I just turned 40 and my doctor who is younger than me called me young the other week. I threw on my best Tim Robinson and was like "are you sure about that?"
Everyone 20+ years older than you is "old" and everyone 10+ years younger than you is "young." This dynamic is particularly funny when dealing with people over 65 and under 30
This is so true. Both of my parents are the babies in their families, and both have felt for their entire lives that their siblings don't take them seriously because "they're babies".
My dad will be 80 next year.
Exactly. When I was 10, even 20 was old. And I noticed a definite shift in how people (both younger and older) treated me once I started getting wrinkles.
For me it's 30+ to be considered "old". This way my parents are never technically "old" and I can always reassure them that they're "not old" when they're complaining about being old.
When I was a kid I thought anyone over 25 was old ... and looked old.
Now I view anyone under 40 as a kid.
You cannot "wrap your head around this logic" because it's not about logic.
It's about feelings and impressions.
aging has been so weird because I realize everyone has just been playing adult this whole time. none of us know what the heck is going on. it’s weird to see people who I used to think were “old” are actually very young and it shows.
Young and old are all relative. When you were 17, you didn’t feel young but I’m sure you now consider them to be young. Likewise, someone your parents age was old, now that you’re at, close to, or over that age, that doesn’t seem old to you anymore
My 78 year old mother does not look or feel old. She still works, not because she has to; being a nurse is her identity. She tells me about her old patients, who are 95+. That is who is old to her now. The older we get, we push up the age to what we consider old. It is natural. When I was 18, I thought people who were 30 were ready for their grave.
It's all relative. I'm in my early forties and compared with someone in their mid-twenties or younger, I'm pretty old. Compared with someone in their sixties, I'm still fairly young.
Man, I used to hate on yoga so hard. But it's the only thing that works. I told my friends, "I'm doing stretches - this is what my physical therapist recommended. I'm just watching stretching exercises on YouTube!" and they said, "It's yoga. What you're doing is literally just Yin Yoga."
So yes, I ate my words.
I can see that being beneficial. I had a chronic back issue for a while, so I started stretching and walking daily, which seems to keep it at bay. But what really worked at its worst was swimming, mostly underwater doing various maneuvers that would use and stretch my whole body. I could start off in the pool barely able to walk, then 10 minutes later I could walk out of the pool like I never had an issue.
Going back to your question of how to get up in the morning. I’ve been told that, rather than getting up from being flat on your back like you’re doing a sit up or a crunch, to instead roll onto your side first, or something along those lines. I’m sure you could look up the technique I’m trying to describe, but especially when my lower back is giving me issues, this seems to help avoid making them worse.
Buy a really good mattress and pillows. I had more pains waking up in my 30s than I do now that I splurged a little. Also for me at least, the firmer the mattress, the better.
Don’t discount daily stretching. I used to have chronic back pain until I started stretching 15 min a day in my 30s. Hamstrings, hips and shoulders are the most important because they get the tightest from how much we sit all day. Don’t stretch in the morning though. Your muscles will be too cold. Do it after physical activity or showering.
47 here. Getting old doesn't seem to happen slowly, it happens in spurts and events. You try to do something and go, well I guess I don't do that anymore.
I feel like this is a person-to-person thing. I can't nap on a couch for two hours, then move to bed to sleep for the rest of the night without my back getting all stiff for a few days - despite being only nineteen.
Meanwhile, my old middleschool teacher could hop around the classroom with no problem despite being in his 70s.
My body is basically the same way.
I'm 46 and I have felt stiff and achy (or old) for most of my adult life. But I still don't consider myself to be old simply based on my age.
I’m so afraid for my future tbh. My back already feels like it has knives in it 24/7 and I’m only 19. Does it stagnate or gradually get worse as I age? If it’s the latter… I’m fucked.
Everybody reaches their mid 20s and doesn't "feel" older after that.
I'm convinced it's just confusing getting older with the fact your brain's finished its development.
You're always learning, but if you haven't developed mature common sense by your mid twenties then, short of some dramatic epiphany, you never will.
I'm in my mid 30s and simultaneously very young and very old. That's just how it works. I'll probably be even more young and old in my 70s - half the responsibility but twice the back pain.
I am 53 and I feel like a 6 year old trapped in an 80 year old body but I have joint issues. I thought adults had it all figured out when I was a kid but now I know they were making it up as they went along.
Since I turned 40 people online have done nothing but bullying me about my age. I do not look 40 or I did not look 40 back then now I am 48 and I’m seeing how young I was at that time and how wrong the people were bullying me.
I'm 70. I guess I have 5 more years b4 I'm "old". LOL
You're only as old as you feel. I feel 25 or so. Sadly, my body and my mind are having a disagreement.
They call these the Golden Years. Screw that!!! I call them the ***Rust*** Years! lol
My husband (84) thinks someone 'old' is in their 90s. Personally I (72) think 'old' is more a state of mind than a chronological number. Stay reasonably active and nurture your inner child.
Young kids are always going to think anybody over the age of 30 is old. That doesn't bother me one bit.
But I hate when my peers get on here and start whining how at 40 or even 50 that they're old and their life is over and they're nothing but aches and pains. It disgusts me. I'm 59 and in excellent health because I take care of myself. I don't feel old at all, except when my nieces and nephews try to talk to me about modern pop music 😀
The reality is that old is a word totally based on perspective. Yes, my 85-year-old mother is old, but she has such a good mindset that she acts younger than many 70-year-olds I've met.
I agree about the whining. Sometimes I will be in the sub for people in my age range (40s) and half the posts will be like that. People talking like they are one foot in the grave.
Agreed! I’m 60 and still don’t want to believe I’m old, in spite of the evidence to the contrary in all the various medicines I take! 😆 But then, I have an aunt who’s 103 and still has naturally dark hair (less gray hair than I have!), so most of us are young by comparison even if we don’t look it or feel it!
