“How old are you?” That’s one of the common questions people ask about me when I become acquainted with them. Some will not ask and just assume my age. But they get surprise when they discover how old I am. I remember going with my parents to see an apartment and the agent was explaining some details. I was wearing jeans and shirt and no make-up. Then I would ask her questions regarding the apartment. The agent finally asked me how old I am. And when I replied she was shocked and said if it’s not for being talkative, she would think I’m 12. But because I ask smart questions, she assumed I was 17. Wow, that’s a little bit up the scale but still far from my real age.
Is it flattering to be asked, “You look young”? or “You look like you’re 16″? I love it when I hear those comments. Of course in an era where people are obsessed about beauty and trying to look youthful, here I am not trying at all but still manage to always look younger than my age. One time I was paired with this college girl during a volunteer event. She was also young looking and I thought she was 19y/o. When she found out how old I am, she was astonished and repeatedly tell me that I look young – even younger than she is. Those were her exact words. Because I often hear such comments, I really need to invent a witty remark when people say I look so young because saying “thank you” is getting unimaginative. One of the things I also like about looking young is that I can pull the “little innocent girl” card. I can get help immediately from people when I turn to them looking innocent and naive. A sneaky little red riding hood girl, huh? Hehehe.
However it is my disadvantage too for looking young because in interviews, employers/interviewers don’t take me seriously. I think they see in me a green girl who needs more work or probably life experience. I was so frustrated when I wasn’t getting any job after the interviews that I would ask my mom to pick my interview outfit for me that will make me look older. One time I volunteered to an event and asked to be assigned to registration. But when the coordinator saw me, she passed my duty to someone who is an adult. She thought I’m just a kid. In addition to, guys would overlook me because they think I’m just a teenager. One time I accompany my mom to her company’s Christmas party. The following day, my mom came home from work gushing to me that a lot of guys from her company were curious about me. They think I’m pretty but they didn’t come to our table to introduce themselves because they think I was 16.
Why do I look young? It’s the Chinese/Oriental blood I think. Asians (and I would arbitrarily generalize it to Chinese) tend to look younger than the Western people. Even my Chinese aunt was noted to look 45 when she’s in fact 60 y/o. Another reason is my height. I’m only 5′ 1″ and skinny; I can actually disguise as a middle school kid. My mom will joke with me that I can join the kids during Halloween doing trick-or-treat. Then there is the youthful skin which is a result of healthy lifestyle and lack of vice. Which also leads me to the next possible reason: the lack of make-up. As much as possible, I don’t wear make-up. I want to preserve my skin’s health by not introducing harsh chemicals to it. If I do, I don’t know how to use makeup. I do the barest make-up: concealer, face powder, eyeliner, blush, and lip gloss. Sometimes I go without the eyeliner and blush. Although I want to look mature, my make-up is not doing any good. Not only my make-up is pedestrian but also my fashion. My fashion sense has not yet evolved to that of a sophisticated kind of girl. Also I have adopted a short straight hair which makes me look like a twelve year old. When I had my haircut my aim was to look mature but apparently the opposite happened.
There are a lot of tips in the internet to make myself look like my age. A makeup trick, trendy age-appropriate clothes may be able to help me look my age. But I guess what’s really making me look young is my mind. In the back of my mind, I know I’m not ready to look my age yet. I would like to be young looking as long as possible. Did I just stumble across the elixir for eternal youth?
hahaha. doomed ka na kat. siguro at most forever 21 ka na lang. pwede ka maging endorser ng forever 21. pero mahirap din talaga dyan since itsura ng western kids become mature earlier.
ayaw kse magmake-up! it will help you know! And yeah your hair is also making you look like a kid. Nothing else we can do about your height unless you can walk with heels all day. For occasions, dress up maturely and put the right make-up ren… make a bold statement with your eyes (with eyeshadows, i think earth colors make u more mature) and lips.. para malapitan ka. I think you have a mature mind..be like how you talk to me (achi!) =P try mo, might work.
haaaay!! but come to think of it, you know, i look younger than you most of the time when people see us.. what does that make u ?
hehehe