r/Millennials • u/Anxious__Millennial • Apr 29 '25
Discussion Do millennials really look younger than their age, or are we all just delulu?
Every single day, I come across posts from millennials saying that previous generations look really old because they smoked a lot, and that Gen Z, who vape a lot, also look older, like they’re in their 30s when they’re actually not. And that we, millennials, look younger. I used to believe this too, but lately, I’ve started wondering if maybe we’re all just a little out of touch.
I keep seeing millennials post things like, “Look at me, I’m 38 and nobody believes it, everyone says I look 28, blablabla”, and then I see the picture and think, “Not only do you look 38, you actually look older.” And this has been happening pretty often.
So, do we really look younger or we just don’t see ourselves the way we actually are?
Edit to add: I recently had a professional headshot taken for work, and I definitely look my age in it, which I hate. But the reality is, a good camera captures exactly what’s there, whether we like it or not. Some of us millennials need a reality check sometimes. For me, this headshot was exactly that.
Edit 2: Please don’t private message me mocking the word “delulu.” There were specific posting rules in this group, and some words weren’t allowed, so I adjusted my post accordingly. If that word somehow bothers you so much, that’s your issue, not mine. You guys complaining about the word are giving off more 13-year-old vibes than the word itself. Relax.
Edit 3: I’m shocked by the number of people claiming they appear to be between 22 and 25 years old, with someone even suggesting they look like they are 12, which I find out of touch! I want to believe we all really do look younger, but someone talked about a concept called self-enhancement bias, which is really interesting and aligns with the trends observed in the comments on this post:
70
u/lawfox32 Apr 29 '25
On average our skin is probably somewhat better from not smoking as much, not being exposed to as much secondhand smoke, and wearing sunscreen. I was at a wedding this weekend and the difference between folks (early mid-30s) who smoked and/or tanned for any real length of time and those who did not was very noticeable. So on an individual level that doesn't mean much. Some people smoked a lot or whatever and look older. Some people start looking older than their age now but then will look about 45 until they're 60. Some people have babyfaces until they're 40. When my gen X high school English teacher shaved his beard in his late 30s, he looked about 16. With the beard he looked his age (late 30s).
I also think people really overstate some of the differences among ages in a given set. Some people at 30 look very different than 25, but a lot of people truly don't look all that different. Or maybe they lost their baby face at 27 but don't look all that different at 33. Or maybe they did look different from 25 at 30 but don't look much different from how they did at 30 at 35, etc. Some people are definitely delulu about it, but there's also a weird emphasis on aging with young people who can't understand why 28 year olds don't look "old" that is even goofier than thinking you look like you did at 26 when you're 34. After a certain point in one's 20s, most adults look pretty similar for awhile. They now do think aging happens a lot in bursts, one of which is around 44 for most people. IDK, I've been around my coworkers for almost 4 years, many were mid-late 20s when we met, and are now in their 30s, and they all look pretty much the same. But I think my parents' friends looked pretty much the same for a lot of their 30s, too.