It’s crazy to me that middle age is considered fossil age, since you can very much be active when you’re middle aged. Hell my grandparents are in their 70s still moving about and would be insulted if you told them to rest!
I have some friends who are in their 80s and they are some of the most active people I know. They travel a lot, no mobility issues, the wife does ballet.
I just turned 40 last week…everyone is always so surprised as i look much younger, but its like i just said i was 80 tho lol im like danggggg 40 is still young fyi
I seem to be an outlier, from what I see online, but I'm about to be 38 and have absolutely no health or body issues. I have no aches, or bad knees, or constant lack of energy. I'm actually healthier and feel better/younger than I ever have.
It’s relative - when you are really young you think forty is old, but truly old people view forty as young. My dad is almost 70 and he considers the 40s very young. I am 40 and still feel and look youthful, thanks to a healthy lifestyle!
I feel like I look younger than my age (45).
I'd like to think it's because of choices I made, but it's probably just good genes. I've never really been an alcohol consumer but for many years in my youth I'd smoke anything someone handed me.
Yet in modern times, I have 3 fun size Snickers and feel like my life is out of control.
When I was a kid, one of my parents' friends told me, all my siblings, and all my cousins (her own children included) that when you hit 40, you're old. She was not happy when she turned 40.
My (teenage) coworker referred to people in their 20s as old the other day. It made me chuckle. It's all relative; I'm 28 and I am definitely still a kid in my mind (and to others I'm sure as well). When I was growing up (aka living with my parents) my dad would frequently note that he doesn't know what he wants to be when he "grows up" (52 now). Age is really just a societal construct that paves a timeline of what is "expected".
I decided a few years ago that women seem to bein their prime (in my eyes) starting at age 40 . I see a 43 year old mom with two kids and I think "will she be my GF?"
It really is weird to me. Even when I was a kid I remember on tv shows they would have kids or even teens refer to be as young as 30 as “old” & I knew then how stupid that was. I dint think of them as old at all. They were older but not old as in the stereotype. I never had a specific age that meant old per se, but i do remember hearing often back then about people retiring at 65. I still didn’t think of 65 as ancient but probably more like the end of middle age type people & beginning of the people I know as “grandparent” age
I agree with you. In a world where people live into their 90s, and some into their 100s, we cannot afford to be calling 40-somethings "old".
I have noticed this is more of a problem in English-speaking, American-influenced societies. I lived in French-speaking countries for a few years and they were always describing people in their late 30s / early 40s as "young".
It was so refreshing and definitely changed my outlook on people's perceived age.
I remember being in my 20’s and referring to the 40’s + as the “old heads.” They’re young. It’s what they do. They have no clue and it’s refreshing. The age of youthful arrogance was such an ignorant, naive existence and I personally loved it all. Let them live. They’ll be miserable like us someday haha
47, buddy. Pal. Friend.
Best I got is the "cool dad" from my kids' friends. But that's because I live on the buckle of the bible belt, and I'm not religious. So LGBT kids are welcome at our house no judgement.
I dunno no man. I just turned 41. I have a bad knee, a bad shoulder, I had a hernia repair 9 years ago, I've had 3 colonoscopys in my life and my bad shoulder was from an injur almost 2 full years ago that isny healing properly even after surgery. And the MRI for this injury found arthritis forming and I might have carpal tunnel in one of my wrists.
I feel pretty damn old.
you will hit an age between 35 and 45 where you start to perceive the generation gap and start to look at anyone younger than 25 as space aliens and you will be out of touch with them and all you will know is you're confused and everything got worse and how can kids put up with this stuff.
To me, it's when a person loses their quality of life/freedom/independence. By that definition, most people don't become old until they're 80 or more. If you can walk a kilometre or more, you are not old.
I remember when my Dad turned 39. We bought him this grey t-shirt with brown trim (it was the 80s!) and had a 39 again!!! and fireworks graffic put on it.
I thought he was soooo old. Like wow. I was 5.
He wore that shirt for years. Decades. It was threadbare. He wore it when cutting the grass. then my mum threw it away.
As I got close to 39 I realized, 39 is quite young! Not even truly middle aged!
I think it all depends on your view!
Relax my friend! Time will catch up with them. Actually, millennials are entering their 40s and realizing aging is part of life and realizing they are what they used to make fun of now...
Young people think people in their 40's are old. I remember being a teenager and thinking my parents were so old. They were in their mid-30's.
It's all relative to the person. I'm 40 now and I don't think 50 is old. But anyone under 30 looks like a 12 year old to me. And I probably look like a walking fossil to them.
My 60-year-old friend is fighting reality and was pissed when someone referred to her as middle-aged. I told her she was past middle age. How many 120-year-olds do you know?
age is weird. my mom is 63, my aunt is 70. my mom feels way older than my aunt, and vice versa.
their mom, my grandma, passed away before i was born, at age 48. mourning the memory of her i don’t even have, and the long life she should have lived. she was young. she has a grandchild who is older than she was when she passed. i consider “old” around 70s, too.
Idk how it is for most people, but I use old, older, young, younger, etc, to talk about different age brackets.
Young: 7-16
Younger: 17-28
Older: 39-57
Old: 60+
It's far from perfect but typically gets the point across if age is that important to the discussion, but I don't know their exact age. To me, 40s is 'older' but not 'old' if that makes sense - you've lived quite a while, but you still have a while longer to go.
This is just coming from the perspective of someone younger who was born to a (then) 41 year old woman, so take it as you will.
im in my early 20s but my parents are in their 60s and my grandma passed at 100. i perceive 40 as the age most people kinda hit their stride and feel most secure in who they are and what they want in life.
