Body types and physical maturity

[tisha313.livejournal.com]

Okay, I am 24 and always had a mature body since I was a teenager. I am very curvy, have a lot of hips and behind and for some reason ppl always assumed I was older than what I was since I was around 17/18. It's largely due to my body type and it's been something that I've been insecure about. I know a lot of girls say they want hips and breast and all that but it's not fun when you're young and people mistake you for being a bit older

Last year my friend and I were buying a pizza, and this guy came in and sat down behind us, when I turned a bit to look out the window from the side, he asked me if my friend was MY daughter. (we are the same age, I'm a few months older) This guy had only seem me from behind, maybe because my body is a bit more developed than my friend's I dunno. She is very thin, kinda straight up and down, she's still shaped like a teenager. But if you look at my face, I have a babyface but people don't seem to pay that much mind. It was very embarassing for me

I thought about losing a lot of weight to try to look a bit more like a teenager, get rid of the hips and everything. I do envy adults who still are shaped like teenagers, they are the ones who are always boasting about how ppl mistake them for looking 16. Apart of me still wishes I were a teen and looked like one

Comments

[loonylupinlover.livejournal.com]

While the only people who are likely to say rude things like asking out of the blue if you're somebody's mom, are rude people in general -- they'd be rude whether or not you were stick-thin, curvy, 500 pounds, flat-chested, big-boobed, or anywhere in between. Skinny people often get strangers asking them if they're anorexic or 'don't you ever eat?' and it can be really creepy when an older guy mistakes you for 16 and hits on you anyway. Those rare, but highly irritating, people who make those kinds of comments make them about all shapes and sizes, believe me.

You know what VP's advice will be -- love your body as it is. Try doing some things for it that are special -- buy some pretty clothes, take a candlelit bath, stand in the mirror and just point out how awesome you are. You may not believe it at first, but if you make a habit, you will come to believe it.

*points to icon* This is me. 145 pounds at the time of that photo. A college club was doing pictures of various people in various states of undress, declaring that they loved their body, and they were going to post them all over campus. There was a copy error and only my picture got printed, so that's what was all over campus. A guy in the school newspaper described me as husky, obese and big-boned and said it was offensive. I sweetly wrote back to him stating that I am the average American woman (5'4", 145) and that the message of self-love and acceptance was far more important than his offended sensibilities. Somehow he never had the balls to rebut me. I got accolades from everyone I bumped into on campus, telling me how awesome I was for telling the guy off and refusing to feel bad about it. Because I do love my body, and no matter what anyone says they can't take that away from me. Here's hoping you come to the same point in time.

[tisha313.livejournal.com]

I wish I could be as strong as you. If I were you, I'd probably gone into a rage.

I bet the guy who printed that wasn't all that good looking himself

[loonylupinlover.livejournal.com]

In this society it isn't easy for a lot of people to love their bodies as they are, which was the point of the event -- it was supposed to be Love Your Body Days, encouraging people to love themselves as they are. Unfortunately it's difficult for a lot of people to undo what they've been told -- young is attractive, thin is attractive, whatever. But, you can do it -- you just have to work at it.

I used to be disappointed that my boobs were lopsided and that I had a belly and that my thighs looked like big ol' drumsticks. Gradually though I began to realize that I could look really cute in clothes and had a nice shape if the clothes fit me (as opposed to just wearing big baggy t-shirts that I used to wear). Between becoming more confident in my looks and starting to explore my sexuality (I didn't really masturbate until I was 18), I came to the point where I'd write "My Body Rocks!" on my belly and happily pose in something that would go all over campus. It doesn't happen overnight, but if you keep exploring yourself, look for things you look nice in, and learn to love what you already have, then it can happen for you too. Just don't give up.

[cakebot-san.livejournal.com]

this. i just got so sick of feeling sorry for myself. I absolutely hated wearing makeup and the thought of trying to find dresses or clothes just upset me. Fuck that. It did take a while, but now i feel comfortable in swimsuits, dresses and skirts. I think i'm cute, and if anyone doesn't like it, whatever.

<3~ don't give up!

[paperispatient.livejournal.com]

I'd be the one being mistaken for a friend's daughter! I'm short and really petite - I've got curves, they're just small because I'm small, and I know my face looks younger than almost-23 as well. A nurse drawing blood one time told me that I looked about fourteen (I had just turned 21). I've also gotten inquiries about having an eating disorder like loonylupinlover mentioned, and it's incredibly irritating and upsetting, particularly when I actually was struggling with some issues. I even get carded for R-movies on a regular basis. It's annoying, but short of getting cosmetic surgery on certain parts of my body which is not something that I personally would ever consider for myself, I know there's nothing I can do about it. I'm working towards earning my PhD to teach college, and I'm anticipating being mistaken for an undergrad until I'm like 40. So I can't relate to your particular experience, but I've experienced the flip side of it, I guess, so I can sympathize.

