[Evening]

Odd question I know, but I'm really needing some ideas!
I will be 27 in 3 months. But I am constantly thought by people to be 18-21. It doesn't seem like a massive age gap, but there is a surprisingly large difference in the way people treat you and think of you when they think you're barely into your 20's vs when you're nearly through with your 20's.

The constant response I get seems to be 'you'll appreciate it when you're older'. Maybe when I'm 40 it won't worry me. And I'm kind of looking forward to being 30 and messing with people's heads. But at the moment I'm not loving it.
The only benefit of looking younger is looking younger. Recently I missed out on a great job opportunity because I was presumed to be too young, and therefore not experienced enough, to do the job. Then they promoted someone younger than me to the position! I really needed that money too. That has been a bit of a last straw.
I need ideas to help me look a few years older. Once I start missing out on job opportunities it's gone too far! I have no idea what to do here. It's a bit of a hard question to answer, most people want to try and look younger, not older. But if any of you have any ideas help a girl out here!

[meina]

hi,
I think I understand your problem. But you are lucky that you look younger than your age. People who cannot see your actual age from your I.D., are illiterate so the blame should be focused on them, not on you. There is nothing wrong with your age. You look younger or older, it should not matter to the employer , you are going to have. I hope you will get a wiser employer next time. Pl be patient and hope for the best.
hope it will help you,
thx

[Evening]

It's the same job, it was the promotion I was after to a higher position. I was VERY close to getting it, then I found out from the person who got the position that I didn't get it because the people who decided on it thought I was too young. These are people who have employed me for a year!
It's been more of a misfortune than a gain, haha. It's not the end of the world, but I would like to find ways to look closer to my age.

I suggest smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day, eat only at fast-food restaurants and get as little sleep as possible.
Worrying about everything helps too!

But seriously, try changing the way you dress, change your hairstyle or use make-up!

[Evening]

Worrying I've got down pat. I was thinking of taking up smoking, but I'll start with one pack a day as I'm trying to cut down on my spending.

[Evening]

I do wear more makeup than I used to, I never used to wear it at all. So far that hasn't done much. I tried to look up makeup ideas to look older, but I didn't come up with much. I feel so silly thinking about it!

[Evening]

I know I'm not exactly 35 and still look 16, but I think how you look, in any sense, can reflect on how you feel about yourself a bit.

If your speaking voice is in a high frequency range you might try dropping it an octave.
Our voices give signals about our age.
I think it is most important to keep a young spirit, and when you are 40 you will thank your lucky stars that you are blessed with a youthful appearance!

Check out these links:

How to Use Makeup to Look Older: 7 Steps (with Pictures)

8 Make up Tips to Look Older ... ? Beauty

Best Wishes!

[NWgirl2013]

Seriously...um, no. Smoking takes years to develop the crows feet and wrinkles around the lips. And the cough & gravelly voice. It doesn't really work that way. You don't want to look haggard! Just more mature. (and responsible)

Always dress well, especially at work. I am one of those that looked young, still do, and it is a blessing, now.
My daughters look young. One smokes, but she just looks like an errant teenager when smoking, at 33. She is slight and thin and has long hair that just hangs straight, and she dresses exclusively in tight jeans and tee-shirts with Keds or Converse on her feet. So, I think she wants to look like that.
But at work she has to wear nice closthes and put her hair up. There she looks closer to her age, and if she bothers to put on makeup, she looks very pretty and definitely older.

Perhaps you need to study those around you who seem to be well put together, look at fashion mags for help putting together a few outfits with a more mature edge. And then work harder than anybody else, so that there can be no doubt that you are a mature, capable, hard working asset to the company. Just MHO...

[Evening]

I don't think my voice is that high generally, but sometimes I do try and put my sexy voice on to sound older. I did answer the phone to a friend that way once and he definitely enjoyed it, maybe a little to much... So I wasn't as keen to start talking like that at work.
That reminds me of when I was in school actually, I went through this phase where I would talk with this ridiculous baby voice, I don't even remember why I did it, I guess I was trying to sound cute. I did it for weeks. Bare in mind this was about 14 years ago. I was a little special growing up....

Also:

How to Look Older (Teenage Girls): 10 Steps (with Pictures)

Just call me "The Googler"

[Evening]

Originally Posted by NWgirl2013

Seriously...um, no. Smoking takes years to develop the crows feet and wrinkles around the lips. And the cough & gravelly voice. It doesn't really work that way. You don't want to look haggard! Just more mature. (and responsible)

I wouldn't really take up smoking, I don't even drink! That could be part of the reason for this situation actually...
I am just wanting ideas to give the appearance of maturity.