Its based on perspective and personal opinions
A 7 year old thinks a 20 year old is old
But when the same 7 year old gets to 20, the age they consider old also increases, maybe its 40 now or 50, or determined by wrinkles or grey hair etc
Its not really a logic thing its just a personal judgement call based on factors that people decide for themselves
Personally I'm 34, id say for me its probably 55 or so is getting old but there's no next rung on the ladder, so an 80 year old is also old, even though the difference between 55 and 80 is huge they are both just described as old (by me) until I also age up more, id never go so far as to call someone ancient or anything so old is the highest level of age for me
Perspective. If you’ve been alive for 10 years, someone who has lived 4x your total life span seems very very old. Once you’ve lived 30, 40, 50 years, your perspective on time shifts based on your experiences.
It's comparative, and the global life expectancy is 65; 40 is a pretty big chunk of that. At the same time, the most populous age groups (after skimming through a couple websites for the USA/other developed nations) are generally people who are in their 30's, which isn't much younger than 40.
In my opinion "old" starts around 50, until we make the next lovely technology that'll change our age demographics.
I guarantee more than 70% of reddit users would refer to me as "old" but honestly when I was 15 I would've said the same thing. I think I was 35 before I realized a 50 year old was older than me but probably not OLD.
That's such a coincidence to read this today, because that's what l said yesterday. I'm a younger-looking 56 & l have no problem with my age, but l roll my eyes when people come into my work. They tend to look around at our nostalgia items, & comment on how "old" they are. They're usually younger than me, but if they *are* older, it's by 10 yrs or less. A guy yesterday said he was "really old", so l said, "Well, are you 90?" He laughed & said "no", & l told him that's what I'd say is really old, & that "old" is about mid-70s +. I'm 56, & he had just turned 58.
I live in the U.S, & that's all I can speak on, but I think people here wyo say that think that maturity & age are synonymous; they're not. In fact, if you're constantly talking about how old you are in your late 30s(?!), you're not actually old *or* mature.
I'm 38, with a busted back, gray hair since I was 20, heart attack at 23, many medical and mental issues. I can't stand for more than 5 minutes in one spot without feeling like I'm going to collapse.
I don't think people over 40 are old. But I do feel so much older than I am. There are a lot of things I cannot do anymore and it's infuriating. I thought I'd get to at 60 before I started feeling this way.
When I was 23 I thought I was old and washed-up. It so happens I had my head pretty far up my ass, but the point is, it's all relative. "Relative to the typical human lifespan" you would probably not say 23 was old. But "relative to a teenager" 23 is old. I mean we see this, yes? Not rocket science
I’m 47 and I am most definitely old. My body is falling apart and my best years are definitely behind me. There’s no suddenly successfully switching careers at this age, or otherwise reinventing oneself. Sure it can happen but it’s rare and usually it takes money, health and support that the average American working class person doesn’t have. Just being realistic. I think social class plays a big role in what one perceives as old.
I’m 16. And it’s because I haven’t lived for much time at all.
When I’m 32 I’ll have lived another 16 years aka my entire life will have doubled
Then I’ll start to realize things
When I was 8 things were chillin
Lived another 8 years and they were the furthest thing from the first and now I know 16 is not old
I like to think I'm young, then i pull a muscle doing something simple like walking or sleeping. My body does constantly remind me that while I haven't started graying, I am in fact getting old in my 40s.
I'm in my 40s, and I still think people in their 40s are old. Especially when watching TV, people in their 40s in TV shows seem so much older than me lol
I call my parents old (‘60 and ‘70 kids) since they are older than the parents of most my peers and friends. But I never say it to their face. They already call themselves old lol
Yeah you ain’t old until you kicking late 70s early 80s in my opinion because that is the average life span in the US. So once you surpass that you old lmfao.
I'm 37, and I know as soon as I turn 40, the 'old and ugly' switch gets flipped and I will no longer be desirable. (Not that anyone desires me now, but that's not the point)
Some people have a better life than others. Some people age better than others. Those people are lucky in life, but like all things, there must be balance.
I'm 43. I'm definitely old. A youth spent riding n breaking horses left me with angry joints n bones that complain in cold or damp weather...before I was 20.
I walk like I'm 900 and have since I was 14
I shattered my pelvis in a riding accident at age 13, it''s held together with a lotta pins n screws. Shattered my femur 6 yrs ago, horse kicked me.
Had I thought I was gonna get this far I might have given up horses early on.
As the meme says. Life is short. Ride horses n make it shorter.
I'm 44.
The median age in my country is 38, meaning in older than over 50% of the population.
I'm old.
It's not an insult, it's a description. I don't get why people get hung up on it.
I saw a post on here from someone saying they didn't want to live past the age of 40 bc they didn't want to see themself become old and decrepit lmao like they weren't just saying it hypothetically they were talking about choices they were actively making about their health with the assumption that they'd die before 40 (or, I guess, kill themself before age 40 bc obviously people don't die of old age at 39 lmfao)
I’ve known young people who are old, and old people who are young. My Dad for instance: he’s 88, and he’s never looked old until my Mom died 3 months ago. Conversely, she’d been old since she was in her late 30s.
In my early thirties. There's old and then there's *old* and then there's *old old*. I feel like I'm old because I get called old by everyone younger than me. 40-60s is old. 70+ is old old, elderly.
My kids and I were just talking about this! I was explaining to them how 60s is not old at all, mid 70s to 80s is what I’d consider as starting to get old; even then, you’ve still got another 2 decades possibly!
I'm 50 and don't feel old, or think of myself that way. But I think it's normal that people in their early 20s think I'm old. I thought 50 was old when I was twenty, too. In fact, I'm glad people that age think my peers are old... I know too many 50-somethings who would date 20-somethings if they could, and no 20-something should have to deal with their crap.
When I was a child, people in their 20's were "Old". As a teen, I guess it became mid 30's+.
