My Age
May 11th, 2008
Three people in the past two weeks have mistaken me for a 14 year old. The first person to make this mistake was a young man working at the Guess store who was helping my mom and I return a dress we purchased for my little sister to wear to the 8th grade dance. She is actually 14. When my mom was explaining to the cashier the reason for returning the dress, she noticed that he was glancing at me rather than at my sister and hurriedly explained that I was her other daughter and that the young lady standing next to me (who is nearly my height and already has bigger boobs than me) is actually the 8th grader. The cashier mumbled an apology and finished our transaction, but I could tell that he was still confused.
The next week, my parents were interviewing a man for a job when I walked into their office as I do every morning searching for food. During their discussion, they discovered that the man they were interviewing has a daughter in the same grade as my sister at the same school she attends. When my mom introduced me as her other daughter, he must have neglected to hear the word ‘other‘ because he asked why I wasn’t in school. He thought that I was in 8th grade.
At a baby shower with my mom and sister yesterday morning, my mom was telling this story to some of our coworkers when one woman (not a coworker, obviously) interrupted, “Wait – you’re not 14?” When I told them that I am 22, several women gasped in disbelief and confessed that they thought I was a teenager. Of course, they all ensured me that I would appreciate looking young when I am older, but that doesn’t make me feel better at the moment.
Admittedly, I am often told that I could pass for 17 or 18. Just a few months ago, I auditioned for a seat in the Virginia Tech Honor Band in the place of a 17 year old who could not attend. I hid my wedding band and fooled everyone there. It was quite a thrilling experience, but I have never been told that I look as young as a 14 year old in middle school. FOURTEEN!
I celebrated my 22nd birthday in December, I graduated from college nearly three years ago, and I’ve been married for over two years. I have a mortgage, a 401(k), and an IRA. I don’t wear makeup, but I tweeze my eyebrows and blow-dry my hair every morning. I wear clothes from The Limited and Express and I am conscious of my posture. I’m not sure what else I can do to look my age.