[tisha313.livejournal.com]

Don't you think it's a good thing to be mistaken for being so young? They say when you get older, you'll appreciate it.

[paperispatient.livejournal.com]

That's the positive spin I try to put on it for myself, that when I'm still getting carded for booze when I'm in my thirties I'll appreciate it. It sometimes bothers me quite a lot now though - I'm in my twenties, I'm an adult, and I routinely get treated and spoken to like I'm in junior high or high school. I feel like I don't really know what it's like to be an adult in some ways because I'm often not assumed to be one.

[thinktink16.livejournal.com]

this is my story as well. 4'9", slightly curvy, about 100 lbs. i was out on a date with my boyfriend (we're both 21) and the host at the restaurant we were at asked *him* if *we* needed a kids menu. as if i wasn't even old enough to speak for myself. i even got carded at a bar in france - they practically don't have a drinking age in france.

it will be nice to look younger when i'm older but as of now, it's a hassle. i don't get taken seriously at work (i'm a hostess), people feel that they can treat me like a child and they even ask if i'm the manager's neice because i don't look like i could have gotten the job legally. i can safely say that every night at least one table will call me over and tell me that they have a bet going at how old i am. i laugh it off because i know they're not meaning to be rude... but it's still incredibly frustrating.

not to diminish at all what you're going through. i can imagine it must be so so rough (my best friend being a larger girl). but so you know, the other end of the spectrum is difficult too. we get different kinds of rude people... but still rude, all the same.

*hug*

[paperispatient.livejournal.com]

I used to work as a cashier at a department store, and I remember this guy going, "Oh there you are! I couldn't see you behind the register!" Yep, I'm short - it's not that I can't laugh at myself, because I think that's a really valuable thing to be able to do, but it gets old after a while - and being able to joke about your flaws or shortcomings (no pun intended) is one thing, but being short isn't a flaw or anything I can change, you know?

Then again, I also had a lady ask me if I had any kids, so maybe sometimes I do look older than I think? That totally surprised the hell out of me.

[littlravn.livejournal.com]

I still get carded periodically, I'm 33, and its inconvenient.
At 21 a lot of places refused to sell to me even WITH ID (they told me I still didn't look old enough and refused to sell) so atleast I can buy with ID now.

I was a pedophile magnet when I was in my 20's and all the men my age that were semi-decent not child molesters wouldn't have anything to do with me because I looked so young. I couldn't really ever meet a cute guy in a park or whatever like my friends did. I had to meet them through a situation where my age was already known- school/work/bars, or else nice guys wouldn't talk to me and pedophiles would talk to me only to find out I wasn't as young as they thought and then they'd run off looking for someone younger.

There was this one time I went camping with my dh, when I was 28 or 29 and I was 4-6mo's pg, at this resort camping place and everyone there treated us badly the entire time. Whispers, stares, glares, and it took me a bit to realize why but then it hit me- he looks age appropriate- and a 28yr old having a sexual relationship with a 14yr old isn't socially ok so they glared at us because they assumed that was what was going on!

I always got told I was too young to have as many children as I have. I always tried to rationalize it to other people and do the math for them but it never worked. I had the first one at 23, but people couldn't believe I was as old as I claimed! A bitchy CNM that I saw once while mine was sick for a prenatal appt with 1st baby lectured me for 20min. on the difficulties of teen pregnancy and how I NEED to take this special parenting class that is geared specifically for non-high school graduates under age 17 and one that you can't register for if you are over 19. I told her I had finished college and was 23 but she wasn't buying my story in spite of the fact my chart was sitting in front of her with my birthdate right there!!! I could NOT for the life of me convince her that I wasn't a teen parent and I told her how old I was, and pointed out the birthdate on my chart that said 1975 in big fat letters but she couldn't get it through her head so the entire appt was me having to listen to this bitch tell me how irresponsible I am for being a teen mom, and how I couldn't possibly know what I was doing, and I had medical concerns but they were ignored because I wasn't old enough to know what I was talking about. UGH

Its a pain in the ass to have to carry ID all over with you in order to prevent you at age 25 from being picked up by a cop for truancy. At night, there is the curfew violation law.