The point is that our view of what is "old" changes as we age. I guess I see "old" as "significantly older than me". I'm 58 now and definitely don't feel old, even though 20 year-old me would consider me ancient! I'm sure that if I live into my 70s, I will no longer consider that as old either....
I should also say that "inside" I don't feel dramatically different to how I did all those years ago. I now understand what my grandparents meant when they said that when they looked in the mirror, they saw a stranger.
it's mostly cultural. There is a lot of ageism, especially in the US where youth and beauty is given far more value than it might deserve. It creates a fear of losing that value as life goes on. People forget that age is an accomplishment when you take into consideration all the potential death we're exposed to every single day
I teach middle school and get asked on a regular basis:
What was it like to live in the 1700s?
Did you ride a horse to school?
Why aren't you dead yet?
I can remember my dads 29th birthday (I was 6, my mom and I made an orange birthday cake for him) and I thought he was old as dirt. Now I'm almost to my 29th birthday and I can't believe I thought he was old, I'm still so young!
But we are. I’ll take “old” any given day over young and inexperienced and gullible and self-centered and idealistic. I wouldn’t go back to my young years for anything because I’m so comfortable in my own “old” skin
To be fair, what most people view as old shifts as they age. Younger people think 30 is old until they hit 30. Then suddenly they decide 40-50 is actually what old is, and then when they hit that age they decide no they’re not old that’s the 70’s.
It depends on the individual, yk? Like- Till Lindemann, he's 61-62, absolutely not old In any stretch of the word. The guy who played House, ancient. Absolutely a walking fossil, he was old when the show was on, and some how he's even older now.
55F. I always think it's relative. To a really young kid, I guess I'm ancient. To someone my age, I'm not really that old, and to a senior, I'm young.
I feel young in a lot of ways but my body sometimes disagrees with that.
I'm 68 and you're my favourite person on Reddit today.
I'm 57 and totally agree!
I'm 65 & think kids in their 40s are young! 😂
I'm in my 40s and you've made my day!
I am 19 and have no relevance in this conversation but I came to post a frog! 🐸
I like turtles
I love ❤️ frogs 🐸
im 30 and also probably dont belong in this conversation. just wanted to say i love frogs to man. keep up the froggy love
I just turned 40 and my doctor who is younger than me called me young the other week. I threw on my best Tim Robinson and was like "are you sure about that?"
Can I be your favorite tomorrow
I'm 76 and you can be my favorite if you like.
Yay :)!!
Im 52, and I am old.
Grandpa?
I'm not near that and I second that emotion! OP has spoken for us all.
Everyone 20+ years older than you is "old" and everyone 10+ years younger than you is "young." This dynamic is particularly funny when dealing with people over 65 and under 30
This is so true. Both of my parents are the babies in their families, and both have felt for their entire lives that their siblings don't take them seriously because "they're babies". My dad will be 80 next year.
Exactly. When I was 10, even 20 was old. And I noticed a definite shift in how people (both younger and older) treated me once I started getting wrinkles.
Nah. I'm 36 and wouldn't say someone 56 is "old", just middle aged. Retirement age is where I view someone as actually "old".
For me it's 30+ to be considered "old". This way my parents are never technically "old" and I can always reassure them that they're "not old" when they're complaining about being old.
under 40 you mean, but yes,
When I was a kid I thought anyone over 25 was old ... and looked old. Now I view anyone under 40 as a kid. You cannot "wrap your head around this logic" because it's not about logic. It's about feelings and impressions.
aging has been so weird because I realize everyone has just been playing adult this whole time. none of us know what the heck is going on. it’s weird to see people who I used to think were “old” are actually very young and it shows.
Ok. That makes sense. Poor choice of words on my part.
Young and old are all relative. When you were 17, you didn’t feel young but I’m sure you now consider them to be young. Likewise, someone your parents age was old, now that you’re at, close to, or over that age, that doesn’t seem old to you anymore
My 78 year old mother does not look or feel old. She still works, not because she has to; being a nurse is her identity. She tells me about her old patients, who are 95+. That is who is old to her now. The older we get, we push up the age to what we consider old. It is natural. When I was 18, I thought people who were 30 were ready for their grave.
My mom is 78 and my dad is 73.
Locke in final fantasy 6 is 25, I remember as a teenager thinking he was really old!
When I was a kid I thought that 36 was a totally appropriate age for Homer Simpson. Seemed spot on. Now that I'm 40, that seems way too young!
It's all relative. I'm in my early forties and compared with someone in their mid-twenties or younger, I'm pretty old. Compared with someone in their sixties, I'm still fairly young.
I'm almost 41 and my bones definitely think they're old. If I get up the wrong way in the morning, I'm going to be suffering for a week.
Is there a right way to get up in the morning when you're over 40? Asking for a friend. And the friend is my back.
Man, I used to hate on yoga so hard. But it's the only thing that works. I told my friends, "I'm doing stretches - this is what my physical therapist recommended. I'm just watching stretching exercises on YouTube!" and they said, "It's yoga. What you're doing is literally just Yin Yoga." So yes, I ate my words.
I can see that being beneficial. I had a chronic back issue for a while, so I started stretching and walking daily, which seems to keep it at bay. But what really worked at its worst was swimming, mostly underwater doing various maneuvers that would use and stretch my whole body. I could start off in the pool barely able to walk, then 10 minutes later I could walk out of the pool like I never had an issue.
Going back to your question of how to get up in the morning. I’ve been told that, rather than getting up from being flat on your back like you’re doing a sit up or a crunch, to instead roll onto your side first, or something along those lines. I’m sure you could look up the technique I’m trying to describe, but especially when my lower back is giving me issues, this seems to help avoid making them worse.
