I quite often get told that I look younger than I am. I’m 31, but I get asked for ID in the supermarket every time I attempt to buy a bottle of wine. I get chatted up by men in their early twenties. I recently wasn’t recognised as the candidate attending a job interview, despite being the only person in reception (aside from the receptionist) and wearing a sharp Ted Baker suit. It sounds great to look youthful, and it is, but just sometimes it’s a bit of a pain.
And it’s a bit strange because, up until I was about 25, people always used to think I was older than I was. I started going to the pub before I was 18. I got into nightclubs with no hassle. At work, colleagues guessed I was about five years older. So what happened?
Believe it or not, I blame a waterfall in the South Island of New Zealand. I spent about a month in NZ with a kiwi ex-boyfriend in my mid-twenties and we visited Milford Sound for a couple of days. A boat took us out into the Sound and we spend some time paddling around in canoes, taking in the amazing scenery.
At one point, the boat took us towards a raging waterfall which sent a spray of fine water droplets into the air. The guides told us that, according to Maori legend, anyone who got the spray of the waterfall on their face would look ten years younger.
I’m living proof of this legend. You should go.
.. sounds eerie!!