Tuesday I went to get a bottle of wine at the liquor store and as per usual I get I.D'ed. As the clerk was looking at my license they say, "Wow, you don't look your age! The way you're dressed makes you look so young". In my usual polite way I brushed it off and walked out to my car when it dawned on me..Wow, that's sort of a shitty thing to say to someone.
I was dressed very similar to what I'm wearing in these photos and though I don't think the clerk meant the comments to be rude, but it got me thinking. This isn't the first time people have said things to me directly or in passing about me dressing "young", whatever the heck that means. I've even been mistaken for a teenager and asked why I wasn't in school! I dress the way I want, wear my hair the way I want and yet still am an adult. Wow, it's possible! Hehe!!
Basically, you shouldn't judge people's age by the way they dress. Though it's a common human curiosity to try and guess and/or assume people's age, it's none of your business....unless it's part of your job. Age is something that our society is obsessed with, especially when you are a woman. "Don't wear a mini-skirt after 35", "Ways to look younger", "How to Dress at X, Y and Z at your age".
Pffffffft! My face pretty much sums up my thoughts on the above statements.
I'm not insulted per say, but I think it's just silly. There are no age tags on articles of clothing and I don't read silly magazines that are telling me the 'do's and don'ts'. The only person that can tell me that something doesn't work for me at a certain age is myself. I hope to grow old gracefully in my own way and in my own time. But, I don't think I'll ever stop being silly at any age!
Age is only a number, it doesn't completely define me. :)
Thank you for reading!
XOXO-Meagan Kyla
all i can say is that i really like your look.
ReplyDeleteSometimes you have to tell to people that i am who i am and that doesn't gonna change!
I feel you, although I'm a little bit younger than you, 28. I have to show my IDs almost every time I buy alcohol. In Finland the age limit is 18. When I was on the boat, people thought I'm 21 :D And some people don't even believe that I'm almost 30 years old. But I take it as a compliment :) Although sometimes it irritates me that some people think gothic style is for teens only :/
ReplyDeleteHah, I know this feeling well, but my problem is that I have this kind of very young face. I think that it's better to look (and act and think) younger than you are, you will need it when you get old :)
ReplyDeleteBut what I hate is when I happily wear something after my grandma and everyone is like... "why do you wear your grandma clothing?". Why not?!
People should try to think more than speak.
A couple of times people have remarked that I am too old to dye my hair whatever weird color it is (currently pink), or continue to get piercings and tattoos. A lot of women my age are having babies or starting to gain weight as their metabolism slows down, and I think that changes the way they dress, but that's not what I have chosen and I should not be judged for it.
ReplyDeleteOkay, now I understand the comment you made on my post! And I totally agree, basically they were telling you that they thought you were "old" compared to the way you look! And since you're not even 40 yet, that's REALLY kind of rude.
ReplyDeletePeople should dress and act they way they want/feel, NOT kowtow to a societal standard of what one "should" or "should not" wear at any given age. How do I know someone is really "old"? Because that's the way they dress and act... OLD. No thanks!!
Preach it! Definitely a good point to make; age shouldn't limit how a person dresses. You dress to please yourself not others!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I get that a lot. I'm also really tiny, so that makes it worse. It sucks in the corporate world...I've had more than one occasion when people thought I was an assistant. grrrr.
ReplyDeleteThe same happens to me!! I'm around thirties and I know clothes can make people think you are younger because there's a concept that alternative clothes are just for teenagers, that is just a phase... I don't realy care when people think I'm younger because I broke a stereotype of age!
ReplyDeleteLoooove this outfit, love black and white and stripes, you look gorgeous!
:( judgement of others, (eyes roll) When I see someone who is wearing an outfit that screams; THIS SO SUITS ME I often times will comment so to them, and AGE has nothing to do with it.! Now don't hate me (cringe) you do look younger but that's because you have been blessed with good bone structure and have a wicked personality ! :)
ReplyDeleteps I'm in my crone years and I adore the way you dress...you keep going girl!
...:)...
blessings
When I used to work in a bookshop at about 19-20 years old people would come in and ask why I wasn't in school!
ReplyDeleteI can't work out if that comment was just a badly worded attempt at a compliment! Some people say silly things by mistake, I know cause I am one of them!
Totally know what you mean... ill be 30 next yr and with my style, similar to yours w/a little more retro here & there, I feel like sometimes people wonder why u still shop at "teen" sections. Also, with a 2 yr old, sometimes I get people kinda treating me as if I were some young "hooligan" (lol) teenage punk or something because of how I dress. It's like assumed that because I'm a parent now that I should be shopping in the jcpenney women's section now or something. Hah!
ReplyDeleteEh whatever... I wear what I want and the compliments that I get about having such unique & fun style are the ones that get stuck in my mind rather than the negatives.
I totally love creepin your blog btw... So much inspiration! :)
Must be that kind of person who assumes goth is just a phase. I too look younger than my age, but I take it as a compliment when someone says so cos when I'm old I may probably still look fresh and young as a daisy. :)
ReplyDeleteYup, agreed ... I wanna be that age-inappropriate old lady with bright coloured hair when I'm 80!!! ;)
ReplyDeleteNobody can ever tell how old I am either, but I think mine is more behavior-based. GET OFF MY LAWN YOU ROTTEN KIDS!
ReplyDeleteI get this too. I'm 40, and 4' 7". I plan on still dressing creatively & having fun hair well into old age.
ReplyDeleteYou look awesome to me!
ReplyDeleteIt's call FASHION... Look it up!!
I've noticed my short friends get told they look young for their age a lot, too.
Ooof, I can never go a day outside without someone commenting on how young I appear, but in their defense, I have a very short stature and a baby face.
ReplyDeleteThanks for addressing this matter. You rock and are a huge style inspiration ♥
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. I also get the same comments and will be 40 this year. In some ways it's flattering but sometimes it sounds like a dig. For ages I used to worry about whether I was too old to wear certain things or whether it looked a bit sad to still be doing the whole goth thing at nearly 40 but I found through my job (I worked in mental health) that how I dress and seem opened far more doors than it shut. It also allowed me to work with people who were at times extremely hard to engage. One of my clients was an ex punk and although he was extremely unwell at times and had the attention span of a gnat we had some great chats about music, bands we'd seen and what he wanted from life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, people get really stupid about the age thing, especially if you're a woman as you said. I think people need to mind their own business and live their own lives. If you are happy who cares what other people think! Also, I would NEVER make a comment to another person's face regarding their attire unless it was to say I liked their outfit/shoes/style/whatever. I find it sad how having manners seems to be a lost art in our current society. Also, I have my own life to worry about so I don't really care or waste my energy worrying about how other people choose to dress. Anytime someone has made rude comments about my style I remind myself that it's THEIR problem, not mine. Obviously, they don't have anything better to do than worry about what I'm wearing so I feel sorry for them!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you!
ReplyDeleteI am 40 and I pretty much dress the same
way that you do (LOVE your style by the way).