New generations looking younger?

[Kelp]

I always thought we looked younger than our upperclassmen. Even now I look back in year books at kids in Grade 6 (12 yrs old), that look at least 16 or 17. Even my grade, way past grade 6, and we don't look that old yet, even though we are. But I do agree with the above post; it's all about perception. As we grow, our perception of the world changes drastically.

 

[donavannj]

People are definitely getting shorter. When I was fourteen I was about 6'2" and the average of my class was probably about 5'7" or 5'8". When I look at the fourteen year olds in my town, however, the average looks to be about 5'2" or so. Definitely something messed up there.

How tall are you now? That's probably the main factor in why they appear so short to you.

 

[Bologna]

Looking at the kids younger than me, I see a lot of them who look older than they are, but also many that look younger. Same applies to those older than me, and those my age.

Maybe it's just because this sense of looking younger is happening slowly, because I would agree that looking back at my parents and their siblings in photographs, they look older than what their age was.

Then again, I'm usually pretty horrible at guessing the ages of people in the first place...

 

[Rogue planet]

People are definitely getting shorter. When I was fourteen I was about 6'2" and the average of my class was probably about 5'7" or 5'8". When I look at the fourteen year olds in my town, however, the average looks to be about 5'2" or so. Definitely something messed up there.

That was the average height at 14? I'm about 6' myself right now and I am still taller than most people in my class.

But anyway, I don't see this. In fact most of my brother's friends (who are 14) are almost as tall as me, one or two of them are the same height as me. Even when I was 14 myself, I was still amongst the tallest in my class and I was a lot shorter then than what I am now.

I don't see people looking younger, I look at pictures of my dad when he was my age and I look older than him. I'd even say I look older than him when he was in his early twenties. I think your observation is just a coincidence.

 

[インフェルノの津波]

Please look up 5th graders.

Midgets. I swear, when I was in 7th grade I thought they were in 3rd grade. Me and my buds found it weird too.

 

[Kura]

I see each generation getting shorter (not sure if that's what you mean by younger) myself...they are turning into elves...

Actually.. I think we've been getting taller! Average height back in the 1600s for a woman was like 4'9" or something crazy like that!

I dunno if I agree with this maturity-looking thing... I guess it depends on where you live! Hehehe.. seems about the same to me, though!

 

[PlatinumDude]

I actually noticed this by the time I got to 10th grade because the people look shorter.

 

[moments.]

Kura's right, it's been proven we are getting taller.

If you go into really old houses from like centuries ago, the door frames are ridiculously low and the beds and stuff are really small and everything.

 

[dragoniteuser]

Sure, all that's true, maybe we are getting taller (although I doubt it), but they still look a lot more juvenile, and immature!
Perhaps it's all those GMO food, chemicals and good know what not that causes this, but then again, I know a couple of vegetarians who look the same way, and yet they don't eat meat which is supposedly full of artificial hormones. So what could be causing this phenomena?

 

[FreakyLocz14]

There are kids at my college who I could swear belong in middle school by their looks. There are also other that look to be in their 30's when they are really in their early to mid 20's. I guess it depends on a number of factors such as height, weight, build, amount of facial hair, how much apparent muscle mass one has, etc.

 

[Sydian]

I apparently look younger than my little sister. This is blasphemy. I think it just depends on the person, really. I was in school with people that looked their age and people that looked over their age. I'm always the one that looks 13 and it's "oh, I didn't know you were a college freshman! Though you were in high school!" Um, no, I'm done with that crap.

But no, if anything, I think the younger generations look older than my own. Parents allow make up a lot sooner and puberty hits quicker and harder than it did in my day, it seems.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

I apparently look younger than my little sister. This is blasphemy. I think it just depends on the person, really. I was in school with people that looked their age and people that looked over their age. I'm always the one that looks 13 and it's "oh, I didn't know you were a college freshman! Though you were in high school!" Um, no, I'm done with that crap.

But no, if anything, I think the younger generations look older than my own. Parents allow make up a lot sooner and puberty hits quicker and harder than it did in my day, it seems.

If that's you in your signature pictures, I'd say you look 15-17.

 

[Captain Fabio]

No, I agree.
It is rather annoying, because I will be talking to someone who looks about 20, and they will say, naa, I am 17/18. O_O

I just don't talk to anyone now... XD

 

[Richard Lynch]

I don't know about anyone else, but I personally have noticed the opposite. I think people are looking older and getting taller. The taller aspect is statistical, but I don't know about the age appearance. I've always looked older than I am (people often give me ten years, at least), and at work I see middle school girls whose legs come up to my stomach (and I'm not exactly short - about 6 foot).

So, I think it's the opposite here.

Oh, and:

You do realize that the chemicals and substances they have in their food at McDonalds causes oil, which in turn causes acne, which causes skin problems.

I actually think that's an urban legend. I break out a little when I've eaten too much chocolate/sugar in general, but every credible source I've seen says acne has nothing to do with diet.

 

[ConPO]

Well lately I've been having this feeling that not only me, but my entire generation is looking a bit young for their age.
This feeling especially enhances when I compare my generation with two generations older than me...
I'm now 4th grade Highscool, and IMO we look younger then the 4th grade did 2 years ago!
Now maybe it's just the perspective, since I was younger then they were 2 years ago, but the same thing occurs when I compare my generation to those of todays 2-graders!

So what do you think? Did you notice the same thing?

I completely agree! The new people in my school look like they should still be recieving 1st level education! Back when I was getting it, I always thought that they'd get older looking, but now they've come into my 2nd level school, they look like they're babies!

Ridiculous!

 

[dragoniteuser]

Well it seems we have to opposite opinions here.
As for me, I've never actually met anyone who looks older then they really are.
Is this also locally oriented?
Perhaps here in Europe they look younger, and, I don't know, in America they look older?
But that doesn't make much sense, does it?

 

[Livewire]

I remember seeing some Freshman back when I was a Senior in High School that literally could pass as fourth or fifth graders. :0 But of course there was the man child that was 6'4 and had a full beard as a freshman, so yeah.

 

[twocows]

I don't really think so. I think it has more to do with how when you're younger, you see older people as a lot older in general.

 

[femtrooper]

I have always thought this. In fact I looked at some pictures the other day from elementary school and I saw a girl who was in grade 6 (11-12 years old) and she looked atleast 15. My parents also looked alot older than me. When I compare my Mom to me...she looked way older. Her 21 year-old self looked 30, lol, and I look like 3 years younger. My Dad looked really young, so I might get that from him, but he is an exception. Either way, people look ALOT younger.

My cousin is 13 and in grade 8, and she looks like she's 11. So young. They are all looking younger...WTF!?

 

[Guy]

I feel as though there are a lot of different aspects that could determine this. Location, nationality, DNA, human's perception, the type of food one consumes, what they do for activity in a day all play part of the effect on how a person's body develops as they grow older. Plus, as time changes so does the growth of a human's body. It goes to show just how much people have changed if you were to compare graduates of '69 to graduates of '10.

When I was a freshman in high school, and I looked back at the middle school crowd, I would say how much shorter they seem to be getting. Then I look at myself and say, "Wait, I'm growing too." So, I believe perception is a large key on how we view each generation as it goes by.

But I agree, today's generation does have a younger look than generations before us.