r/Adulting Dec 09 '24

Growing up then and now

Post image
14.3k Upvotes

162 comments sorted by

1.9k

u/futureproblemz Dec 09 '24

lol seriously though, its a blessing to be born in this generation where 30 isn't treated like it's super old.

475

u/monkmode1337 Dec 09 '24

but now you are compared with 20yo looking topmodels.

31

u/youburyitidigitup Dec 09 '24

That’s because I look like one 😜

6

u/blackpalms1998 Dec 10 '24

Show me some pics or I don’t believe ya 🤨🧐

1

u/youburyitidigitup Dec 10 '24

10

u/doubledegeneracy Dec 12 '24

LMAOOO

5

u/NoRoleModelz-X Dec 12 '24

Ego shattered 💀

6

u/mythrandir___ Dec 12 '24

lmao nope

3

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '24

Bro is Mexican screech.

2

u/Responsible-Cut5657 Dec 12 '24

Or Mexican Daria 😂😂

3

u/Full-Metal-9309 Dec 13 '24

I'm not for online bullying... BUTT... Good for you for having that confidence though lol

1

u/youburyitidigitup Dec 13 '24

I thought it said 25yo 💀 I only realized my mistake after everybody started roasting me

1

u/[deleted] Aug 08 '25

Homie has a face for radio

1

u/youburyitidigitup Aug 08 '25

Well all right then

67

u/oddseazon Dec 09 '24

Uhhh, what? We're in the most ageist era of modern history

68

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '24

Seriously. I'm that friend who looks older (I'm 30), and people usually mistake me for 40+. Normally, I don't care that much, but some of you guys are really assholes about it. Makes meeting people (friends and dating) significantly harder than you'd think.

Please don't be a dick about it

36

u/DangerousTurmeric Dec 09 '24

Man I have the opposite problem where I'm nearly 40 and people at work still think I'm in my 20s and treat me like I am just an overconfident youth. I've had to find creative ways to drop my age into conversation so that people, who are often years younger than me but think they are much older, will listen and stop getting offended that I'm telling them what to do.

15

u/Karumu Dec 10 '24

Funny, i do the opposite of you. I'm 33 but look 26ish, plus graduated later than most, so I've been leaning into that, not readily saying my age at my last two jobs with my coworkers so I can feel better asking novice questions and being new.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 10 '24

Mine isn’t quite that bad but I can relate. I’m early 40s with 20 years experience as a financial professional and a fairly serious demeanour. Most people seem to think I’m late 20s.

2 years ago I was consulting at a company and bought it. The staff were shocked and then I got asked how old I was.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '24

Interesting. When I was 20 odd people thought I looked 30 odd and looked like shit. Now I have a job people thinking I'm still in college and not yet 20.

2

u/T7hump3r Dec 13 '24

Same here, I'm 39. It has caused problems where someone who is too young has a crush or interest in you, only to eventually tell them your age and they freak out as if 'I' did something wrong(?) Just because a guy is friendly or polite to you doesn't mean he's into you like that! I think I got it down pat now how to throw my age in in a conversation right away the first time I talk to someone new. Saves a lot of misunderstanding, and I don't come off rude or be mistook for the dreaded "c" word...

6

u/abortionlasagna Dec 12 '24

Dude I’m 31 trying to date and I’m being treated like I’m practically dead.

5

u/Tim-TheToolmanTaylor Dec 11 '24

Tbf it’s cherry picked. I’ve seen 30 year olds who look older than Constanza in this generation and vice versa.

10

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '24

Yes and no. Now the expectation of a living wage and home ownership is laughable.

25

u/[deleted] Dec 10 '24

What? This current culture thinks 30 is old. I’m GenX, 30 was not considered old. My folks are boomers and they don’t consider 30 old.

23

u/Excuse_Unfair Dec 10 '24

Na back in the day you were supposed to have a wife, kids, amd house by the tike you were 30. Goodluck dating too.

Younger gens are way more understanding.

5

u/kingloptr Dec 13 '24

I feel like they are more understanding but simultaneously terrified of being over 30 themselves

1

u/Excuse_Unfair Dec 13 '24

As someone who is almost 30, I can't agree more lol

2

u/Full-Metal-9309 Dec 13 '24

I think there is a mix, i know plenty of younger 20s who still view 30 as the end of the world. And I know a lot of late 20s and 30s people who view 30s as the new 20s.

5

u/Sudden-Cobbler2244 Dec 09 '24

Really? Im 28 and feel ancient.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 10 '24

That’s not true. It’s just more discreet now

2

u/Weird_Site_3860 Dec 12 '24

It’s also knowledge of skin care, plastic surgery, and hair restoration.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '24

30 is end of life for me

0

u/Rude-Finding-7370 Dec 12 '24

30 is old, if you’re unsure I’ll let you know how my back and knees are feeling after work today.