[NWgirl2013]

Originally Posted by Indefatigable

If your speaking voice is in a high frequency range you might try dropping it an octave.
Our voices give signals about our age.
I think it is most important to keep a young spirit, and when you are 40 you will thank your lucky stars that you are blessed with a youthful appearance!

This is Really True! I had a Minnie Mouse voice, sounded like a child, until a voice coach trained me to speak in a lower octave. I was so grateful to sound like an adult at last! I still have a young sounding voice, but now I think it is more mature and just pleasant. It even got me a job once, sounding knowledgeable but still young!

* To whom it may concern:
My suggestions referring to unhealthy lifestyles were for entertainment use only.
Irony is such a part of me

[NWgirl2013]

but hey ...

w/Indefatigable, and my comments were in the same vein; smoking ain't no "quick fix" to look older. It takes years of devotion to realize the effect.
Sorry. Couldn't resist...

[Evening]

Yeah I definitely don't want to look older by actually damaging/'aging' myself. At the end of the day I still want to maintain whatever it is that makes me look younger. But I want to exude more maturity, even if it's with makeup (especially as I have slowly become more addicted to it). That sounds so contradicting, 'I want to stay looking young, but I want to look older'. Hopefully I made sense.

[NWgirl2013]

Looking more mature is what you mean, looking "put together" is where you start. There are lot's simple tricks to do this effectively, and it starts with how you carry yourself.
If you consider the old fashioned thought of a 'finishing school', it is where young ladies were sent in the old days, and even now for a certain class, to go from girls to becoming mature adults ready to face the world.

Posture, how you walk, your vocabulary, your speaking voice, your laugh, your self control and how you present yourself; being calm & self assured.

These are all things that you have control over and can consciously work to improve.

The clothes you choose to wear, always appropriate to whatever situation, always modest and tailored to fit you perfectly. "You only have one chance to make a first impression" is the old saying, and it is a good one to tuck into the back of your mind to remind you when you shop or go out anywhere, that it is what you want to do. To make a good impression, always.

Hair and makeup are last, and again, the same holds true, appropriate, classic, well put together, tasteful, there are the things a 'mature' person would strive for.

Does that help at all, to help you focus on your goal to present your best self? Hope so. Best To You.

[hamster-bamster]

The frame of glasses, or sunglasses if you do not wear glasses, makes a HUGE difference. that is where I would start. After that we can think of other options if they are still necessary at that time.

[Evening]

Someone came into my work the other day and while I was discussing how a lot of places hire 16 year olds because they are cheaper to pay, she said 'well you can't be much older than that', then proceeded to tell me when I told her my age that she thought I was only 17 or 18. My plans seem to be mysteriously taking a step backwards...
I have definitely thought about the suggestions of talking in a lower voice, or, as I call it, my sexy voice, but I need to build up on it as people who know me will notice if I suddenly walk in one day sounding like a man.
Eeeeh I don't know... maybe I should accept my fate...

[Evening]

Funny you should post that picture as I'm literally watching 1930s Betty Boop cartoons right now!

[hamster-bamster]

Lower female voice is indeed extremely sexy. But it would not necessarily make you look older - after all, it is sound, not video .

Scarlett Johansson has the sexiest voice in Hollywood (not just per me but per the makers of the movie "HER") but it does not make her look old. It just helps her look even sexier - much, much sexier - than she would look if she had a shallow top notes voice with the same figure and face.

I guess what I am saying - if you have low notes in your voice, it is fantastic and do gradually build up towards revealing them, but do not expect to look older.

[Irrelevant221]

As someone who is rather significantly vertically challenged (ie. quite a bit shorter than 5'), I definitely feel your pain. I'm 22, and people seem to constantly think I'm around 13-14.

The way that I deal with this is by putting a huge amount of effort into my personal style. I try to dress nicely, I style my hair, I wear quite a bit of makeup, etc. I've found that when I walk around on a daily basis with smoky eye makeup, curled hair, and high heels, people seem to believe me to be around my actual age. But I've been doing this for so long that I'm comfortable with it, and over the years I've developed a passion for makeup and fashion.

But yeah, people definitely treat you differently when they think you're younger compared to when they discover your actual age. It's kind of amusing to see their faces when they realize it, actually. Or maybe that's just me trying to be more comfortable with the fact that I'm really insecure about my height.