No, 17 is Not Flattering
Wednesday, 16 January 2008 -- 10:33 pmA few months ago, I was making homemade salsa to take with me to a Mexican-food dinner party at our friends’ apartment, and I needed to run to the supermarket to pick up a few ingredients. It was a Saturday afternoon that I’d planned to spend at home in the kitchen, so I was wearing a pair of cargo pants and a hooded Mickey Mouse dragon sweatshirt from Hong Kong Disneyland. I had on my glasses, and my hair was pulled back loosely to stay out of my way. Granted, I didn’t look my best, but then I was just going to the supermarket downstairs, and I didn’t even need to leave the building!
While I was at the store, I decided to pick up a few bottles of Corona to take with us to dinner, because what goes better with Mexican food than Mexican beer? When I got to the checkout, I was fumbling around in my canvas shopping bag for my wallet, when the clerk asked me a question in Norwegian that I didn’t recognize. Normally the extent of my dialog with a grocery clerk is, “Do you need a bag?” “No, thanks.” And ocassionally, “Would you like the receipt?” “Yes, thanks.” This was something different. There was no “bag” or “receipt” in the Norwegian question. Confused, I replied with my standard English, “I’m sorry?” (translation: “I’m sorry that I don’t speak Norwegian. Could you please repeat that in English?”)
She asked me if I had any ID. I must have looked ridiculous, because I was so taken aback by the question. The drinking age in Norway is 18. I’m a decade beyond that. The idea of being carded had never even crossed my mind! And not only that, but my answer was very nearly no! Usually when I just run downstairs, I toss a little cash into my shopping bag! Thankfully this time I had my entire wallet, but that doesn’t help very much. Aside from my passport, the only ID I have that shows my age is my Texas driver’s license! I offered it to her, she squinted at it a little, and I took my Corona upstairs, feeling a little ashamed and vowing never to go out in public in a Mickey Mouse hoodie again!
I did laugh about it later, and I chalked it up to my dishevelled and unstylish wardrobe choices.
However… On our last day in Perth, Lucas and I had spent the day wandering around the city, seeing the sights, and met up with Yakuta and Clayton after work. We decided to go out for a drink while we were still downtown. In a cute sundress and sandals, I was definitely the dressiest of the four of us, and there was a little bit of concern that with trainers and shorts, we might not meet the dress standards for a Friday evening.
This was on my mind when we reached the door, but Lucas and Clayton went in with no problem. It was Yakuta and I that got stopped at the door! But it was for an ID check. Australia is also an 18-and-up country, so once again, I was being questioned about being 17! Not only that, but they actually questioned the authenticity of my Texas ID and quizzed me on my birthday!
I can understand that if I looked like I was 21, they might do a quick check to be sure. In the US, where the drinking age is 21, some places have a policy to check ID for anyone who looks under 25. But this wasn’t a quick check! They actually told me my license looked fake! Of course, they tried to play it off about how it was a compliment to look so young. But no. Looking like a seventeen-year-old is not flattering!
January 17th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Finally, someone else that recognizes my pain!
While in California last summer for E3, I got to know one of the guys working the shuttle buses, and on the last day he asked me: “so, are you a senior in high school or something?” Admittedly, I had been wearing a backpack most of the week, so that probably didn’t help. I had to inform him that I had graduated from college, 4 years ago! He did the same thing as the club bouncers, trying to play it off as a compliment.
And I wonder why I don’t get much respect from the PR reps and other people who decide who is “an adult” and who is “just a kid who snuck in.”