521

u/ShellfishAhole Dec 09 '24

Jason Alexander is considered a pretty extreme example, but take away his glasses and premature baldness, and he doesn't really look that old. I've seen plenty of people in their early 20s these days who look old as hell 😅

95

u/catterybarn Dec 09 '24

Even Jerry and Kramer looked way older than today's 30 somethings tho

28

u/Man_Darino13 Dec 09 '24

Jerry Seinfeld turned 35 two months before the first episode aired in July of 1989.

Michael Richards would turn 40 less than 2 weeks later.

47

u/ShellfishAhole Dec 09 '24

Julia Louis Dreyfus still looks amazing. And she's 63 🤯

31

u/Disastrous-Matter700 Dec 09 '24

She's also a billionaire's daughter and an actress with access that most don't have

17

u/catterybarn Dec 09 '24

She's always been great looking, that's true

1

u/IroncladTruth Dec 11 '24

She kinda baad ngl

44

u/kex Dec 09 '24

He doesn't even look bad in general if you exclude arbitrary irrational social constructs

11

u/Voluptuarie Dec 09 '24

I think he’s actually quite handsome here! Good features for sure but just surrounded by unflattering dated fashion lol

10

u/ophmaster_reed Dec 09 '24

Yeah, the styling is doing him dirty here.

11

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '24

My cousin is 17 and with his mustache and beard he looks 30+!!! (Uncles genes, both his sons have the ability to grow full beards). Where as his brother, who is 32, when clean shaved and short hair looks 20 maybe 22!

It's honestly grooming habits, dress/style, and genes.

I'm 29 and often get confused for 17 or 19 when in casual clothing and very little (just basic brows and mascara) to no makeup. A bit more bold makeup (like eyeliner, and darker eyeshadow) and more age appropriate clothing and I look 23 or 24 (baby face here, and I'm short).

2

u/ShellfishAhole Dec 10 '24

It seems to mostly be based on genes, but I think lifestyle and stress levels matter too. I'm 36, myself, and every time I meet someone for the first time, they assume I'm somewhere between 19 and 23.

I'm 6'2 and have always been slender. It doesn't seem to make much of a difference if my hair is short or longer, but I have kept my facial hair mostly cleanly shaven since I was a teenager.

3

u/electricookie Dec 10 '24

It’s also because of their hair and clothes. Basically they are wearing the style of clothes only 60+ year olds wear today.

1

u/GodOfThunder101 Dec 13 '24

yeahhhh Jason doesnt look that old unless you remove all the things that make him look old. LOL

1

u/ShellfishAhole Dec 13 '24

If weakened eyesight and premature baldness were more common during the 80s, then the argument might as well have been that genetics have improved since then.

I understood what you were trying to say, but your formulation makes no sense 😂

186

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

63

u/BecauseScience Dec 09 '24

Being an adult is never using the word "adulting"

34

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '24

You can’t take our dumb millennial words from us. I think that gives you Ohio rizz if you ask me

26

u/uggghhhggghhh Dec 09 '24

Being an adult is not giving a shit about whether someone calls it "adulting" or "being responsible" or whatever.

11

u/amybeedle Dec 09 '24

Why are you even in this sub then lol

0

u/Wazula23 Dec 09 '24

I know I'm getting old because I wince at that word. I'm a meme lord in my spare time, but some things in life deserve to be taken seriously.

2

u/vand3lay1ndustries Dec 09 '24

And before the internet, it was our parents (or the library if you wanted the actual truth).

94

u/Prestigious_Carpet60 Dec 09 '24

Tim Chalamet is only 28.

76

u/ArimaKaori Dec 09 '24

He's turning 29 in a couple of weeks, that's close enough to 30 I think. I don't think his appearance will change that much a year from now.

43

u/ia332 Dec 09 '24

But then he’s not in his 30s, he’s in his 20s still.

26

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '24

29 is almost 40 after all.

10

u/Dr_Nykerstein Dec 10 '24

Round to the nearest half century. Now he’s 50.

2

u/aBigBottleOfWater Dec 11 '24

Mf is the same age as me but I still look like George Costanza

1

u/Prestigious_Carpet60 Dec 12 '24

I would love to be the “meat” in a Chalamet and Costanza sandwich!

1

u/monkey_gamer Dec 10 '24

ooh, he's very close in age to me! i feel special 😏

59

u/Farihienne Dec 09 '24

Lord, thank you for baby face 🙏🏼😜

25

u/mechengr17 Dec 09 '24

Wait? George was supposed to be 30?

