Why do we look younger?

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I think I look my age or close to it, but others often tell me I look a lot younger. I know I look a lot younger than the folks from my graduating class. I saw a group picture from my 10 year reunion that my friend sent me, and they all looked like they were closer to 40.The guys were going bald and the women had gained weight and looked tired. The same friend had taken a photo of me and my daughter to show everyone (I couldn't go as my leave was canceled when the Pentagon had just been attacked Sep 2001), and they were shocked that I had not changed much. I mean, it was only 10 years.
I seem to attract younger men too.

Yeah, 10 years doesn't seem like it ought to take much of a toll if we take care of ourselves. I know what you mean. And, I attract younger guys, too. I'm 35 and one day, when I was 32, this very young guy was really looking at me and sort of flirting. I was looking at him thinking that he sure did seem young. Then I looked at what he was reading....a driver's manual.

Just a few months ago one of my coworkers (who clearly wasn't well acquainted with me) mistook me for a student and actually directed me to get out of the way and in where all the students were. She also sort of grabbed my by the back of the neck. Not rough, but not something you'd do to a colleague.

Ha, back in 2001, some twelve year old asked me if I wanted to go out with his friend Justin. I was about three weeks shy of my twentieth birthday. Just last June, I was purchasing books at Barnes and Noble at a time when they were holding a book fair for the students at the local Junior High School. When I stepped up to the cash register to make purchases, I got asked if I was "with the book fair." For those of you who don't live in the US, students in junior high, or middle school generally range from eleven to fifteen years of age. I had recently turned 28.
I work with preschoolers, and the children who are familiar with me are generally happy to see me, and respond to me with affection. However, they don't show me the same level of respect they do to the other members of the teaching staff. More than once, I've overheard co-workers quietly tell children some variation of, "You need to listen to Ms. C and respect her. She's a teacher." Apparently, this is not obvious to the children from my appearance. Over the course of my career, there have been situations where children have been acting up when they're alone with me, and one child tell me, "You need to get Ms. So and So. She's a big teacher," or a child will say, "Everybody stop. The big teachers are coming." Apparently, I don't come off as a "big teacher."
My somewhat pathologically youthful appearance is probably partially related to the fact that I am petite and baby-faced. It's alo probably partially related to how I present myself. I don't style my hair or wear any jewelery other than my watch. I hardly wear any make-up, and I wear a T-shirt or sweatshirt with jeans every day. I also suspect that present myself with a pronounced awkwardness, and I definitely lack the poise and self assurance one would expect of someone my actual chronological age.
It's interesting that this phenomenon seems so common among aspies.

Last edited by OuterBoroughGirl on 18 Mar 2010, 4:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I've read an interesting theory that suggests that autism is a form of neoteny, a naturally occurring phenomenon within a species which results in members of a population experiencing a relative delay in developmental milestones. Stephen Jay Gould also wrote about this, though he never correlated neoteny with autism.

It's possible that, by reaching developmental milestones later than most, we may end up looking younger.

Myself, I'm often mistaken for a college student. I used to think it was the bad way I dressed, but I think that's only part of the story.

I don't think I look particularly young. But then tallness/long face runs in my family.

Are aspies less likely to do those things, though? That doesn't apply to me or to most of the other aspies I know.

I still get told I look young for my age too btw, but that's no bad thing when you're 39.

Because I was meant to have sex with underage boys without them knowing I'm older than the age of consent.

I've smoked.
I've binged drinked. Yes I know drinked isn't a word.
I've taken illegal drugs. Just pot.
And I live in an extremely hot country.

Maybe less often - because we tend not to be overly social which is the usual setting for those things. In college I smoked pot a couple of times and tried speed, but they didn't do anything, so I wasn't interested. (Isn't that one of those you know you're an aspie if...posts?) I never really liked drinking to get drunk. I did however, greatly enjoy lsd. But then, I didn't go over board on that either. Maybe because I didn't hang out tons with my friends who seemed to do it more than I did. I never tried ecstasy...I wonder what that would be like for people who don't like to be touched.

Maybe there's also that lots of special interests are usually done indoors - like computer stuff or reading, etc. My grandmother, though, who seems to have aspie traits spent a lot of time outdoors and she didn't even get wrinkles until her mid-70s.

Ok, I have no idea why we seem younger.

I went to a meeting at my son's school on Monday, and when signing in the new woman on reception mistook me for his sister. My son is nearly fourteen, I'm nearly forty. She got very flustered and embarassed. Apparently she'd thought I was in my early to mid twenties.

First time this has happened. I must admit, I was rather pleased, because most days I feel a lot older than forty.

Not bad!! You still got it, mama!

I'm going to be 19 soon and I still get asked for either a parent or ID when I try to buy an M rated game. Apparently I look younger than 17.

I don't have younger features but the way I present myself is like that of someone younger. I very rarely wear makeup and I don't really wear jewelery except for my small pentangle necklace I've worn since christmas. I dress in loose fitting clothes and anything tight is stretchy so it's not too uncomfortale. And also my body language and gait makes me look younger and the way I talk when I'm excited or angry makes me seem younger.
But I've never been asked for ID when buying 15 films because my face doesn't look younger.

I don't look physically young at all. I'm 19, but I was asked last night at the sports centre which of the child gymnasts was my daughter, lol!!

I'm 29 and I look as if I'm 16. By this rate I'll look like I'm 20 by the time I reach 40.

Last edited by Booyakasha on 20 Mar 2010, 1:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

That's a good thing I bet all the other 40 year olds will be jealous of you.
Even better, when your 60 you'll look 40-odd, result!