What do people expect people of a certain age to look like?

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I watched a TV debate on whether or not it is offensive to say to someone "You look good for your age". Some say it's ageist or patronising while others say it's just a friendly compliment. To be honest it doesn't bother me that age, some have thought I looked younger than over 30. I remember being asked at the door of a pub for ID once and I was 26 at the time and he must of thought I looked younger but he didn't say anything.

To be honest I can't stand the ageism in society and assumptions made about what people are "supposed" to look at certain age. Someone on the debate said that people still assume that if you are 50 or 60, you are "old, grey, and wrinkly". People used to think that being 30 or 40 was "old". I don't whether it's just younger people making those judgements or other people of different ages saying it as well like the young mock the middle aged and the elderly, the young and middle aged mock the young and the elderly and elderly mock the young, middle aged and even other of their own age.

I remember a woman saying that when she was 20, she thought she would be old at 40 but got to that age and didn't feel old and said we have to get there first. I sometimes think that people will say at being old at 40, but I mean what about only five years earlier at 35, when they weren't "old" then. I mean older people don't immediately become "old" in only a few years.

Strictly speaking saying "You look good for your age" would probably qualify as ageism and a political incorrect remark. But I think it's pretty harmless. Old people are not a minority that needs protection from the prejudice of society. Old people have been young themselves and have probably made similiar remarks then. And young people will get old, if they don't die before that, and will be in the same position. What goes around comes around. And truth to be told most people do look a lot better when they are young. No need to sugarcoat that. It doesn't become old people to be crybabies.

This day and age, people can look however they want no matter how old they are. There are young people who like to wear vintage clothing. There are seniors who like to dress in the latest fashions and vice versa. There are people of many different genders dressing in many different ways. With the many styles that come with the diversity of the population of today's world, anything and everything goes.