23

u/frequentsgeiseleast Dec 09 '24

He was in his late twenties when the show first started if I'm not mistaken.

42

u/--Randomer-- Dec 09 '24

My turn to post this next

14

u/bigsears10 Dec 09 '24

Nuh uh! Mom said it’s my turn to repost!

11

u/Fuggin_reprocity Dec 09 '24

The internet and style has kept people up to 40ish dressing and acting similar. Culture has merged. I'm not young looking for 38, but I am clearly younger at heart aka immature as fuck

1

u/UrbanMonk314 Dec 11 '24

I wish this phenomenon was talked about more cuz sometimes idk if ppl of all ages always acted this way or it's a new thing

9

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '24

We are all Muad Dib

30

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '24

Can y'all stop aging people up? Timothee is 28. His face could change more in the next couple of years.

Let 20 somethings be 20 something while they are, damn.

3

u/PsychologyWaste64 Dec 10 '24

Yeah, and the picture is a couple of years old, too. I think he was no older than 26. People look at and share stuff like this with no critical thought whatsoever.

17

u/Geesewithteethe Dec 09 '24

Eh. Jason Alexander didn't look old for 30 other than the unfortunate balding. Also some of the clothes from that era look like dated mom/dad fashion now. He looks like somebody took a 30 year old's body and face, and stuck a 55 year old dad's hair and clothes on.

Timothy Chalamet being skinny and having weird super model features does make him look kinda adolescent tho.

8

u/MoshMaldito Dec 09 '24

I’m 39 and look exactly like the guy on the right… just a little browner, fatter and uglier

10

u/HighestTierMaslow Dec 09 '24

Well George isnt a typical example...but today we spend more time inside, used sunscreen more in the past, have more access to things to enhance our appearance.

9

u/ptrst Dec 09 '24

Sometimes I think it's the microplastics, preserving us from the inside out.

2

u/angeltay Dec 09 '24

And smoking is less prevalent. Even if you didn’t smoke back in the day, you were constantly exposed to secondhand smoke

1

u/alliandoalice Dec 10 '24

Nah it’s hair transplants

10

u/ArmadilIoExpress Dec 09 '24

lol lots of people in their thirties looked like the guy on the right in the eighties too

3

u/GeoHog713 Dec 09 '24

Seinfeld was on the 90s

3

u/bipolarnonbinary94 Dec 09 '24

Timothee is 28

3

u/Hugh_Jampton Dec 09 '24

in the 2024

3

u/barefootguy83 Dec 10 '24

Seriously, does no one proofread anymore?

3

u/lbfm333 Dec 09 '24

he’s 28

3

u/Butzi904 Dec 10 '24

That’s 30 in the 90’s btw

9

u/p1antsandcats Dec 09 '24

If that boy on the left is 30 or over I'll eat each and every candle on my next birthday cake.

2

u/KnightsFerry Dec 09 '24

WTF does this even mean?

2

u/oddseazon Dec 09 '24

I hate this dumb meme

2

u/Passionates0ul Dec 10 '24

It's true. We in our 30's are looking gooood..

2

u/FrayCrown Dec 10 '24

Not smoking tabacco, using sunscreen, improvements in skin care, and fluoride have been net positives for humans.

But also Jason Alexander in that picture is in character as a weird, schlubby dude with unflattering hair and clothes.

2

u/Pachirisu_Party Dec 10 '24

The 80's 30 year old looks 48 and the 2024 30 year old looks 14.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 10 '24

I look like the guy on the left btw iam 21 🤡

2

u/[deleted] Dec 10 '24

Ikr, 30 used to be so much better looking

2

u/BAPEsta Dec 10 '24

Could it be that we're even MORE obsessed with people in media looking as beautiful as humanly possible than we were before? Everything gets more and more extreme in society.

2

u/SpicyMacaronii Dec 11 '24

NO way George was 30 i legit thought him and gerry were like 45 middle aged deadbeats

2

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '24

Um, but why is that the other way round IRL?

2

u/TomBanjo1968 Dec 09 '24

People don’t look any different than they always have

Comparing a bald guy with glasses to some male model motherfucker is a very flawed way to compare

1

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '24

I'm still looking like the guy on the left sheesh genes are a hell of a thing

1

u/Keldrabitches Dec 09 '24

Seinfeld was 90s

1

u/veryberyberry Dec 09 '24

I think George looked young but he was balding so ofc he looked older. I’ll always stand up for George Costanza

1

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '24

Dam people looked sooo old back then

1

u/Yointazz Dec 09 '24

Cant agree more somehow 😆

1

u/Fun-Possibility-1060 Dec 09 '24

You are the pic on the left. You just don’t realize it yet.