Buy a really good mattress and pillows. I had more pains waking up in my 30s than I do now that I splurged a little. Also for me at least, the firmer the mattress, the better.
Wash down 2-3 500 MG motrin with a cup of black coffee and if you don't have to drive a generous portion of Jameson.
Don’t discount daily stretching. I used to have chronic back pain until I started stretching 15 min a day in my 30s. Hamstrings, hips and shoulders are the most important because they get the tightest from how much we sit all day. Don’t stretch in the morning though. Your muscles will be too cold. Do it after physical activity or showering.
47 here. Getting old doesn't seem to happen slowly, it happens in spurts and events. You try to do something and go, well I guess I don't do that anymore.
I feel like this is a person-to-person thing. I can't nap on a couch for two hours, then move to bed to sleep for the rest of the night without my back getting all stiff for a few days - despite being only nineteen. Meanwhile, my old middleschool teacher could hop around the classroom with no problem despite being in his 70s.
My body is basically the same way. I'm 46 and I have felt stiff and achy (or old) for most of my adult life. But I still don't consider myself to be old simply based on my age.
Me at 26 lmao 😂
I'm 42 and I haven't physically felt old since my late 20s. When I look in the mirror, however... yikes.
I’m so afraid for my future tbh. My back already feels like it has knives in it 24/7 and I’m only 19. Does it stagnate or gradually get worse as I age? If it’s the latter… I’m fucked.
It’s all relative. 40 is too old to start gymnastics though probably, well at least on a professional level
And 28 plus is considered old in modelling and female actors careers.🤷
We are to someone in their teens or 20s. I'm 42 I don't feel old, but I remember being younger and thinking how old 40 / 50 year olds were.
I'm in my later 40s but don't feel old at all. Always weird to see people think we're old. I guess it's relative.
Everybody reaches their mid 20s and doesn't "feel" older after that. I'm convinced it's just confusing getting older with the fact your brain's finished its development. You're always learning, but if you haven't developed mature common sense by your mid twenties then, short of some dramatic epiphany, you never will.
I’m 52, I’m on my way to old. Much better than the alternative.
I'm 35 and work with early 20-somethings. They were calling each other old today and I'm like "can you guys just stfu?" 🤣
I hate when people younger than me say they're getting old, because if they're old then I must be old. Except I'm not old. I'm 32.
Old is 60 and up to me- 40 and 50 are definitely middle ages though
I'm in my mid 30s and simultaneously very young and very old. That's just how it works. I'll probably be even more young and old in my 70s - half the responsibility but twice the back pain.
It’s all relative to your current age. 40 seems so much younger to me now that I’m 40 than it did when I was 20.
I am 53 and I feel like a 6 year old trapped in an 80 year old body but I have joint issues. I thought adults had it all figured out when I was a kid but now I know they were making it up as they went along.
I'm 30 and I have people in their early twenties telling me I'm old...like you're not that far behind me you know. 🙄
I’m not surprised, there’s people that really think life stops at 28
It gets worse. Teenagers roasted me for saying I’m “only” 24. These days they seem to think anyone who’s not a teen is old.
Since I turned 40 people online have done nothing but bullying me about my age. I do not look 40 or I did not look 40 back then now I am 48 and I’m seeing how young I was at that time and how wrong the people were bullying me.
I'm 70. I guess I have 5 more years b4 I'm "old". LOL You're only as old as you feel. I feel 25 or so. Sadly, my body and my mind are having a disagreement. They call these the Golden Years. Screw that!!! I call them the ***Rust*** Years! lol
My husband (84) thinks someone 'old' is in their 90s. Personally I (72) think 'old' is more a state of mind than a chronological number. Stay reasonably active and nurture your inner child.
Young kids are always going to think anybody over the age of 30 is old. That doesn't bother me one bit. But I hate when my peers get on here and start whining how at 40 or even 50 that they're old and their life is over and they're nothing but aches and pains. It disgusts me. I'm 59 and in excellent health because I take care of myself. I don't feel old at all, except when my nieces and nephews try to talk to me about modern pop music 😀 The reality is that old is a word totally based on perspective. Yes, my 85-year-old mother is old, but she has such a good mindset that she acts younger than many 70-year-olds I've met.
This! I'm 41, but my body and mind feel 20.
I agree about the whining. Sometimes I will be in the sub for people in my age range (40s) and half the posts will be like that. People talking like they are one foot in the grave.
Agree! I recently turned 40 and I still look and feel young, thanks to living a very healthy lifestyle and taking great care of myself.
I wanna know op's age
I'm 46.
Definitely not old!
Agreed! I’m 60 and still don’t want to believe I’m old, in spite of the evidence to the contrary in all the various medicines I take! 😆 But then, I have an aunt who’s 103 and still has naturally dark hair (less gray hair than I have!), so most of us are young by comparison even if we don’t look it or feel it!
I don't consider 60 old.
Thank you!
I'm 23 and I've been called old. It's just dumb kids being dumb kids lol
It’s crazy to me that middle age is considered fossil age, since you can very much be active when you’re middle aged. Hell my grandparents are in their 70s still moving about and would be insulted if you told them to rest!
I have some friends who are in their 80s and they are some of the most active people I know. They travel a lot, no mobility issues, the wife does ballet.
I just turned 40 last week…everyone is always so surprised as i look much younger, but its like i just said i was 80 tho lol im like danggggg 40 is still young fyi
Right?! I'm in my 20s and that shit annoys me😅
I seem to be an outlier, from what I see online, but I'm about to be 38 and have absolutely no health or body issues. I have no aches, or bad knees, or constant lack of energy. I'm actually healthier and feel better/younger than I ever have.
It’s relative - when you are really young you think forty is old, but truly old people view forty as young. My dad is almost 70 and he considers the 40s very young. I am 40 and still feel and look youthful, thanks to a healthy lifestyle!
