Do most women think that they look...

[Dancing Fire]

younger than their age?

 

[missy]

I don't know what each age is supposed to look like anymore. I see people in their 80's who look like what I would guess 60 to be and I see 40 year olds who look much older and I also see 50 year olds who look like they are 30. There is no norm IMO anymore because it runs the gamut.

DF, perhaps the title of your thread should be amended to "Do most people think that they look..."

 

[soxfan]

I do.

 

[missy]

I will add that most people upon finding out my age are usually surprised. But again I really don't think there is a standard to compare to because there is such a huge variation in appearance and aging in general.

 

[House Cat]

I think I am in denial!

 

[sonnyjane]

I'm told I look younger than I am, but it's not a compliment for me. I'm 30 but most people think I'm 21 or 22!! I wouldn't mind having them think I'm more of a "grownup".

 

[Snicklefritz]

I'm told I look younger than I am, but it's not a compliment for me. I'm 30 but most people think I'm 21 or 22!! I wouldn't mind having them think I'm more of a "grownup".

I get the same thing! I'm 29, and I do consider it a compliment. I may look younger, but sometimes feel older. It gives me some sort of balance.

 

[boerumbiddy]

I am pretty sure I look about a decade younger than my age, but only in the face. I don't smoke and stay out of the sun, so the wrinkles have been held at bay. The body, on the other hand........

 

[missy]

I'm told I look younger than I am, but it's not a compliment for me. I'm 30 but most people think I'm 21 or 22!! I wouldn't mind having them think I'm more of a "grownup".

That's exactly how I felt when I first graduated and my patients thought I looked about 12 LOL. But you might appreciate it when you are 50 if people still think you look much younger than your chronological age. Not that there is anything wrong with looking your age cause there isn't. Personally I am pleased with all I worked hard to accomplish up to this point and will graciously accept any age related changes to my appearance as a sign of all those years of hard work and enjoying life. As long as I can stay healthy and feel good I am good with any wrinkles that might happen in the future. No plastic surgery or botox for me... but no judgments from me on those who choose that route.

 

[packrat]

I look a little younger. Mostly I think b/c I do not act my age, and I have bad skin which is associated w/younger age.

 

[chrono]

What is the standard for each decade? I've not thought much about this since it is pointless. DH thinks I look attractive and that's all that matters.

 

[sonnyjane]

I'm told I look younger than I am, but it's not a compliment for me. I'm 30 but most people think I'm 21 or 22!! I wouldn't mind having them think I'm more of a "grownup".

That's exactly how I felt when I first graduated and my patients thought I looked about 12 LOL. But you might appreciate it when you are 50 if people still think you look much younger than your chronological age. Not that there is anything wrong with looking your age cause there isn't. Personally I am pleased with all I worked hard to accomplish up to this point and will graciously accept any age related changes to my appearance as a sign of all those years of hard work and enjoying life. As long as I can stay healthy and feel good I am good with any wrinkles that might happen in the future. No plastic surgery or botox for me... but no judgments from me on those who choose that route.

I think I have an advantage in that I really don't care. I have friends my age (30-35) that are talking about Botox and surgeries! I can't imagine starting that "process" at age 30!! I don't really notice wrinkles on myself.

 

[VRBeauty]

I am sometimes caught up short when the image is the mirror is much older than the image in my mind. Reality bites!

 

[ruby59]

My skin has always been oily. Problem when I was younger, but in my mid 50s, I do not have any wrinkles. My hair is still very long and I am petite, so yes I am sometimes mistaken for someone younger. But like someone said up thread, as long as my husband still finds me attractive, that is good enough for me.

 

[Smith1942]

I'm 39 and get carded quite a bit, so I know I look young. Someone on the makeup thread in Hangout recently said I looked about 25. This has always been a negative though, as people have always talked down to me as a much younger person, and you don't get any credit or respect for all the accrued experiences that you've been through and the years of hard work that you've put in. However, I've found this year so difficult with multiple family illnesses including my own and endless not-for-pleasure longhaul travel (got Trip Number 10 next week, that's 10 longhauls in the last 12 months) that I'll be greatly surprised if my situation doesn't take its toll on my face. Maybe I'll get some respect then!

 

[missy]

I'm 39 and get carded quite a bit, so I know I look young. Someone on the makeup thread in Hangout recently said I looked about 25. This has always been a negative though, as people have always talked down to me as a much younger person, and you don't get any credit or respect for all the accrued experiences that you've been through and the years of hard work that you've put in. However, I'm finding this year so difficult with multiple family illnesses and endless not-for-pleasure longhaul travel (got Trip Number 10 next week, that's 10 longhauls in the last 12 months) that I'll be greatly surprised if it doesn't take its toll on my face. Maybe I'll get some respect then!

Smith, I am very sorry for the hardships you and your family have gone through this year. I will be keeping you and your family in my thoughts.
Regarding the respect issue I find that while we might look young and initially we might be judged on our appearance once someone gets to know you (not the superficial appearance) all that changes. In my book respect is earned based on who one is as an individual and not what one looks like. Youthful appearance or not.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I don't think, I know I do. I can easily get 5, sometimes 10 years younger. I have always looked younger and used to hate it. Now I love it. My mother looks way younger than her age (10-15 years younger) and my grandmothers looked younger than their age. Good genes I guess.

 

[Natylad]

Yes, most women think they look younger than their age and usually they're wrong...!

