Cries of a Babyface

Greivances of a woman just trying to relax without her face causing confusion

In this society, we apparently hold the youth up high. The youth are well recieved by those areound them because their fresh faces show charisma and promise. We guide them because they're so young and cute. But you know what's not cute? You know what they don't tell you? That allure rubs off by 19. By 20, you're annoyed you can't (legally) drink and no one gives a s**t about how you feel, because you're an adult.
So when you turn 21 things should plateau a little. Now you can roll with the big dogs!
Now you're grown and can go anywhere at any time and can't nobody tell you nothin' chile!
That's what I thought, but the past year has shown me how flawed my thinking was...
I'll go back to my point about fresh faces. Fresh young faces are cute, but are not taken seriously in this society. They get no respect. I have been constantly reminded of this by every bartender, liquor store owner, and restaurant manager for the past 412 days(this is a guessed number). Whenever I ask for my drink of choice, before I can finish my sentence the words 'I need to see your I.D.' Or just I.D.!' are screamed in my face. So I gracefully pull out my credentials because I'm a lady and await my drink. But I'm not out of the woods yet. There's the awkward pause. The glaring back and forth between my face and ID as I try not to look uncomfortable around the 6 other people I'm with who did not have to go through this. Then the always right on time remark 'boy you look young'. Or my favorite, asking me my birthday and middle name, because this is obviously a fake ID in a sting operation to bring down the establishment. My friends try to console me and tell me to 'think of it as a good thing. You'll appreciate it when you're older'.
Unfortunately I'm not older. I look younger than my already young self. But that is not an excuse for giving me different and sub-par service. I stood in line last week at the nats game for a frozen margarita. They checked my ID in line before I could even order. That was fine. What was not fine was Cicily Tyson's older sister screaming at me about whether or not someone saw my ID. Then proceeded to say 'you don't look like you should be holding no margarita!'
And herein lies the issue. Age and race discrimination are not exactly the same, but if someone told a person of color that they should prove they can read before buying a book and then said colored person was told that they don't look like they should be holding a book, we would have a million man march. So why do people think it's acceptable to treat paying adults of age like children just because time has not ravaged their soul and face?
Why is it, that we tell people to be complacent with back-handed compliments because it will work out decades down the road?
I'm here to tell you that it's not flattering to be denied entry into a bar 20 minutes before last call, just because the bouncer thinks you're lying about your age and identity. It's not cool man. I just got off of work where a white man told me Iook exactly like the only other black person on staff. I just want my damn drink that I'm paying for.
Don't you guys want my money?
As a short, black, young, and even younger looking woman, this is my social reality. And alcohol is just the tip pf the iceberg. I even get s****y service because people either think I'm not paying/ spending much money/ tipping, and it shows. But how do you expect me to respond when the check comes and I have to evaluate your service before I tip? You obviously don't care because I'm just a kid, right? Wrong! I'm a grown a*s lady, and just because I'm not always in make up and heels, doesn't mean I'm younger than I was yesterday.


Give me good serivce, or I'll give you death! A great patriot said that years ago.
So I'll leave you with this; if you see a young person in a bar, buy them a drink, because the bartender probably ignored them all night...