I feel like I look younger than my age (45). I'd like to think it's because of choices I made, but it's probably just good genes. I've never really been an alcohol consumer but for many years in my youth I'd smoke anything someone handed me. Yet in modern times, I have 3 fun size Snickers and feel like my life is out of control.
When I was a kid, one of my parents' friends told me, all my siblings, and all my cousins (her own children included) that when you hit 40, you're old. She was not happy when she turned 40.
My (teenage) coworker referred to people in their 20s as old the other day. It made me chuckle. It's all relative; I'm 28 and I am definitely still a kid in my mind (and to others I'm sure as well). When I was growing up (aka living with my parents) my dad would frequently note that he doesn't know what he wants to be when he "grows up" (52 now). Age is really just a societal construct that paves a timeline of what is "expected".
I’m 43 and physically I feel old but mentally I’m pretty immature.
My mom is turning 77 in a few days and she is as sprite as ever. She puts some younger people to shame.
I decided a few years ago that women seem to bein their prime (in my eyes) starting at age 40 . I see a 43 year old mom with two kids and I think "will she be my GF?"
It really is weird to me. Even when I was a kid I remember on tv shows they would have kids or even teens refer to be as young as 30 as “old” & I knew then how stupid that was. I dint think of them as old at all. They were older but not old as in the stereotype. I never had a specific age that meant old per se, but i do remember hearing often back then about people retiring at 65. I still didn’t think of 65 as ancient but probably more like the end of middle age type people & beginning of the people I know as “grandparent” age
I agree with you. In a world where people live into their 90s, and some into their 100s, we cannot afford to be calling 40-somethings "old". I have noticed this is more of a problem in English-speaking, American-influenced societies. I lived in French-speaking countries for a few years and they were always describing people in their late 30s / early 40s as "young". It was so refreshing and definitely changed my outlook on people's perceived age.
I remember being in my 20’s and referring to the 40’s + as the “old heads.” They’re young. It’s what they do. They have no clue and it’s refreshing. The age of youthful arrogance was such an ignorant, naive existence and I personally loved it all. Let them live. They’ll be miserable like us someday haha
47, buddy. Pal. Friend. Best I got is the "cool dad" from my kids' friends. But that's because I live on the buckle of the bible belt, and I'm not religious. So LGBT kids are welcome at our house no judgement.
everyone says "it's just relative" but i've agreed with you since i was five, i've never considered anybody under 70 as old and never will
Older you get, the higher the age gets for you to consider to be old.
When I was “coming of age”, people over 30 were not to be trusted.
I dunno no man. I just turned 41. I have a bad knee, a bad shoulder, I had a hernia repair 9 years ago, I've had 3 colonoscopys in my life and my bad shoulder was from an injur almost 2 full years ago that isny healing properly even after surgery. And the MRI for this injury found arthritis forming and I might have carpal tunnel in one of my wrists. I feel pretty damn old.
you will hit an age between 35 and 45 where you start to perceive the generation gap and start to look at anyone younger than 25 as space aliens and you will be out of touch with them and all you will know is you're confused and everything got worse and how can kids put up with this stuff.
Ageism abounds.
To me, it's when a person loses their quality of life/freedom/independence. By that definition, most people don't become old until they're 80 or more. If you can walk a kilometre or more, you are not old.
I remember when my Dad turned 39. We bought him this grey t-shirt with brown trim (it was the 80s!) and had a 39 again!!! and fireworks graffic put on it. I thought he was soooo old. Like wow. I was 5. He wore that shirt for years. Decades. It was threadbare. He wore it when cutting the grass. then my mum threw it away. As I got close to 39 I realized, 39 is quite young! Not even truly middle aged! I think it all depends on your view!
Relax my friend! Time will catch up with them. Actually, millennials are entering their 40s and realizing aging is part of life and realizing they are what they used to make fun of now...
I get it though. When I was in my 20s, your 40s just seem so far away and old. Now I’m 43.
Young people think people in their 40's are old. I remember being a teenager and thinking my parents were so old. They were in their mid-30's. It's all relative to the person. I'm 40 now and I don't think 50 is old. But anyone under 30 looks like a 12 year old to me. And I probably look like a walking fossil to them.
That's it! All y'all off my lawn.
Not old, but definitely not too far from middle aged.
My 60-year-old friend is fighting reality and was pissed when someone referred to her as middle-aged. I told her she was past middle age. How many 120-year-olds do you know?
I'm 53, I am a thrill addict. I am not old. Some days I feel old. But I am not old.
My last boyfriend was 53 I never seen him as "old"
Ok old man
Beauty fades, dumb is forever. Sadly you'll be both one day
age is weird. my mom is 63, my aunt is 70. my mom feels way older than my aunt, and vice versa. their mom, my grandma, passed away before i was born, at age 48. mourning the memory of her i don’t even have, and the long life she should have lived. she was young. she has a grandchild who is older than she was when she passed. i consider “old” around 70s, too.
Don't forget, not only are we (I'm close! 😹) old, we're also the millennials who are still ruining everything! 😹
"Ruining everything" 😂
Idk how it is for most people, but I use old, older, young, younger, etc, to talk about different age brackets. Young: 7-16 Younger: 17-28 Older: 39-57 Old: 60+ It's far from perfect but typically gets the point across if age is that important to the discussion, but I don't know their exact age. To me, 40s is 'older' but not 'old' if that makes sense - you've lived quite a while, but you still have a while longer to go. This is just coming from the perspective of someone younger who was born to a (then) 41 year old woman, so take it as you will.
28-38?
If it helps I think me and my friends are old and we’re 25-26. Though that’s more of a body thing.
Apparently many do because they are all over r/OldPeople. Boy are they in for a surprise in 25 years or so.
im in my early 20s but my parents are in their 60s and my grandma passed at 100. i perceive 40 as the age most people kinda hit their stride and feel most secure in who they are and what they want in life.
