8 Things That Happen To You After You Turn 30

Anonymous

8 Things That Happen To You After You Turn 30

I probably don't have to tell you twice, but if you're under thirty, enjoy those years. It's not to say great things won't or can't happen to you after thirty, because they do, but under 30 you have youth on your side. Take full advantage of your youth by going on adventures, partying, dating, traveling, finish school, go crazy with your fashion, hair, and make-up; do it all because when you turn thirty, though you may not feel any different, the way people treat you and view you and what you do with your life, changes, sometimes very dramatically.

8 Things That Happen To You After You Turn 30

1. You will be called old. A lot.

I remember announcing on FB that I was turning 30. I've never had a problem really proclaiming my age, because I've always felt it's nothing but a number, but the comment brigade really laid into that age. I think a lot of my friends, a lot of them former co-workers, always just assumed I was their same age, and so when they heard 30, it was like really, you're thhhhhhiiiiirrrrrrrrttttttyyyyy? My God, that's soooooo ooollllldddddddddd. It was almost instantaneous how some of their opinions of me and other people I've encountered sometimes chang just because I'm not five to ten years younger than I actually am. I mean, I guess I can take that as a compliment because they assumed I was much younger. A lot of younger people treat 30 and beyond like a disease and to say you didn't if you're older now, when you were younger, is probably not really the truth.

The age thing happens on GaG a lot too. I was commenting on something pretty innocuous and this person starting screaming (in all caps) about how I was, "an old hag that was jealous that I wasn't young anymore and should mind my business before my eggs dry up." The question wasn't even a hot button issue, I had not actually spoken to the person who made the comment at all before they made it, but they felt the need to attack my age like it had some bearing on the question for absolutely no reason. It was just crazy, but it's the internet I guess, you can't really be all that surprised these days, but youth is no longer necessarily at your side and you don't really have that to fall back on, and a lot of younger people consider that a weakness to exploit. Oh, and don't ever think you can use your new found maturity to explain to them how life works, or the realities of being a grown up, or how they think their life will be so different when they turn 30, but it really won't. They'll never listen until they get to be your age.

8 Things That Happen To You After You Turn 30

2. If you aren't settled or settling in life, prepare for judgement day

No one will think it's cute when you're a 30 something and you don't have a job and aren't living on your own. If you haven't got some things figured out and paying your own bills everyone will have an opinion on you and your life and it will be relentless. One of my guy friends had some really unfortunate situations happen to him and had to move back home, and it's just never ending how people try to make him feel bad about it even though he is trying his absolute hardest to get out of the situation. Definitely worse for a guy, but not all that much better if you're a girl in the same boat so as you near that 3-0, if you aren't making some real life plans, just prepare yourself for how people will view you.

8 Things That Happen To You After You Turn 30

3. And speaking of what people think, if you aren't married and/or having kids...

Ironically we live in a time period where at least in the US, the divorce rate is super high, and yet, marriage is still hailed as the thing you have to do and need to get serious about by 30 or you'll end up old and alone, aka, sad and pathetic. You start to feel this when you're friends, if you aren't married, start to all get married. They start excluding you from their activities a lot of the time because you're the single one, and they are just in some different world. Add to that if you don't want kids or don't have them or aren't wanting them, you're constantly asked why, why, whyyyyy don't you want or have kids. Just like if you don't live by yourself, people constantly judge you for it and try to talk you into having kids and convince you that your choice not to, if that is your choice, is wrong. Your parents, as they grow older and want to have grand kids and see you settled will especially start letting you know and putting pressure on you to get married and/or have some kids.

8 Things That Happen To You After You Turn 30

4. You're supposed to be the responsible one...

Lest you forget, you're 30 now. People are basically pretty forgiving when you get in trouble in your 20s. You're so young and everyone makes mistakes, and you're learning, but at 30, all that disappears. You're the responsible one. You're supposed to know and handle situations 'like an adult,' because you are one. No one considers you a kid at 30. You're grown and society, wants you to act like one so forget about youthful indiscretions.

8 Things That Happen To You After You Turn 30

5. You become physically damaged slowly but surely...

It's a bit of an over-exaggeration to say that you break down completely at thirty, but you do start noticing little things here and there like first grey hairs, your body becomes just a little rusty when it comes to your energy level and being able to exercise at your former peak levels, you aren't able to easily lose weight like you used to, your hearing does change especially if you have had headphones permanently plugged into your ears for an entire decade. You may experience, if you haven't already, more vision problems. It's not what happens to you at 50, but it's the beginnings of the true aging process that you're first really confronted with.

8 Things That Happen To You After You Turn 30

6. You have to do an internet search to find out what's happening...

One day you're cool and then you totally aren't. In middle, high school, and college you were in the thick of things. When some new trend came along, some new song, some new dance, some new fashion trend, some new slang, you figure it out because everyone is doing it, snap chatting it, and experiencing it at the same time, but when you're thirty, you're like at work when all this is happening in the world. Your friends have mortgages and kids, they aren't doing the hottest pepper challenges and trying to figure out what they are going to do for their 100 of something challenge for YouTube. You will slowly but surely both mature and lose touch with "the youth." Even when it comes to music, everything everyone else is listening to starts to become less cool to you and no new artist can really do what the artists you grew up listening to could do so there is this cut off in your collection whereby only a few new artists as opposed to a range, or what's trending, really and truly slip through into your collection.

8 Things That Happen To You After You Turn 30

7. You're too old to wear that...

Ever see a 30 year old try to walk into the office in a halter and mini skirt or go out with the kids in some short shorts and a plunging top or get away with wearing a t-shirt and tennis shoes with your tux? It just doesn't work. Even as you fight tooth and nail for the look and rationalize that if you still got it, flaunt it, you'll hear that you're too old for that or to do that or to wear that, or its inappropriate for someone "your age."

People expect your style to mature. You can't just go out anymore to a nice restaurant in your jeans and flip flops because you're so young or you're trying to like rebel against your parents and society. At thirty it comes off as largely immature and pathetic to people, especially on the dating scene. You might really like a trend you see a 20 something or younger wearing, but 'because of your age,' people don't think you in particular should wear it or they think you should be shopping in the grown up section now. This extends to hair and make-up as well. Certain hairstyles and make-up styles are considered to be very youthful and childish and when you wear them as a 30+ year old, whether as a man or woman, people will let you know.

8 Things That Happen To You After You Turn 30

8. If you're still dating, things will get "complicated"

In your 20's people are a lot more carefree, don't have things tying them down, don't have all that much responsibility, but when you hit your 30's the dating pool becomes this weird and stressful place. You have to worry about if someone is actually already married or if they are a single mom or dad or if you, yourself have kids. You worry a lot more about whether someone is on your level financially. You may be looking to settle down as instructed by your now insistent parents, and so dating can become looking for a spouse and a lot more serious than it was when you were just looking to hook-up. There can be a lot more deal breakers that wouldn't have bothered you a few years back. You CANNOT deal with drama like you may have done previously. You might have to deal with people who are divorced and issues that stem from that especially if they have what will most likely be young kids they still have to take care of.

8 Things That Happen To You After You Turn 30
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