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Age, gender and all that goes along with it
In my flurry of Sunday morning errands, one stop was at Petco to pick up a bag of kitty litter. I got there right when they opened and evidently they were still getting stuff squared away as I had to wait a few minutes up at the checkout for someone to arrive. Another guy with a full cart of dog stuff rolled up and then a worker finally arrived.
I'll admit, the look of the worker was confusing. I honestly couldn't tell you whether it was a nineteen year old girl with a pixie cut or a twelve year old guy (or something in between or undefined). I was bemused but less so by the hard-to-identify gender of said person as the thought that if it were the latter guess, was he really old enough to be employed.
I can get the age thing, though, but my experience was the complete opposite. When I was sixteen, an age guesser thought I was thirty-two and didn't believe me until I dug out my ID (and not even a drivers license at that point). When I was eighteen and working my first non-paper-route "job" doing cold calls for a low-budget Olan MIlls sort of place, I decided to get a picture done with my BFF since we got a free one. I walked in and the photographer commented "Oh! A mother-daughter portrait!" My BFF was two months older than I was. I've never been carded unless it was a situation where everyone gets carded. I have been lucky enough to have finally visually caught up to my age as I actually get guessed as younger than I am now.
Not sure how long it'll take for the Petco employee to not be seen as a kid and I idly wonder if the androgynous look is intentional in relation to the age thing. But whatever it is, hey, you do you, Ray. You do you.
I'll admit, the look of the worker was confusing. I honestly couldn't tell you whether it was a nineteen year old girl with a pixie cut or a twelve year old guy (or something in between or undefined). I was bemused but less so by the hard-to-identify gender of said person as the thought that if it were the latter guess, was he really old enough to be employed.
I can get the age thing, though, but my experience was the complete opposite. When I was sixteen, an age guesser thought I was thirty-two and didn't believe me until I dug out my ID (and not even a drivers license at that point). When I was eighteen and working my first non-paper-route "job" doing cold calls for a low-budget Olan MIlls sort of place, I decided to get a picture done with my BFF since we got a free one. I walked in and the photographer commented "Oh! A mother-daughter portrait!" My BFF was two months older than I was. I've never been carded unless it was a situation where everyone gets carded. I have been lucky enough to have finally visually caught up to my age as I actually get guessed as younger than I am now.
Not sure how long it'll take for the Petco employee to not be seen as a kid and I idly wonder if the androgynous look is intentional in relation to the age thing. But whatever it is, hey, you do you, Ray. You do you.
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At 20 people thought I was about 16. I was more offended by the latter assumption.