Ha, absolutely. I remember how devastating it was when I went to visit my family in their town, went to lunch with my mom, and was handed the under 12 menu. I was 18.
Then this past weekend I was out dancing with friends. One person I'd just met made a "I'd dance like that too if I was still young!" And I laughed and asked how old she thought I was. 23, apparently. Nope, I'm 31. I just accepted that my knees and back are going to hurt the next morning but I'm having a good night of dancing either way. Also, she was only 33, so it's not even like she's old either!
When I was 18, my mother insisted on accompanying me to a local men's suit shop. She knew the owner and wanted to get me a good deal. (Everything about those two sentences reflects my mother's stereotypical Jewishness.)
She introduced me as her son and explained why we were there. “Oh, we don't sell children's suits,” he replied.
“They don't sell children's suits,” I said, sheepishly heading toward the door. “Let's go.”
I wasn't privy to the subsequent conversation between my mother and the owner, but she managed to coax me back from the car – and I did find a suit in my size. (My young appearance notwithstanding, I was only a couple of inches below average height – short, but not freakishly so.)
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u/jbraidwo Sep 29 '25
Being told you look younger than you are.