The pros and cons of "youth"

You would think that looking young is a big ol' plus. As I start to clock 30, I feel a nice twinge of satisfaction whenever I get carded (which is just about always), or get called "Miss" (I did actually get called Ma'am once. The namesayer now rots in hell). Yes, I dress "young" most of the time, but even if I sport the business suit and lame sweater set with khakis (ok I never where those), people still view me as fairly young. In the business and dating world, however, this can be a disadvantage. I have to fight damn hard to earn respect from the good ol' boys I work with and am currnently faced with trying to advance my position to overloard of our organization, but because I look "young," I may get passed up. At a recent event, when told my title, an old lady said "but you look like a little girl!" Uhh, gee-thanks I guess...What do you say to that? How about "I may look young, but I feel about as old as you" (read With age comes Pain blog). Also, on the dating front, most guys who hit on me can barley shave. I was on a real streak there for a while with the 20 year-olds. There nothing hotter than a guy saying "wow, you're like real smart and shit." Ohh baby...

Once again, American society has screwed us with a double standard. Everything is youth, money, and respect. But they don't always go hand-in-hand.