Why do older guys pay attention to me, and not guys my own age?

Hi all!

I'm a college student, 20 year old female, and within recent years, I've noticed that I'm getting a lot of attention from older men (30-50s). I'm a good student; I tend to act older and dress/act eccentrically. I have a boyfriend who's my age, however, he's a bit quirky like me. (He's an exception, I think.)

Older guys will smile at me, gaze from afar, and try to engage me. Something that's especially hard to notice, is that I've had a few of my older professors, behave this way towards me. I had a professor who would always watch me when I wasn't looking, and would gaze into my eyes when I walked by him. I had another one that ate in the cafeteria at the same time as me, sat near/in front of me; facing me, so he could make eye contact with me.

Most memorable, was this one professor who I saw on two occasions:

1. Last year, I was attending a department interest meeting with my sister. We (and everyone else) were talking before the meeting started. My sister quietly mentioned that the professor had something on his face. I looked at him momentarily, to check her claim, and when I looked up he immediately looked at me. Suddenly, he awkwardly wiped his face, which was bright red. I felt bad. Meanwhile, I find it hard to believe he heard us, unless he was focusing intentionally on our conversation.

2. I saw him again in a small seating area with a few students, recently; I had forgotten about him. He kept watching me; when I would look up from my laptop, he would immediately draw his eyes to me. He watched me leave, and when I walked by him, his head turned to look me in the face as I left -- practically gawking.

I don't quite understand why I'm in this position or why older guys and my professors do this. They make it purposeful, which is ridiculous, since it's completely inappropriate. I'm the last person who would ever try to get with a professor, and I feel as though I should be concerned...

I'd appreciate any insight!

Why do older guys pay attention to me, and not guys my own age?
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