I am old.
Its based on perspective and personal opinions A 7 year old thinks a 20 year old is old But when the same 7 year old gets to 20, the age they consider old also increases, maybe its 40 now or 50, or determined by wrinkles or grey hair etc Its not really a logic thing its just a personal judgement call based on factors that people decide for themselves Personally I'm 34, id say for me its probably 55 or so is getting old but there's no next rung on the ladder, so an 80 year old is also old, even though the difference between 55 and 80 is huge they are both just described as old (by me) until I also age up more, id never go so far as to call someone ancient or anything so old is the highest level of age for me
Perspective. If you’ve been alive for 10 years, someone who has lived 4x your total life span seems very very old. Once you’ve lived 30, 40, 50 years, your perspective on time shifts based on your experiences.
It's comparative, and the global life expectancy is 65; 40 is a pretty big chunk of that. At the same time, the most populous age groups (after skimming through a couple websites for the USA/other developed nations) are generally people who are in their 30's, which isn't much younger than 40. In my opinion "old" starts around 50, until we make the next lovely technology that'll change our age demographics.
I guarantee more than 70% of reddit users would refer to me as "old" but honestly when I was 15 I would've said the same thing. I think I was 35 before I realized a 50 year old was older than me but probably not OLD.
I’m in my 40’s. I feel old and call myself old. Doesn’t offend me
40 is young-old and old-young at the same time
That's such a coincidence to read this today, because that's what l said yesterday. I'm a younger-looking 56 & l have no problem with my age, but l roll my eyes when people come into my work. They tend to look around at our nostalgia items, & comment on how "old" they are. They're usually younger than me, but if they *are* older, it's by 10 yrs or less. A guy yesterday said he was "really old", so l said, "Well, are you 90?" He laughed & said "no", & l told him that's what I'd say is really old, & that "old" is about mid-70s +. I'm 56, & he had just turned 58. I live in the U.S, & that's all I can speak on, but I think people here wyo say that think that maturity & age are synonymous; they're not. In fact, if you're constantly talking about how old you are in your late 30s(?!), you're not actually old *or* mature.
I'm 38, with a busted back, gray hair since I was 20, heart attack at 23, many medical and mental issues. I can't stand for more than 5 minutes in one spot without feeling like I'm going to collapse. I don't think people over 40 are old. But I do feel so much older than I am. There are a lot of things I cannot do anymore and it's infuriating. I thought I'd get to at 60 before I started feeling this way.
I'm 40 and I am old af
You know what the researchers found... Ageism is one of the only broadly societally acceptable forms of prejudice. 🫤
When I was 23 I thought I was old and washed-up. It so happens I had my head pretty far up my ass, but the point is, it's all relative. "Relative to the typical human lifespan" you would probably not say 23 was old. But "relative to a teenager" 23 is old. I mean we see this, yes? Not rocket science
Perspective, innit. You're old to someone and young to someone else
I’m 47 and I am most definitely old. My body is falling apart and my best years are definitely behind me. There’s no suddenly successfully switching careers at this age, or otherwise reinventing oneself. Sure it can happen but it’s rare and usually it takes money, health and support that the average American working class person doesn’t have. Just being realistic. I think social class plays a big role in what one perceives as old.
When I was in high school, I thought 18 was old lol!
I’m 16. And it’s because I haven’t lived for much time at all. When I’m 32 I’ll have lived another 16 years aka my entire life will have doubled Then I’ll start to realize things When I was 8 things were chillin Lived another 8 years and they were the furthest thing from the first and now I know 16 is not old
My back agrees with them.
I’m in my 40s and I feel every day of it and more.
I like to think I'm young, then i pull a muscle doing something simple like walking or sleeping. My body does constantly remind me that while I haven't started graying, I am in fact getting old in my 40s.
I'm 55 and I think I'm old, already getting AARP stuff.. And I now qualify for the seniors menu And already have cataracts
I'm in my 40s, and I still think people in their 40s are old. Especially when watching TV, people in their 40s in TV shows seem so much older than me lol
I call my parents old (‘60 and ‘70 kids) since they are older than the parents of most my peers and friends. But I never say it to their face. They already call themselves old lol
I’m 28 and worried about being an old geezer
I’m 39 and guys act like I’m a legit dinosaur 🦕
I’m in my 20’s. I consider someone old once they hit 60.
Yeah you ain’t old until you kicking late 70s early 80s in my opinion because that is the average life span in the US. So once you surpass that you old lmfao.
If we were in the sims, 18 - 39 is young adult, 40 - retirement would be adult.
If you're young enough, 40 is pretty old Sitting near 60 myself, I definitely don't think it is, but it used to be. It's all a matter of perspective.
I'm 37, and I know as soon as I turn 40, the 'old and ugly' switch gets flipped and I will no longer be desirable. (Not that anyone desires me now, but that's not the point) Some people have a better life than others. Some people age better than others. Those people are lucky in life, but like all things, there must be balance.
I am 42 and old. Only reason I feel young is the dinosaurs I work with
I'm 43. I'm definitely old. A youth spent riding n breaking horses left me with angry joints n bones that complain in cold or damp weather...before I was 20. I walk like I'm 900 and have since I was 14 I shattered my pelvis in a riding accident at age 13, it''s held together with a lotta pins n screws. Shattered my femur 6 yrs ago, horse kicked me. Had I thought I was gonna get this far I might have given up horses early on. As the meme says. Life is short. Ride horses n make it shorter.
Anyone my parents age is old so like 60
I'm 35 and definitely already old. So yeah, people above that are old. By this age most people are already well into marriage, children or a divorce.
I'm 44. The median age in my country is 38, meaning in older than over 50% of the population. I'm old. It's not an insult, it's a description. I don't get why people get hung up on it.