ETA: Including myself

 

[luv2sparkle]

I think it also depends on who you ask. If you ask a 20 year old, the answer would probably be older but you ask someone your own age, who has more wrinkles than you, and you get a different answer. I have always had really oily skin too, so I don't have many wrinkles at 54, but I wouldn't say I look all that young to my eyes. I do look better before I put my contacts in! A little blurry is a good thing sometimes!

 

[dk168]

I can't comment about others, however, I know I look younger than my age.

Got good skin thanks to my mum, being a bit plump helps to smooth out the wrinkles on my face. Also, I believe it is harder to tell one's age for orientals.

If I dye my hair which is mostly white to black (I am Chinese), I can easily get away with being a few years younger.

However, I don't like the smell and texture of dyed hair, tried that with semi-permanent colours in the past and hated it, and I could see the new growth being white at the hair line which I thought was very unsightly. Hence I just let my hair went white naturally.

I do compare myself from time to time with ladies around my age, and I count myself being lucky with relative good health, fully mobile, not on any medication, and still have all my marbles.

Long may that continue.

Ooo, not having kids helps too I believe, as I believe I do not have that knackered parent look!

Definitely young at heart, some may say I have never really grown up!

DK

 

[armywife13]

Do most women? Probably.

Do I? No. I am 25 and am sure I look at least my age. In fact, people usually assume I am older than my age.

 

[partgypsy]

I have oily skin and a roundish face so I have always been considered to look young for my age (heck I got carded a year ago and I'm in my mid 40's!) I've gotten comments I've never aged, that I look the same as I did 10, 15 years ago, that I must have Dorian gray's mirror in my attic, etc. But it's not true, I can look in the mirror and see how much older I look.
So maybe I look young from a distance, but not up close when you can see the wrinkles, etc.

I am also weird in that I think I hit my peak in looks in my 30's, versus my teens and 20's. So I am well aware I've finally passed my peak.

 

[AprilBaby]

I know LOTS of men who try to look younger than their age!

 

[tyty333]

I hope I'm growing old gracefully. I'm in my early 50s and don't have too many wrinkles
but I am starting to see some sagging in the jaw line area (as well as other parts of my
body) !

 

[Dancing Fire]

I will add that most people upon finding out my age are usually surprised.

I was!!..

 

[JulieN]

My face looks older than it used to, compared to 5 years ago. I still look young for my age but you can tell I'm not that young by how I dress. Kids these days!

 

[jaysonsmom]

I don't know how to explain this, but I was born looking around 28-30.

So, when I was about 14, I'd hate it because people thought other kids I was playing with were MY kids. Now that I'm 41, I love it because that 28-30 lookiung face has not changed at all. My pictures from 14 onwards looks exactly as I do now!

 

[monarch64]

I look like a woman in her thirties, which is what I am. I have a lot of female friends who are aging remarkably well, but they themselves would not say that they think they look younger than they actually are. I don't think they give it much thought. Maybe they do, but I wouldn't know because when I actually sit down and talk with my friends we are busy talking about the fact that most men think they are taller than they are, or that they look younger than they really do, or that their beer belly isn't really as large as it looks in pictures...

 

[Smith1942]

I'm 39 and get carded quite a bit, so I know I look young. Someone on the makeup thread in Hangout recently said I looked about 25. This has always been a negative though, as people have always talked down to me as a much younger person, and you don't get any credit or respect for all the accrued experiences that you've been through and the years of hard work that you've put in. However, I'm finding this year so difficult with multiple family illnesses and endless not-for-pleasure longhaul travel (got Trip Number 10 next week, that's 10 longhauls in the last 12 months) that I'll be greatly surprised if it doesn't take its toll on my face. Maybe I'll get some respect then!

Smith, I am very sorry for the hardships you and your family have gone through this year. I will be keeping you and your family in my thoughts.
Regarding the respect issue I find that while we might look young and initially we might be judged on our appearance once someone gets to know you (not the superficial appearance) all that changes. In my book respect is earned based on who one is as an individual and not what one looks like. Youthful appearance or not.

Thanks, Missy, for all your kind thoughts. I was expecting to go through all this with my parents when they are about 85 (all four of their parents lived to be 90-ish) but they are only 70. Most of my friends still have healthy parents and it seems so unfair - but of course life isn't fair. And then with my husband's illness, and mine - both lifelong but manageable and not life-threatening - this really has been about the worst year of my life, with the two worst shocks I've ever had. Having said that, things could be SO much worse. All three of us are doing super-well even though one of us is terminal and the medications have worked an absolute treat. I wish I could feel more grateful but all I feel is stressed out with all the travelling and spending time with Mum, which I love but on the other hand is very stressful due to her disease. I have definitely overspent but hopefully my new baubles will cheer me up. Brian Gavin just rang - my pendant is shipping tomorrow!

I agree with what you say about earning respect. Mainly, I meant about strangers starting on you for no reason because you look like a younger person. An example would be the airport taxi driver recently who bullied me the whole way home and then had the nerve to say "Oh, I'm sorry I gave you a hard time" when we arrived at my home. He was just an ugly older man who felt better about himself by being nasty to apparently young female passengers travelling alone. That's the kind of crap I get, and I'm sure there'd be less of it if I looked older and more authoritarian.

Anyway, must think of pendant!

 

[OreoRosies86]

I do. I suffer from high self esteeem