Baby Face

It probably comes as no surprise to you that people think I am younger than I really am.  It's been a part of my life since high school I guess.  I've had blond eyebrows, very little stubble, and a smooth, pale face.  Sometimes I've even been blessed with those cute round cheeks.  Especially after Thanksgiving!

Is this the face that folks see?  Looks like 8 candles to me.

I must've been about 15 here.  

Senior Year of high school, 17. My big sister was in College!

Preparing for a group date.  Everyone was 18, but visible disparity in features.

In college, we were all men.  But there were varying levels of maturity, poise, and stature.  In the image above, Joey D. in the blue shirt was known for his striking adult features.  Some of the guys had 5 o'clock shadows to contend with.  Not me.   I can still get away with shaving twice a week without much notice!

Last week I came across an article about how Leonardo's young face helps him be likable, and to take his characters to another level.  Turns out there really is something called the Baby Face Bias, wherein baby-faced adults are perceived as more innocent and honest, but have a hard being taken seriously in confrontation or when they are authoritative on a subject. That got me thinking about several of the times when people want to talk about how young I look.

Example 1:

Missionary Trainer, Elder Cannon, August 2000

As a missionary in England, I remember introducing myself to someone (pretty close to my first month in the country) and someone was just so taken aback at my living on my own.  I believe she may have said, "Does your mother know you are here?"   What?   Like I was a runaway or something?  Later in the conversation, I think she likened my appearance to Opie or Richie Cunningham on Happy Days.  I remember getting that alot.  Is there really a resemblance?  I think it was just that I was a clean-cut American boy, and that's what they had to compare against.

Ron Howard, aka Opie, or Richie.

Example 2:  Another memorable time was a few years later, the winter before my college graduation. A few months after we adopted Ian, I remember going into a Wendy's on a road trip and the cashier kept giving me a funny look.  After a taking my order and calling it into the mic, she paused, then seemed to get up the gumption to ask, "Is that your kid?"  I was already feeling kinda self-conscious and new at being a dad, but I understood when I said yes and she followed up with, "You look too young to even be married, much less have a kid!"

Undergraduate Graduation Day. Almost 24.

Master's Thesis Defense Day. Almost 26.

Example 3:  Wow.  So then a couple of weeks ago I was at a conference of many well-respected decision makers related to one of my projects at work.  I was feeling pretty dapper in a suit and one of my bowties.  I may have been one of the younger people in the room.  When I chatted with the session moderator, he commented, "Wow, you look like you could be 16!  Good on you for presenting today."   I wasn't embarassed or offended.  It just comes with the territory, I guess.

I don't think my baby face affects my credibility, though I can never be sure.  I understand that there are factors in judging people externally, such as their accent, culture, and so forth.  As in my confidence post, I have discovered that I have to assert my capability, and maybe that's one of the reasons I wear a bowtie at professional events... it throws people off my "young face" ice-breaker, and lets them chat about how swanky a bowtie looks.

Age 18

I think it's akin to how people paint a mental picture of what someone looks like that they've only talked to on the phone.  When they find out the truth, it's a surprise.  Lots of the people who misjudge my age follow up their comments with, "Oh, well, you'll be thankful for your young face when you are 60 and look like you're 40."  That could be true.  But in the end, I'm not convinced that I care all THAT much about what people think of my face.  Maybe I'll have a young voice like Ira Glass, radio host for This American Life.  He sounds 30, but he's like 52.  I wonder how often people comment to him about it?

Do you have Baby Face Bias?