[lescoucous.livejournal.com]

ive been asked if i was pregnant TWICE already (im NOT btw) why the fuck would you ask anyone that unless they were bursting at the seams?

[staceyloobug.livejournal.com]

Why would you EVER ask a stranger that? NO WAY.

[1girl.livejournal.com]

This. This is The. Worst.

Some random guy on the elevator asked me if I was pregnant recently, and I was like WTF. I'm not totally skinny, but I'm like 5'6" and 150 pounds, so I hardly look pregnant. I'm generally a fairly confident person, but that one threw me for a loop for a while.

[lescoucous.livejournal.com]

THIS IS ME EXACTLY fdjhgjkfgh thats my height/weight too and like...idk i always feel fat and hate how i look but i know i dont look pregnant -____- i mean i guess i do to some people apparently but come on!

[tea-fiend.livejournal.com]

I've been assumed to be pregnant once - the person making the assumption knew my brother had a pregnant sister, knew I was his sister, and assumed it was me. And then completely failed to see why I was a bit pissed off. Not a nice experience.

[memery.livejournal.com]

I get asked on a REGULAR BASIS, by people I both know and don't know, what my due date is.

This is what I get for inheriting the potbelly gene and not the boobs gene. ugh.

It seriously drives me to tears on a regular basis. I often joke that people will have to give me 100 dollars towards my "liposuction fund" just for asking.

[dreamingofme.livejournal.com]

Why do you want to look like a teenager anyway? Be proud of your body. And for what it's worth, i'm exceptionally curvy, but people often think i'm about 20/21 (i'm actually 26!) so what does it matter what other people's perceptions are, really, they're probably likely to be wrong most of the time.

[tisha313.livejournal.com]

well, it's considered better to look younger than your age than older, that way you won't age that fast.

but facially, I have a very young babyface. I guess it's my body and how I carry myself that some people may mistake for being older.


It was so embarassing when that guy thought my friend was my daughter, I do not look old enough to be her mother. And he only seen me from behind. That was humiliating

[dreamingofme.livejournal.com]

Well think of it the other way, my housemate is 27, 4'11 and slim, so people think she's considerably younger, and she hates it! It's not always a good thing. I'm sure you don't look like anyone's mother and the guy was just being quite, quite rude.

[incarnated-joy.livejournal.com]

I've never had the "body of a teenager" I've had a Betty Boop figure since I was eleven i.e. I'm really short and my curves make me look like a cartoon. By the age of 14 I measured as 34, 20, 34. Then it was 36, 24, 36. Now it's 38, 27, 38 (try those measurements when you're 4ft 11.) but not once has anyone ever thought I looked like someone else's mom, nor are they likely to. That guy was just being a rude jerk honey, don't pay any attention to people like that.

I used to hate my body so much, I've had an eating disorder for well over a decade now. I was convinced that being thinner and not having my curvy body type would make me happy...thought I was fat in comparison to my "skinny" friends. Truth is you can't change your body shape. If you're built curvy then you'll stay curvy, or in my case just become more angular as you hit below 90lbs and get hospitalised. It took a lot of work to get my body back to a healthy weight, something is still hovers precariously over because of a life time of resulting illness. I regret every single day that I wake up in crippling physical pain that I ever once gave in to my bdd and the notion that were I thin my confidence would be better. I may look a healthy weight and mentally be "recovered" but in certain physical aspects I'll never recover. I've screwed myself for life.

Don't ever think you'll be happy if only you were a different shape, you need to realise how beautiful you are regardless of shape, height, weight, hair colour eye colour, everything. So long as you're fit and healthy and can learn, and you can, to love yourself for who you are, that is all that matters.

[tisha313.livejournal.com]

What did that guy get out of saying that comment? I don't get it. Was it just some snide way of trying to hit on me? It really didn't serve a purpose. Why would he want to know that she was my daughter anyway

I just had a million thoughts running through my head with that one

[incarnated-joy.livejournal.com]

Honey, people say things to get a reaction. Sounds like the guy was just saying it to be rude, some people don't need a reason to be nasty.

Learn to ignore people like that- trust me, life is better without them.

[silverwing26.livejournal.com]

I am all hips and butt, and when I was shopping for my wedding dress, in my 20's... we went to a restaurant for lunch. The server offered my SISTER a KIDS menu for me...

