Dealing with young looks at an older age
I was born in 1986, but I look like I was born in 1990.
Like many people my age, I don’t look as old as I am. At best, I’d say I look 19 ... maybe 20. This is a double- edged sword, both a blessing and a curse.
The curse of having a baby-face is multipronged, manifesting itself in several ways.
First, buying alcohol or cigarettes is an extremely challenging endeavor. It usually consists of the clerk staring at me then looking at the longer-haired version of me that’s on my driver’s license, trying to determine if I’m the same person.
“May I see a second piece of identification, please?” The clerk asks.
This is where it gets tricky for me because my only other ID I have is my Central Michigan ID and my hair is even longer in that picture.
I produce my CMU ID and watch as I and the ID are scrutinized further but, in the end, it almost always works out and I get my booze or smokes. I’ve only been turned down once.
However, having difficulty buying alcohol and cigarettes is the least of my worries when it comes to looking as young as I do.
The worst part about it is trying to meet girls.
Because I look as though I am only 19 or 20, I have found it always a little awkward trying to talk to girls.
“Hey, I’m Mike.” Cue the “how old is this kid, anyway?” look. “Hello…”
I usually can sense the suspicion of my age and try to find a way to smoothly slip that I am in fact 23 into the conversation, though I usually feel as if it comes out like this: “I’M 23! I PROMISE!” But whether that is the case or not is a completely different story.
Looking young is something I have always been self-conscious about because it is often a hassle but, as to anything, there is another side of the coin.
One advantage of looking young is that I don’t have to shave much. Maybe twice a week. This, in itself is a two-sided coin because, as my friends can attest, I long for the beard, if only for the NHL Playoffs.
I am often reminded of the benefits of looking 19 at 23 when I am home from school by my parents or aunts, uncles or grandparents.
It usually begins with me complaining of being what I call “hassled” by liquor store clerks, though I know they are just doing their job and protecting themselves, when trying to buy beer and someone will say, ‘Michael, you’ll sure be happy you had such a hard time at your age, because at 40 you’ll look 30.”
Looking young also reminds me that I am young. I don’t want to become a “real adult” too fast.
Yes, I want to graduate college, get a job, have my own place, etc. But I also want to enjoy myself while I can.
I am only 23 once, even if I look like I’m 19.
