I'm Not As Young or Dumb As You Think

I am pushing forward into my late twenties and I am starting to get frustrated on why complete strangers believe I am younger and dumber than what I actually am. Yes, I got the chubby checks of a 16-year old female, act goofy, and generally find it difficult to carry on a conversation with non-academics. Perhaps this comes off as me being younger and dumber than what I am but this is no reason for people to assume anything about me. I generally find it a good rule of thumb not to assume anything about someone until they open their mouth long enough to gauge their personality.

Within one week of passing my oral exams (a major milestone towards completing my degree), four strangers commented that I looked like a teenager. I have never felt so frustrated before in my life. With only one of these strangers did I have a conversation long enough to devolve into how I am a Ph.D. candidate and will be teaching a class this upcoming summer. This person looked shocked. Not only did I look super young but apparently I was also smart enough to teach a college course at a 4-year institution. This isn't the first time and probably isn't the last that someone has assume that I was too young to know anything.

This past weekend I went new car shopping with someone only for the salesman to act like a complete jerk. I hate to school the old man but the younger generation (for the most part) does research before making such large and expensive purchases. We will always know more about the technical specs AND I will know how low the dealer is willing to go on the price. Furthermore, I will always understand why the law dictates certain technologies in vehicles, limits emissions, etc. Because of all this Mr. Salesman, it is completely unacceptable to throw your hands in the air, pop off "been a nice day", and walk away from potential customers just because you found out we don't pay sticker and know more about the product we are buying than you do.

While I get that looking young now may be beneficial as I get older (because who doesn't want to look twenty-something while in their forties), it is a major pain when trying to advance into the world as an adult.