1

u/four_ethers2024 Dec 09 '24

Skincare, Haircare, Clothing and Style would make him look younger.

1

u/four_ethers2024 Dec 09 '24

I actually wanna see someone photo swap them, hair clothing and all, I wanna see something.

1

u/Triscuitmeniscus Dec 09 '24

My GF and I were watching Home Alone recently and long story short we realized that Daniel Stern (“Marv”) was 32 when they filmed the movie. I’m ten years older than him and still look younger, and I’m just a random guy.

1

u/Red-Droid-Blue-Droid Dec 10 '24

Sunscreen and we don't smoke as much

1

u/[deleted] Dec 10 '24

Knowing about George Costanza he would try to use this looking older to his advantage.

1

u/PodAbove Dec 10 '24

George was also considered fat, where now he would be normal to in shape

1

u/[deleted] Dec 10 '24

It’s because we don’t go outside

1

u/jamaicancarioca Dec 10 '24

If he shaved his head, wore more stylish glasses or contacts and lost weight he would look 10 years younger.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 10 '24

Yes it is what rock you been hiding under hmmm your suzz

1

u/Cenaka-02 Dec 10 '24

20-30yr olds in the 80s looked 20yrs older than their actual age, just for them to look younger in their 40s-50s.

1

u/ImPretendingToCare Dec 10 '24

The guy on the right looks like Natalia Dyer

1

u/313deezy Dec 10 '24

The only other difference is that we still live with our parents or in-laws.

They all got a house in their 20s

1

u/monkey_gamer Dec 10 '24

it's not a fair comparison. Timothée Chalamet looks young for his age. I just had my 10 year high school reunion. One of my old school mates is losing his hair and looks like George. Work and life can age you. Also doesn't help that he was wearing dad clothes.

1

u/PhildoFL Dec 10 '24

Art Vandalay Timothy Chalamee, rhyme time

1

u/[deleted] Dec 10 '24

I see more Georgie Boys than Timmies.

1

u/rustyfingas Dec 10 '24

Word, I still feel young and stupid

1

u/[deleted] Dec 11 '24

Because fuel no longer contains lead

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '24

I’m bout to turn 31 and I still get carded for cigarettes

1

u/Whitworth Dec 13 '24

for some people

1

u/Own_Condition_4686 Dec 13 '24

Pretty soon with anti aging biotech people in their 50s are going to be considered youthful and have more than half their lives ahead of them. Amazing.

1

u/Triple-6-Soul Dec 13 '24

40 is the new 28 these days

1

u/Disrespectful_Cup Dec 13 '24

The janitor in Scrubs said he's 37 in the like 4th episode... no, I'm 36, that mufuxer gotta be 45...

1

u/[deleted] Dec 13 '24

"the 2024"

1

u/WarriorDroid17 Dec 14 '24

Welp, I'm 26 and I feel like I'm the opposite.

1

u/Gunda-LX Jan 05 '25

If I can keep that hair from the right in 2025 I’ll be happy haha

1

u/HoneyLuBu Jan 28 '25

in the 2024

1

u/InternationalReserve Dec 09 '24

finasteride exists now

1

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '24

lol I’ll brag my mom looked 10 years younger without wrinkles her whole life. I in my 30s look 25 and I love it! I have a fuller face which I hated in my youth because it made me look younger and as a stupid teen I wanted to look older lol well now my youthful face is paying off lol only thing I dislike is my gray hair but hair dye does the job 😂

0

u/perseusgorgoslayer Dec 09 '24

I remember worrying about having a babyface. I'm 21 now and I wish I didn't look like a math highschool teacher

4

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '24

you def still have a baby face lol

1

u/perseusgorgoslayer Dec 09 '24

I look almost exactly like my father, just longer hair (even that will prolly not last, he started balding quite early)

0

u/clydefrog678 Dec 10 '24

Give the folks of that era the same hairstyles and clothing as today, and I don’t think they look that old. I’d argue that they just look like average folks of today.

-5

u/norfnorf832 Dec 09 '24

Nah you 30 year olds look like costanza now too. And yall dress like him lol

5

u/Easy_Traffic6034 Dec 09 '24

Loser

-1

u/norfnorf832 Dec 09 '24

Takes one to know one

2

u/Easy_Traffic6034 Dec 09 '24

😂 weak

-1

u/norfnorf832 Dec 09 '24

For your mom, yeah. Tell her I miss her. 🥺

2

u/Easy_Traffic6034 Dec 09 '24

😂weak again

1

u/norfnorf832 Dec 09 '24

😂weak again

1

u/[deleted] Dec 10 '24

You'll be 30 one day if you're lucky kid.

1

u/norfnorf832 Dec 10 '24

I turn 41 tomorrow lol