Don;t get discouraged by other people's perceptions. No one elses opinion matters at all. I don't really think body type has too too much to do with it. You might just have a more mature personality about you, or, like you said from behind your most youthful appearance (your face) wasn't seen. Don't be embarrassed, just smile and happily tell people they are mistaken, it confuses folks!

[tisha313.livejournal.com]

Are you taller than your boyfriend?

At least they recongnize you as female

[water-childe.livejournal.com]

Hell, from behind, people often mistake me for male.
This is because I have a very short punky haircut, I'm almost 6 ft tall, and I've got very broad shoulders. The icon? That's me, tarted up. I've got an hourglass figure, but I'm so tall, and have always had lots of muscle development, so that dressed a certain way, people don't think I'm a "real" woman. Used to bug me, now I don't care.
People have endless misconceptions about what people should look like, and while this can be unfun to deal with, the bottom line is, as long as you're happy with your body, everybody else can go suck rocks.

Re: At least they recongnize you as female

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

This. I wouldn't say it happens to me often, but it's definitely happened multiple times in the past. I'm not a fan of people assuming I'm a guy in drag, but... At the end of the day, their preconceptions and assumptions are their problem, not mine.

Re: At least they recongnize you as female

[water-childe.livejournal.com]

It tends to happen to me more often in colder weather.
In warm weather, I overheat easily, and tend to wear long skirts, and little tops. It really doesn't bug me anymore. Gender is just plain weird.

Re: At least they recongnize you as female

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

The last two times it's happened to me, I was wearing a tank top and shorts. ;)

Re: At least they recongnize you as female

[running-farmer.livejournal.com]

one of my best friends has the same issue - she is 6'1" and has a rather thin figure. but she works it! just like you - love your punky 'do :)

[staceyloobug.livejournal.com]

So, my answer is going in a different direction than everyone else's, although I do piggyback on the idea that you should "like your body for it's shape," because you won't be able to completely change it.

If you are overweight, I'd urge you to "lose a bunch of weight," like you suggested, only for health reasons, not cosmetic. And by "a bunch of weight," I would only suggest you to do so to get to a healthy weight range. Not knowing you, you may already be there, and in that case, I wouldn't urge you to lose weight at all.

The point I wanted to make, though, is that you said you wanted to lose a bunch a weight to make your hips go away. They won't. Your body is predetermined to put fat where it wants. You could be TINY, and proportionately, your hips would still be larger than your waist. You can't change that. You can do a few things to lessen the LOOK of it (building up your upper body to distract the eye from your hips, and NOT doing any exercises that would build UP the hip/glute muscles - essentially making them atrophy or waste away), but overall, you're going to be shapely. It's how your genetics and body composition wants you to be.

So, lose weight if you WANT to and NEED to according to a doctor's orders, but realize your "problem areas" will still be problem areas. And your problem areas to you may be someone else's blessing.

This this is your only body. At some point along the line, you can learn to love it and take care of it by eating right, exercising, relaxing and pampering it, or you can fight it all the way.

Best of luck to you!

[althea_valara]

Fat doesn't equal unhealthy, though. Sure, there are fat people who are unhealthy, but there are also fat people who aren't. Same thing for thin people. More links about this here.

That said, exercise and healthful food choices are beneficial no matter what your size is.

[staceyloobug.livejournal.com]

You're right, fat doesn't necessarily equal unhealthy, and there are a lot of skinny unhealthy people, but just the stress on joints is enough to get a person into their regular weight range. If a person is on their way DOWN from being heavier, for example, they can be pretty darned healthy. But if they're gaining weight (on the way UP, not DOWN), then I'd argue it's not healthy. It depends on a lot of factors.

If you're healthy and heavy, you would be even healthier in a recommended weight range, I'd suggest. Only because in most cases, if you're overweight, you aren't getting exercise, and you're eating over the recommended amount of calories. It's a math equation, really. I personally am 20 pounds overweight, but healthy. I would be better off 20 pounds lighter, but I'm fine where I'm at as far as a health standpoint - however, I'm 20 pounds overweight because of the fact that I'm not eating right and I'm not exercising enough. The two SO SO often go hand-in-hand (but not always - sometimes it's a thyroid issue, a hormone imbalance, etc).

Also - someone who is "10 pounds overweight" probably is just fine. I'm talking over 25 pounds to lose. Once you get into the 10 pound range, we're talking vanity weight - which is perfectly safe to lose (but harder to lose), and is a personal preference.