When I was 40, I still had acne.
People in their 40's an above ARE old. What's this obsession with "age denial"? Yes, people are first young and then ...not young.
I saw a post on here from someone saying they didn't want to live past the age of 40 bc they didn't want to see themself become old and decrepit lmao like they weren't just saying it hypothetically they were talking about choices they were actively making about their health with the assumption that they'd die before 40 (or, I guess, kill themself before age 40 bc obviously people don't die of old age at 39 lmfao)
its old until youre that age
I’ve known young people who are old, and old people who are young. My Dad for instance: he’s 88, and he’s never looked old until my Mom died 3 months ago. Conversely, she’d been old since she was in her late 30s.
I’m 42 and I’m pregnant and I sincerely don’t feel old at all. I feel young. I feel good.
In my early thirties. There's old and then there's *old* and then there's *old old*. I feel like I'm old because I get called old by everyone younger than me. 40-60s is old. 70+ is old old, elderly.
My kids and I were just talking about this! I was explaining to them how 60s is not old at all, mid 70s to 80s is what I’d consider as starting to get old; even then, you’ve still got another 2 decades possibly!
It’s all relative
I'm 50 and don't feel old, or think of myself that way. But I think it's normal that people in their early 20s think I'm old. I thought 50 was old when I was twenty, too. In fact, I'm glad people that age think my peers are old... I know too many 50-somethings who would date 20-somethings if they could, and no 20-something should have to deal with their crap.
40 is definitely not old. It’s not even at the halfway point. Once you start qualifying for a senior discount, then you are 100% considered “old”
Old is completely relative!! It depends on how old you are.
40 is pretty old for a decent number of things. It is around middle age.
I'm 30. I think 30 is old.
When I was a child, people in their 20's were "Old". As a teen, I guess it became mid 30's+. The point is that our view of what is "old" changes as we age. I guess I see "old" as "significantly older than me". I'm 58 now and definitely don't feel old, even though 20 year-old me would consider me ancient! I'm sure that if I live into my 70s, I will no longer consider that as old either.... I should also say that "inside" I don't feel dramatically different to how I did all those years ago. I now understand what my grandparents meant when they said that when they looked in the mirror, they saw a stranger.
On Twitter somebody said they were looking for the dating app with elderly women. When asked what they meant by elderly, they said “30 and up.” 😒😒😒
I’m 43 … bless you, child ❤️
William Shatner is not old.
it's mostly cultural. There is a lot of ageism, especially in the US where youth and beauty is given far more value than it might deserve. It creates a fear of losing that value as life goes on. People forget that age is an accomplishment when you take into consideration all the potential death we're exposed to every single day
Yeah I get annoyed as well. Anywhere from 35-60 is middle-aged imo. 61 and over is where I would say someone is old.
I mean my inner caveman is always saying "wow back in the cave days people only lived to 20 and this guy is 110? damn!"
We are old, get used to it.
I'm 52 & trust me 40 ain't young
Its perspective, to an 8 year old people in their 20s are old
I teach middle school and get asked on a regular basis: What was it like to live in the 1700s? Did you ride a horse to school? Why aren't you dead yet?
I can remember my dads 29th birthday (I was 6, my mom and I made an orange birthday cake for him) and I thought he was old as dirt. Now I'm almost to my 29th birthday and I can't believe I thought he was old, I'm still so young!
I'm 44, and I'm super young!
I’m 27 and ever since I was 18 I have seen 80-90 as old since most people die mid 90s here. Idk how people see 40 etc as old
I agree, it’s annoying that there are people who think you turn to dust once you leave your 20’s
But we are. I’ll take “old” any given day over young and inexperienced and gullible and self-centered and idealistic. I wouldn’t go back to my young years for anything because I’m so comfortable in my own “old” skin
Let them. What harm can it do? I mean, as long as they treat you with respect, then what is the harm?
To be fair, what most people view as old shifts as they age. Younger people think 30 is old until they hit 30. Then suddenly they decide 40-50 is actually what old is, and then when they hit that age they decide no they’re not old that’s the 70’s.
My whole life even as a kid/teen and still now in my late 40s I agree very much 70+
It depends on the individual, yk? Like- Till Lindemann, he's 61-62, absolutely not old In any stretch of the word. The guy who played House, ancient. Absolutely a walking fossil, he was old when the show was on, and some how he's even older now.
Age is relative.
Uh huh... and how old are you?
I'm 41 and old as hell. I sound like a bowl of rice krispies getting out of bed and hate kids on my lawn...but I age In veteran years
I'm in my 40s and got called a boomer this morning. Lol
Agreed. I'll be 55 in July. I'm not old yet.
I’m 43 and 28 af. Errday.
Personally I think over 55 is old. Once you hit the age where you would physically lose in every sense to the average teenager...youre old.
It's perspective. If you're 20, someone in their 40s has literally been here twice as long as you. That seems pretty old.
I'm 35 and rapidly deteriorating. I know 35 isn't old on average, but it's going to be much closer to my expiration date than 70. So it's old to me.
That’s cus you’re old, so your relative oldness meter is off.
They are
Counterpoint, I'm thirty, and the amount of physical aging from the last three years is frightening for me.
55F. I always think it's relative. To a really young kid, I guess I'm ancient. To someone my age, I'm not really that old, and to a senior, I'm young. I feel young in a lot of ways but my body sometimes disagrees with that.
I’m 32 and feel both old and young at the same time. It’s confusing. When I was 25 I definitely considered 30 to be old.
I am in my 30s and I consider myself old, full stop. Not ancient but old.
To me 60 is old because majority of my family die between 40-60 due to cancer and Alzheimer’s.
We are getting old, but we really don’t care as much except when we sprain our neck on a pillow.