I'm a senior in college that looks like a freshman in high school. This is a struggle I deal with literally every single day and no one seems to understand how frustrating it is. "You're how old?" is a comment I tend to get a lot from everyone I meet, and that's totally OK. While looking young for my age surely is going to pay off one day, I can't help but get annoyed. Here are just a few annoying things that happen when you're mistaken for being almost 10 years younger than you actually are.
1. Ordering at restaurants.
One time, I went to a restaurant for dinner with my mother and two sister's that are 11 and 13. The waitress asked what kind of drink I wanted and came back five minutes later with a kiddie cup with a bendy straw. The kids menu claimed to be for children "12 and under." I'm glad I'm 21 and still being mistaken for a child younger than my sister.
2. Buying drinks.
It's cool being 21 and legal to buy your own alcohol, but not when the cashier's poke fun at how young you look. "Is this a fake ID? What is your height?" This happened once at a concert. The bartender asked me what my height was and I said two inches taller than my actual height and was refused a drink because I said my height "incorrectly." I was 16 at the time I got my license sir. Sorry that you think I'm an infant.
3. Not being taken seriously.
Because I have chubby cheeks and am a younger looking female, no one takes me seriously. When I get angry with people around my age, they look at me and laugh. Because it's "so cute" when I get mad, they can't look at me with a straight face and take me seriously. Let me tell you, it's really frustrating.
4. Feeling under qualified.
Even though it is very simple to dress your age and appropriately for formal functions and job interviews, how are you supposed to leave a great impression on someone when you look like a 13-year-old with chipmunk cheeks?
5. Meeting new people.
People that are my age think I'm 16 and steer clear of me because I look like a fetus. People in high school like to befriend me because I look their age. How am I supposed to make friends after college if people think I look like a 15-year-old that tries to hang out with people eight-plus years older than me?
I always hear looking younger will help me in the future, but it ain't working to my advantage right now my friends. There are obviously positives and negatives to looking younger, but it's pretty frustrating dealing with these things on a regular basis.
