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04 May 2005

Body and Soul

I once again had my TV a-blaring this morning to have some background noise. A great infomercial quote caught my attention: "I mean, we're all dreading to look older and all looking for new ways to look younger." Are we? Are we, really? I know that I can't authoritatively speak on what it feels like to noticeably grow older... I am only 22 after all. No matter how much I try to tell people that 22 is old, anyone older than me disagrees. Still, I don't think that I am in any sort of desperate embrace to the appearance of youth. I have heard older (and usually gorgeous) actresses comment that people should appreciate each new age, each new appearance because all of them have their ups and their downs. I really hope that isn't hard to do. I am excited about looking 65 someday. 80 will have its charms. God willing, I get to love those years as much as I do these ones.

Then again, it may be maturity that I am grasping towards rather than youth. For soccer, I have to wear my hair in pigtails to keep it out of my face. I look even more 12 than I usually do. The team likes to mock my "cute little piggy tails." This, obviously, irritates me to no end. The icing on this particularly sugary cake was that last night, Holly said I was cute. Holly is 15. Now wait just a darn minute. The hair might be cute, but I most certainly am not. In the list of adjectives that I want people to use to describe me, cute is nonexistent. It's not low on the list, or near the bottom - it's not on the list. Especially from a 15 year old.

Sigh.

I should just get over it, I suppose and hope they start making the anti-Botox. It will give me crows' feet to show years of smiling and forehead wrinkles to demonstrate deep contemplation. And perhaps scratch the pigtails.

2 comments:

Lisa said...

Two of my students asked me how old i was today, and when i told them that i'm twenty two they said oh... you look like you're fifteen.

Ouch.

Annika, I'm with you in looking my age when i'm that age. i look forward to being and looking 52 and 86 and all that, but for right now i'd much rather look my age.

15 is not cool... who tells you that you look like you're fifteen when you're twenty two. i mean some people do look young for their age, but i like to think that i don't fit in with that cool crowd. ah well, what will being offended get me anyways.

Annika said...

Lis--
I totally agree. I don't mind looking my age. But could someone else maybe think I look my age, please? I really hope we are not doomed to be carded to get into R rated movies at 35.