"You seem/look older/younger than you are"

[Joy]

I had gray hairs at 15, but not often. I used to dye my hair a lot so I didn't know if I still got them or not, but now I'm back to my natural color (I even cut off anything that had been colored at any point) and don't intend on dying it again anytime soon. I haven't noticed any grays.

(It's interesting, when I was a teenager I hated my natural color. I thought it was really bland and dull. Now I like it, and it looks shiny and healthy rather than dull. I don't know if it's because my perception changed or because I had softened well water when I was a teenager.)

[xyz]

people usually tell me i look like i'm about 35. when i was a teenager i def looked younger than my age also. but yeah i agree with SM i'm going gray also thank God for hair coloring prods.

actual age is 43.

Let's hear it for gray hair.

And your quote is awesome, Ryene.

[cracka]

I've always heard I look younger as far as looks go. I looked like a teenager up until about 24... I dunno what happened really... but from 24-25 I feel like my "look" aged about 5 or so years to catch up to what I should look like. If I'm clean shaven and wear the right clothes I can still look about 21 and most wouldn't think I'm about to be 28.

[Cuddly McFluffles]

Let's hear it for gray hair.

And your quote is awesome, Ryene.

Are you referring to my sig? It's a conversation I had with my mother after watching Mary Poppins.

[Joy]

I dunno what happened really... but from 24-25 I feel like my "look" aged about 5 or so years

Maybe you lost some of the fat padding on your face. I was just recently talking to someone my age and we both said that our faces look thinner now than they used to. Mine looks thinner than it did when I weighed less than I do now.

[force my hand]

I look and act my age. I feel like my age.

I think everyone my age acts much younger than they are.

[Logos]

I am definitely told that I look younger than I am. Being 5'8" with a youthful face does not help in that regard. But I consider it a blessing that I will be thankful for later. Of course, it has yet to be seen whether or not my hair will begin to gray when I am around 30 (about half my immediate family), or whether or not I will get my first few hairs when I am 50-60 (the other half).

[Creepy-bg]

greybush

lol

[FDG]

Since most people that have posted in this topic have said that they are told that they look younger than the really are, we have to find an explanation:

- either socionics forums tend to attract a group of people that exhibit sings of looking younger than they really are
- or such a topic only attracts people that are told they look younger than they really are, because the opposite is generally considered to be shameful
- or the general population, due to the betterment of the standards of living, is starting to look younger than the past generations thus skewing the mean.

[Expat]

- or such a topic only attracts people that are told they look younger than they really are, because the opposite is generally considered to be shameful

I think that would be more likely, still, do note that even some women - jessica and schroedinger's cat - said they are told they look older.

[Gilly]

I'm mistakable for 1-2 years younger when I shave close, but just last night I passed for 21 at a restaurant without being carded, and I'm only 20, so *shrug*. I think I seem to be aging rapidly because I haven't actually had anyone TELL me I look younger than I am for a while. And for some reason I have a decent amount of very white hair in my beard and near my temples.

As far as acting an age, well, I've interacted more easily with adults than my peers since I was about 14, and I DEFINITELY feel older than people my age.

[XoX]

When I was a kid and teenager my age was usually guessed up i.e. people thought I was considerably older. At 12 many thought I was 14. At 14 many thought I was 16-18. But this was mostly because my puberty started a bit earlier than most other's and also because I was somewhat taller than average and did all kinds of sports so my physics was better developed than an average (pre-)teenager had. Well things changed when other people went thought their puberty, started going to gym, got lower voices and grew some more length and muscle. At the same time I started reducing the amount of sports and focusing on more mental pursuits and as a result I became more teenager-like than I had been as a teenager.

Nowadays IMHO I look pretty much my age except I am a bit thinner as I have recently optimized my weight a bit and many of my friends are instead gaining weight every year. However, when interacting in real life my age is usually guessed down. I don't think this has anything to do with my looks but is caused by me having a certain playful style of interacting which many other people of my age lack or even consciously try to avoid because "adults are not supposed to be playful" or something. My playful behavior can have two effects on other "adults". Either they like it and become more playful themselves or they get judgmental because I am acting more playful than I should in their opinion. For example ESTjs are good judges. I don't really care one way or another about these judgments though. I almost enjoy irritating ESTjs a bit Eventually even they will warm up. For a second at least.

[Subteigh]

When I'm not speaking, I look stern and elderlike, so people seem to see me as a respectable citizen. Otherwise, I look as young as the crowd I'm with.

[Joy]

Since most people that have posted in this topic have said that they are told that they look younger than the really are, we have to find an explanation:

- either socionics forums tend to attract a group of people that exhibit sings of looking younger than they really are
- or such a topic only attracts people that are told they look younger than they really are, because the opposite is generally considered to be shameful
- or the general population, due to the betterment of the standards of living, is starting to look younger than the past generations thus skewing the mean.

- or our regulars just happen to be people don't spend all that much time in the sun

[MysticSonic]

I think it's funny that no one ever seems to actually look their age. What are we all looking like then?

[Elro]

I think it's funny that no one ever seems to actually look their age. What are we all looking like then?

It's more like an average - do I look as young/old as the average person of my age? Of course I doubt many will look exactly their age, but the deviations cancel out, in theory.

[Mea]

I'm 22 and get checked when I buy cigarettes/alcohol (18 age limit here).
And I get checked for movied which has a minimum age requirement of 16.
It's really annoying.
My current boyfriend thought I was 15 when I was 19 and did not woo me initially because he thought I was too young.
Urgh.
But I found a way to look older, dress older.

[Kristiina]

I'm 22 and get checked when I buy cigarettes/alcohol (18 age limit here).
And I get checked for movied which has a minimum age requirement of 16.
It's really annoying.
My current boyfriend thought I was 15 when I was 19 and did not woo me initially because he thought I was too young.
Urgh.
But I found a way to look older, dress older.

lol.

[Mea]

lol.

no laughing!!

[XoX]

no laughing!!

Now that's what I call a sensitive PoLR.

[olduser]

i look 18 but i am 21. all that good clean livin'.

[rockclimber]

I've been told that I look 3-5 years younger than I am, but generally people think I'm 3-5 years older than I am after talking with me. I've had grey hair since I was 15. People always think my sister, who is three years younger than I am, is a few years older than me... I think that started when I was about 8.

[FDG]

- or our regulars just happen to be people don't spend all that much time in the sun

Mmm, maybe. But that wouldn't be valid for people that are under 30 (I've never seen young people getting wrinkled due to excessive tan), which still compose the largest part of our forum. Anyway, who cares

[iAnnAu]

People almost ALWAYS assume I am younger than I am when I meet them initially and they had no other form of contact with me. People usually say I look in between the range of 14-16(I'm 18.)
However, if I've spoken to the person before over the internet or the telephone, or whatever other means of communication I used to speak to them, my age is almost always assumed to be in the early 20s. So, apparently, my behavior portrays a much older persona, while my baby face betrays my actual age a few years backwards.

When we met in Philly, I couldn't place your age, but that's just me being bad at that in general. I did think you were older from talking to you on the phone initially.
I also seem to recall you guessed my age right, or thereabouts, anyway.
I used to be mistaken for older when I was a teen, then younger when I was in my mid-20s. Now I look about as old as I am, 33. I also used to hang out primarily with older peers; that's flipped to where I'm usually the oldest in the group (though often by only a year or three). Might have to do with avoiding family-dom, as that seems to be the biggest reason my friends' availabilities change ...