I have a baby face. I just never grew out of my infant physique. I’m not super tall either, so when I am not wearing makeup I can look as young as twelve-years-old. (As I'm writing this I am currently 21.) Normally, however, I do add a splash of mascara, highlight and a lip color which their combined efforts add a couple years to my face.
If I full out beat my face with layers of foundation, a sharp contour, coats of mascara, false lashes, eyeliner, a bright highlight, and pop on a bold red lip I can get up to almost 20 years old, which is still a year away from my actual age.
Despite the somewhat dramatic take on the subject of my face, I am not complaining. I’ve been told my whole life, by women who are much older than me, that my baby face will serve me well later in life. When I’m in my '30s I’ll look like I’m still in my '20s. When I’m in my '40s hopefully I’ll still be able to pass as early to mid-'30s. It’s a gift, and I understand that fully.
My baby face also helps with acting. Because I look so young, I can play teenage roles with ease. It adds a few years of leeway into my career, which is extremely helpful when attempting to break into this fortress of a business.
Having a baby face does have its downsides though. I always feel weird when I get hit on by high school boys. It’s not their fault, they don’t know I’m, like, five years older than them. But still, I get uncomfortable and just smile as I walk away from them in their gym uniforms and letterman jackets.
Also (this is entirely subjective) I’m not taken as seriously as some of my peers who don’t have baby faces. There have been several instances where I’ll be in the exact same circumstance as a woman of my same age, and they’ll get referred to as “Ma’am” or “Miss” while I’ll be referred to as “Dear” or “Sweetie.” It’s not the end of the world, but it can sometimes make me feel undervalued.
There are times when I use people underaging me to my advantage. I never lie about my age, but working as a waitress I’ve come to find the customers are more sympathetic to a kid serving them than an adult. I play into this after-school job scenario that the customer has built up in their heads, which also often makes them tip more.
When I was in high school, I really disliked my baby face. I used to cover it with pounds of makeup to distract from my innocent eyes and chubby cheeks. Now that I’m an adult I’ve grown to embrace it.
I often go days without wearing makeup and try not to let others perceptions of me influence the way I act. Instead of getting upset every time I get carded going into the bar, I give the bouncer a slight smile as flash him my ID and head on in to enjoy my evening.
