Finding Dates: I’m 25, but I look 18!

I’ll be the first to admit that I look young for my age. Usually when I tell people how old I am, I get the “No! But, you look 18!” outburst of shock. I wasn’t aware that it was socially acceptable to tell someone they look like a 10th grader when they have actually completed graduate school, but trust me, it happens all the time.

As all of us who look young for our age know, we have to constantly repeat our mantra: ”someday I will appreciate it.” Unless we suddenly start rapidly aging, of course.

As a 25-year-old who could pass as anywhere from age 16-25 depending on the day, my attire, and who you’re asking; you probably think this is a huge advantage when it comes to dating and that I have an extremely large range of guys to choose from. I can go younger if I choose to. But older men are still an option as they are known for liking younger girls, so I win all around. Right? Nope. I actually consider my youngish appearance to be a hindrance in my dating life.

First of all, men who are older than me and often men who are my age pass right by me because they automatically assume I am a college girl, so you can scratch that dating advantage right off the list.

So, that leaves me with the younger guys. While I’m completely open to dating a guy who’s a year or two younger than me, once there’s more than a couple years’ gap, I’d probably have to draw the line. Let’s face it, there is a huge difference between a guy still living in a college frat house and a guy who has a steady job and pays his own rent. And 25 is still an age where more than a couple years makes a difference. 

Boston is known for its large college population, so it’s hard for the 20ish crowd to find places to go that aren’t filled with college kids, but also aren’t filled with people age 30+. It is likely that any time I am in a bar, a 21 or 22 year old will start hitting on me. And I will inevitably hear the question, “Where do you go to school?” I don’t! I graduated from college 3.5 years ago!

There’s nothing worse than breaking the news to these boys that I’m 25. They usually just stare at me like they have never seen someone so old in their lifetime. And in a bar at that! I always get the urge to say, “I know, Botox works wonders, doesn’t it?” So, I immediately go from feeling young due to my looks to feeling completely ancient due to the ages of everyone around me.

Of course, if forced to choose, I would want to look young rather than old, so I really shouldn’t be complaining. For now, it is awkward in that the 20-23 crowd is attracted to me. But when I’m 40, this means the hotties in their 30s will be attracted to me, right? And so, I must keep telling myself, “someday I will appreciate it.”

You can find more ideas on where to go to find hot dates (besides a bar!) and how to find successful single men (instead of college boys!) by visiting www.askapril.com!