[Redway]

Originally Posted by smudgie

16/17
Same as the pubs.

Anyway, that’s why fake IDs are common so it’s not exactly a rare thing, especially not back then. I lent out my provisional license to a buddy once or twice when I was 18 but I personally have never been such an outgoing person so I was more than happy to wait until I was 18, and even then I almost had to be dragged out kicking and screaming (I ended up in some flat-party for pre.-drinks and then it just sort of happened after a good dose of Dutch courage). I just drank WKD when I was 16/17 (milk-bars served me, and challenge 25 wasn’t particularly a thing in newsagents at that time).

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Redway

Anyway, that’s why fake IDs are common so it’s not exactly a rare thing, especially not back then. I lent out my provisional license to a buddy once or twice when I was 18 but I personally have never been such an outgoing person so I was more than happy to wait until I was 18. I just drank WKD when I was 16/17 (milk-bars served me, and challenge 25 wasn’t particularly a thing in newsagents at that time).

I never had a fake ID but you would know which bars and clubs were more likely to let you in, there was always a few that would

[Redway]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

I never had a fake ID but you would know which bars and clubs were more likely to let you in, there was always a few that would

Yeah. Plus it was a bit easier back then to get away with buying alcohol under 18. If you were one of those 15-year-olds who looked freakishly older than your age you might’ve gotten away with it on a ‘good’ day but letting mature 16/17-year-olds through kind of always seemed like a fair compromise to me. I didn’t exactly have the most defined face when I was 16/17 (nor 18 to 20 at that) but I had a lot of facial hair (I grew a trimmed beard officially at 18-ish but had a moustache from at least 15) and generally I was pretty mature so I got away with it in milk-bars. I never had such loud teenage social inclination to try my luck at the club like I said so I very-much waited until I was of age on that front.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Redway

Yeah. Plus it was a bit easier back then to get away with buying alcohol under 18. If you were one of those 15-year-olds who looked freakishly older than your age you might’ve gotten away with it on a ‘good’ day but letting mature 16/17-year-olds through kind of always seemed like a fair compromise to me. I didn’t exactly have the most defined face when I was 16/17 (nor 18 to 20 at that) but I had a lot of facial hair (I grew a trimmed beard officially at 18-ish but had a moustache from at least 15) and generally I was pretty mature so I got away with it in milk-bars. I never had such loud teenage social inclination to try my luck at the club like I said so I very-much waited until I was of age on that front.

Unfortunately for me back then i looked pretty young for my age, I still managed to get in to a few places though

[Redway]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

Unfortunately for me back then i looked pretty young for my age, I still managed to get in to a few places though

My issue was passing for a broad range of ages when I was in my late-mid. to late teens. Most people definitely thought I looked at least somewhat older than I was but there was a time when I was 18 where certain people insisted I only looked 15/16 but like I said I had a beard and moustache so I really didn’t look that young. You might look young in the face alone if you have small-looking deep-set eyes (I have that and it was worse in my teens) but the rest of your body is a more accurate and consistent clue. That’s why I looked 25 to some people and barely 16 to other people when I was 18. As you can imagine I used to hate it when that demoralising minority insisted I only looked 80% of my age.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Redway

My issue was passing for a broad range of ages when I was in my late-mid. to late teens. Most people definitely thought I looked at least somewhat older than I was but there was a time when I was 18 where certain people insisted I only looked 15/16 but like I said I had a beard and moustache so I really didn’t look that young. You might look young in the face alone if you have small-looking deep-set eyes (I have that and it was worse in my teens) but the rest of your body is a more accurate and consistent clue. That’s why I looked 25 to some people and barely 16 to other people when I was 18. As you can imagine I used to hate it when that demoralising minority insisted I only looked 80% of my age.

Yeah it's awful when you're a teen, surprising how fast it changes to hoping you look younger than your age though!

[Redway]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

Yeah it's awful when you're a teen, surprising how fast it changes to hoping you look younger than your age though!

Oh, that’s the one. It’s good to look younger and fresher when you’re older but when you’re only on the cusp of legal adulthood in the first place being told you essentially look like a kid is like a slap in the face.

[AnnieK]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

Yeah it's awful when you're a teen, surprising how fast it changes to hoping you look younger than your age though!

I remember a time when my best friend came with us clubbing - she was more of a home body at the time and preferred to stay home. I went to this particular club every week and knew the door staff. Anyway, my friend got asked for ID (luckily she was 18 as she was a year older than me) but had no idea. I just looked at the bouncer and said "it's ok - she's with me" and they let her in. I gloated for ages that she was such a baby face and she said then wait will we're older and you still look older than me.

She still reminds me now of that day (and yep, she looks younger than me still )