 16.
e) Hair. I've got to do something with it. It's long and I love it that way, but I need to learn how to put it up into some "adult" styles because leaving it down makes me look younger.
Any other suggestions? Do any of you get told you look younger than you are?
I am tired of 16.
Other weird moment this year, I was at the pharmacy with my Mom:
Mom: Can my daughter pick up my meds when they're ready?
Pharmacist: Is she even 18? I would need to see i.d.
Me thinking: Really?!?
It is frustrating to be seen as just a kid when you are 23...at least that is my experience. I remember having a college professor tell me that I needed to cut my hair in a more mature style if my students were going to take me seriously during student teaching. I recall being marched to the principal's office just a few days later by a teacher on hall duty only to be introduced as Miss Spalding the new student teacher. My 20's were a frustrating mix of showing ID's and proving I was not 15 or 16. Now at 53 it is kind of nice when people think I'm 36! Really it is pay back for all the "pain and suffering" I endured as a young looking whippersnapper! LOL
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem. Nurses, in particular, seem to think I'm young.
ReplyDeleteI'm putting my hair up these days, which is easy and makes me look older. Dressing up helps some, too, and jewelry. Pearls, in particular, look very grown-up. Pearl earrings are easy, too.
Mom says that when she was teaching, she was waiting for a parent to show up to meet with her. Finally, this woman who'd been standing there asked her, "Do you know where Mrs. X is?" Mom replied, "Yes, I'm Mrs. X." "Oh," the parent exclaimed, "I thought you were a student!"
The killer part? Mom taught junior high.
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