Looking and sounding younger than your physical age?

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Does anyone else have this problem? It used to be a way for me to "get" things. such as halloween when I was fifteen, I got more candy then my older looking friend. Little old ladies and middle aged women would always call me sweetie. Stewardesses and waitresses give me more attention. (I got a free cookie from a stewardess once, the original price was 3.00 and she said not to worry. Last time a male steward gave me a whole can of soda, and said it was my "lucky day".) It didn't used to bother me too much.

But, now that I'm older I find it kind of annoying. I'm 18 years old, and people think I'm much younger.

Example: On the phone I frequently get asked for my mommy or daddy. Especially when they are calling for me.
Today I was called by a man. He called from "Insert company name here" and asked for "Shadesofme" (My real full name). Actually what he said was "is shadesofme---your mom there?" and I said "This is her." and he said "excuse me?" and I repeated myself. He said "Oh. Sorry ma'am. you sounded a little young." He was asking if I still lived in "fictional town USA" (I do.) and Thought I had asked about financing a home. I told him I was not. He said eh must have made a msitake and I was looking to consolidate a loan. I told him nope. He said "You're sure? none of the above?" and when i said no, he apologized and hung up. I think he might call again. He probably thought I was a little girl pretending to be her mommy.

Another example: I was out shopping with my mom recently. I needed a new shirt. I was having little luck and talking with my mom on the outside of the fitting room door. Suddenly a lady says to my mom "Is there really a little girl in there, or is she just a voice?" (jokingly) she hadn't seen me. My mom said "Oh. That's my daughter." Woman says "How old is she?" Mom says "she's 18." woman says (whispering now) "OH! she sounded so little!"

I look at other people my age and they look so much older than me. I know many aspies have this problem. My mom also has always looked very young for her age (she's in her early 50's and on her best days looks like she's in her late 30's, and she doesn't wear makeup.) So, she says she can relate, but i feel kind of like I have it ten fold. I've been losing weight, and I've noticed that has also made me look younger.

Once on a plane a steward asked me what all I had in my bag because it was so heavy. I told him lots of things. The older woman next to me said. "ahh she's a woman." as if it explained things, then winked at me like an older woman winking at a younger girl she had just complimented by calling a woman.

how do you guys deal with this? have any stories?

I’ve never had any problems with being mistaken for being younger than I am on the phone. In fact, it’s probably the reverse... the amount of times I get mistaken for my mother, even by people who know us both really well. They’re half way through a conversation and it’s like, “um...I’ll get Mum then, shall I?” But I can still totally relate. I’m twenty-two (almost) and I get mistaken for being fourteen/fifteen all the time, to the point where I quite often have to show ID just to put the lottery on (sixteen being the minimum age here).

I don’t know whether it has anything to with AS, though, although my mum says that half of the reason why I’m mistaken for being a lot younger than I am is due to my posture, mannerisms, and my almost-permanent ‘scared’ expression, like I’m going to burst into to tears even if the thoughts running through my brain are ‘lalalalalalala! [pause] Ooo! Chocolate!”

Admittedly, I do sometimes use it as an advantage, especially when I’m in hospital (I have some other serious health problems). The nurses tend to be less short (and less stabby with the needles) with me than with similar people my age, although “Aw, you’re being really brave,” gets somewhat irritating after a while when all they’ve done is something that I have to go through every trip. But it does get rather annoying to constantly hear, “Really? Seriously? You don’t look it!” when people learn my age, and I'm sure that I'm not taken seriously half the time, although I've been told that's just my inability to read people and they ARE taking me seriously.

I've found that make-up helps (as much as I dislike), and wearing my hair in different styles (I tend to look older with my hair down or with just parts of it pulled back, then I do with, say, a pony-tail.), as well as the types of clothes, etc.

I'm often mistaken for being much younger than I am. Two years ago when I was 21 I was working at a cat shelter with another woman. She asked if my mom was upstairs. I was confused and said no. She then asked how I had gotten there. I thought she meant what roads I took, so I started to tell her, but she said no - Who drove you? I told her I drove myself and that's my car outside and she was shocked - she thought I was 14!

I'm 23 now and I usually get IDed as around 16-17 - I always get carded at R-rated movies and when buying M-rated video games, and more than once in the past year people haven't believed me when I've told them I'm over 18.

I've also answered the phone and had the other person ask for my mom when they wanted to talk to me

I've never managed to do anything about looking young. To sound older, it helped me to pace my speech better and to drop the pitch of my voice.

I tend to buck the trend.

I look and sound older than my physical age. I will be 30 in two months, and I get mistaken for 35-40.

some times i sound younger. The sound of my voice is somewhat inconsistent o.O

I dont really think so, i've never been carded for alcohol, and they'll usualy card just about anyone remotely young looking. But i've been called 'son' a few times in situations that made it seem kind of weird (aka not by an old grandma). And a few times for work, dealing with clients over the phone then meeting them i've heard 'you look younger than you sound.'
Then also was talking to one of the guys i work with a while back and he asked me how old i was and didnt believe me that i was 27, thought i was in my 30s at least.

So I guess maybe it averages out that i look my age.

Yes, I have this too but it doesn't bother me.

I often get mistaken for a highschool student and people have asked if my parents were home when I answered the door at my own apartment . I think it has something to do with how I dress and carry myself. I still tend to think of myself as being exactly the same as I was at 15. I think I have a general innocence about me, I guess. This is further proved by the fact that complete strangers will apologize for using swear words in my presence

As far as I know my voice doesn't sound young, though, I've always had kind of a deep voice for a female

I like it when people think I am younger that I am, though. I am one of those kids who never wanted to grow up and am still a kid in several ways. I'm flattered when they think I am a teenager.

Hopefully this trend will continue as I age.

*EDIT* I just saw this from above:

I reckon I look pretty much exactly my age.

I sound a lot older, though, especially on the phone. It used to be that relatives would phone up and start talking to me, thinking I was my dad.

It's the opposite for me as people think I look older. So when I was younger, people who didn't know me treated me older than I was. I remember once back in an old school I once went to, it was a new school year and I was in a new class. Because of my height, my teacher asked me "Are you sure you're in this class?"

Dahahahahaha!! It's the opposite for me!! Back when I was 16 (I'm 21 now), someone at a party my dad was having thought I was 21. This seems to happen primarily 'cuz of my height and facial hair. Even someone I met here on WP thought I was somewhere between 25 and 30 (happened this year) when they saw my photograph online. Sorry that the OP (whom I know IRL, actually - she lives about an hour or so away from me) gets mistaken for a little girl so much I wouldn't have mistaken her for being that young though. IMO she looks exactly her age, older than 15 or 16, but younger than 19 or 20.

Yes. I have the same problem as you and I really hate it. I'm 19 but lots of people have told me that I look young for my age (people have said I look 15, 14, 13 and even as young as 12 which I found super offensive). But most of the time, people think I'm 14 or 15. As for my voice, I literally sound like a prepubescent boy which is super embarrassing

I'm 22 and look and sound about 28.

I look quite a bit younger than my age.

I can pass for 48. I’m 58.

I don’t sound too old, either.