Fat or thin - we're all better off eating healthy and exercising...it's just that the world we live in makes it touch. It's a challenge - which is why there are SO many overweight Americans. It's sad that it's easier to eat junk. It leads to childhood obesity, diabetes, etc. :(

All of this aside, so many people lose weight for the wrong reasons. I'm in it to live a longer life. A lot of people just want to look good. It's a nice perk, but it doesn't have to be what it's all about, you know?

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

Except that the guidelines set for what "overweight" is are pretty ridiculous really...especially since people who are very athletic often weigh in as being "overweight" because of all their muscle mass!

[staceyloobug.livejournal.com]

My guidelines seem to be about right on for a healthy weight. I'm not sure how tall you are or how you are built, but mine are attainable. I'm 5'8", and they tell me to weigh 155. I think that's accurate. I wouldn't even be a size 6 at that - I'd be a size 8 (I was there once). I'm also medium build, not large or small, so that may be why mine seem to work for my body.

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

Yeah, well that's what I mean. It depends quite a bit on your build and such. :) So not everyone who qualifies as "overweight" based on a BMI or whatever really would be any healthier if they lost weight.

[staceyloobug.livejournal.com]

There's always an exception to prove the rule, I guess. I just hesitate to jump on that platform and totally agree, because that lends license to people who are 100# overweight saying "But those scales aren't accurate!" I'd just say to use them as a guide, ask a doctor for an opinion if needed, and ask yourself honestly "am I overweight?" Most people know if they are.

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think you're right that the majority people know if they are healthy. I won't say overweight even...because weight isn't really the issue. Most people know if they are fat. I'm too fat. But I'm definitely not overweight. I'm just under-muscled.

As this article (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070305202535.htm) points out, its not weight, but body fat that is the problem. And things like BMI (which is often used while classifying people as "overweight" or "obese") don't address that whatsoever. Its not an isolated problem...as the article says, "in most cases the [subject’s] BMI did not accurately reflect his or her percentage of body fat."

Anyway, I know you weren't talking about BMI exactly...but I did want to share the link in case anyone was interested.

[staceyloobug.livejournal.com]

I think my favorite example of BMI gone wrong is Arnold Swartz(however you spell it). That's a good example of how it just doesn't jive for body builders!

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

And things like BMI (which is often used while classifying people as "overweight" or "obese") don't address that whatsoever.

Very much this. According to BMI charts, I'm always very close to the "overweight" line for my height (I think more often on the "overweight" side than the "normal" one), but whenever I've had my body fat measured at roughly this weight, it's been around 22%-23%.

I think BMI tends to be used a lot because it's easy to measure. I mean, a lot of people can easily find out how tall and/or heavy they are. But percent body fat can be more difficult to do, even though it's really a more accurate way of determining body-composition-type health.

[activist-woman4.livejournal.com]

I just need to comment about the "junkfood science" article. There is a lot about food science that we don't know. New things have been being discovered every year for hundreds of years. What I can say is that there are VERY recent (like, since the 1980s) developments of breaking down foods into their component parts and rearranging them and also of creating, chemically, theoretically identiical components and adding them to food. There is a lot we don't now about both of these practices.

Also, there is a lot to be said about WHOLE food, in that the nutrients and chemicals in foods affect our bodies as a SYSTEM. For example if you take chemical A from food A1 and chemical B from food B1 and add them both to food C1, you have no idea what can happen when the chemicals in food C1 react and affect our bodies with chemicals A and B. One great resource for more information on this is Micheal Pollan.

Also, I would agree with you that "diets" don't work, however eating a balanced, natural, and healthy diet in the context of a healthy LIFESTYLE has helped a TON of people lose a whole lots of weight. The problem with "diets" and an inability for people to keep weight off has nothing to do with them being "naturally obese" and more to do with the fact that if you view it as a "diet" then, generally speaking, you'll stick to it for a year and as soon as the weight comes off, you'll start to slack and gain weight back. Oprah talks a lot about this, among lots of other health profressionals with no agenda other than making lives better. ;)

[getsinyoureyes.livejournal.com]

I remember being 11 years old and having people ask me what college I went to.

I developed boobs and hips early and I was tall for my age, though now that I'm an adult I definitely don't have what would be considered big boobs or hips and I'm an average height. I know what it's like to be thought of as older than I actually am, but to be honest it didn't bother me too much. Sometimes I even took it as a compliment because people thought I acted more mature for my age. I don't think there's anything wrong or necessarily "unattractive" about looking older. I think the whole young=attractive and old=unattractive is just a bunch of ageist hogwash others would like to have you believe.

