4’8” & 85lbs - 37 with 3 kids. I’ve been mistaken for a student many times, and sometimes it’s hard to be taken seriously in the workplace. I think I am starting to age around my eyes & mouth, though. I can’t afford to buy expensive clothes AND have them tailored, and even ‘petite’ clothes are too large on me, which makes it difficult to dress my age.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Until petite women hit a certain age...60 or so? They then tend to look much older, either thin and frail or any pounds are really obvious because of short stature. Or something, I'm not really sure, my mom's petite friends seemed to age overnight.

As they say, when you are older, it's either your face or your a$$. When you are thin and especially thin boned, as you age, your face looks older. You are more prone to osteoporosis, hence the hunching. If you are a bit heavier, there's more padding in the skin to even out the wrinkles.

-signed a petite thin woman

My facial bone structure has always been fairly strong and my cheeks have gotten more hollow as i've gotten older.

Anonymous wrote:It depends on how you dress & how you carry yourself but, yes, often they do.

This tends to reverse course by early middle age, however.

100% I think sometimes you can start to then look more like "little old lady" much sooner if petite, YMMV

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Until petite women hit a certain age...60 or so? They then tend to look much older, either thin and frail or any pounds are really obvious because of short stature. Or something, I'm not really sure, my mom's petite friends seemed to age overnight.

As they say, when you are older, it's either your face or your a$$. When you are thin and especially thin boned, as you age, your face looks older. You are more prone to osteoporosis, hence the hunching. If you are a bit heavier, there's more padding in the skin to even out the wrinkles.

-signed a petite thin woman

OP, I know you are frustrated about it now, but try to laugh about it and enjoy it while it lasts. I looked young for my age until I was 35 or so and then I just didn't. I'm fifty now and no one thinks I'm younger. I haven't gained weight or "let myself go" , whatever that means, but I definitely look my age.

I think it does. The reason is that people initially think you are a child and then adjust from there but not sufficiently (it’s called anchoring).

I have a similar experience and I am not even thin. I just had a baby at 45 and people who see me with the baby are shocked to hear that I have older kids at home.