[--boot.livejournal.com]

I'm 17, and am flattered when people think I'm older - they tend to, because I'm very tall and have a fully developed body (though barely any breasts to speak of) and my boyfriend is four years older than I am. I find if someone sees me as a teenager, a lot of categorization goes on - ageism at its finest. Love your body, girl. Being womanly is a beautiful thing.

[hotcoffeems.livejournal.com]

Someone else mentioned this, but this:

I thought about losing a lot of weight to try to look a bit more like a teenager, get rid of the hips and everything. I do envy adults who still are shaped like teenagers, they are the ones who are always boasting about how ppl mistake them for looking 16. Apart of me still wishes I were a teen and looked like one

distresses me. No, no, no! You are built the way you *are*. Starving yourself -- which is what you'd have to do to get anythnig like what you're talking about -- wouldn't reshape your figure; it would just make you look unhealthy and frail.

I am 39; I developed full-on badonkadonk at 11 which caused all kinds of confusion and scariness for a couple of years (because i was NOT mentally or emotionally at a point where I was anything but a child, and also, grown men were responding to me inappropriately). I felt ashamed of it. Then I realized my body just was what it was, once I was old enough to not be a child anymore, if that makes sense. My body is like that: women in my family are built this way. You are built the way you are.

Also, re: I do envy adults who still are shaped like teenagers, they are the ones who are always boasting about how ppl mistake them for looking 16 FTR, I regularly get mistaken for someone underage, despite being a 36D and having a butt you could serve drinks on. And I'm pushing 40. Heh. Just to counteract your point there.

I'd also point out that people who lose a lot of weight via dieting, etc., tend to wind up looking *older* than they are, because that little bit of padding makes your skin look more youthful, etc.

[running-farmer.livejournal.com]

iawtc. i am a curvy 19-year-old but i get mistaken for a 13 or 14-year-old all the time - so weird! how random people on the street will perceive our bodies obviously varies, it's just the rude/awkward ones who decide to make a big deal out of it. it's important to focus on not internalizing these comments as criticisms of our worth - know that YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, despite what ANYONE ELSE says!

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

You know, I'm really glad to not look like a teenager anymore. I AM an adult woman...and its fucking hard enough in this society to be taken seriously as such...nevermind to be taken serious as a teenage girl! I welcome signs of age, because they are also signs of a certain weightiness, seriousness or...importance, I guess. Like, becoming a matriarch. Coming into my own as an individual being who stands firmly on my feet.

I have a friend who is a middle school counselor, and once said (with regards to her students) that you can see how much pain they are in. I feel like that sort of - teenager hood wasn't really a great time of my life, and I welcome the physical signs that I have left all that behind.

[laurajay.livejournal.com]

I'm 23 and fairly petite, but I don't get mistaken for being much younger than I am. My mom, on the other hand, had this problem a lot when she was younger. Until she was in her late-30's, people thought she looked like she was 16. When I was 9, she went to a store to buy a winter jacket for me, and the store clerk was completely baffled...my mom was looking at farily large jackets (I was 4'11" when I was 9) and the store clerk couldn't imagine how she could have a daughter large enough for those jackets. Apparently he thought there was no way my mom was over 20, but she was 34. People always used to comment on how my mom and I looked like sisters. This was very confusing for me because my mom is Chinese, but my dad is not, and I don't understand how someone could think that she and I are sisters when she's clearly Asian and I don't look very Asian (unless we were half-sisters...). Actually, I think my mom's ethnicity might have something to do with why she was mistkaen for being a teenager, as I've heard that people have more trouble judging age for Asians. But I don't know. I can see how it would be good to look perhaps a slightly younger than you are, but I wouldn't consider being mistaken as being a teenager to be a good thing.

[water-childe.livejournal.com]

Make peace with your body :)
Find ways to love it, for what it is. Make improvements or changes, only if you want to.
Because there is always going to be someone out there who's going to think that you should look some other way then you do.
Please yourself, not other people with their arbitrary opinions.

[areddunraygun.livejournal.com]

I've been seen as older ever since I was in the third grade. I had breasts large enough to warrant a bra since then, and I definitely didn't look nine years old. Now that I'm 18, I've grown more "into my own skin" I guess, and it doesn't bother me like it did. I'm a thicker person, but I'm happy where I'm at. I could stand to be a bit healthier, but I try not to obsess about it, because where'll that get me? Overworried.

Like other posters have said, he was probably just being rude. Don't sweat it. Flaunt what you have, because it's only yours! :) Have fun living life.