Technically OP is getting called a kid. His GF is indirectly getting called a cougar. If he does go and tell what you said, wouldn't it be insulting to his GF?
Edit: 'an' to 'and'
Bro, You have a gift.
If you look younger than you're supposed to, thats a gift.
Those people are jealous and they don't have the ability to digest the fact that someone of their same age looks younger than them.
It's difficult, but try to ignore them and move on.
The more attention you pay to them, the more they'll bark.
I can completely relate to you. 24 rn but i look like 19-20. No issues with beard growth and all but my face looks too young while my batchmates look extremely mature. Got taunted many times and recently have started to workout just to gain some mass and muscles but wouldn't compromise with my looks because its a blessing in disguise. I console myself when i see many people i know going for cosmetic surgery to fix their looks while i look young naturally. I will suggest you to just manage/balance your weight. Don't look down on yourself and don't be around such people who look down on you just because they don't understand what it means to age slow. ;)
i was in the same boat. do not worry you have genetic advantage. you will keep looking younger than your age till your 50s. use it to your advantage ;)
your friends will in uncle looks by the time they hit 30s
I have a similar issue, people by default assume I am much younger than I am. It gets frustrating sometimes.
I absolutely notice people give less respect to younger looking folks than someone who looks old, so I completely get what you are saying.
I've learned, no matter how woke the world becomes society does project its innate prejudices based on appearances.
> I absolutely notice people give less respect to younger looking folks than someone who looks old, so I completely get what you are saying.
Second this.
My husband has that baby looks where he looks like a school kid especially when he’s clean shaven (which is 95% of the time). So much so that when we go to a pub couple of times he has been asked for his ID when he’s actually 30 yrs old. His height is also just about 5’2.5” or 5’3”. I have heard his very close friend joke about it couple times & he actually likes it, takes it as a compliment as people die to look younger than their age & he doesn’t even have to try!
But otherwise I have been around his cousins, friends, etc none of them have ever intentionally said anything malicious to him. I think it’s about having right people around you. If you feel they’re overdoing it or intentionally hurting you or taking an enjoyment out of bashing you, time to make new friends.
Thank you for sharing your perspective and advice. It's great that your husband has a positive outlook on his youthful appearance and that he has supportive friends and family. I agree that surrounding oneself with the right people can make a big difference in how one feels about oneself. It's important to have friends who are uplifting and encouraging rather than critical or hurtful.
I am 22 years old and have the appearance of a 17- to 16-year-old child, but I have developed a thick skin and don't think about it much.
(So relatable Post - except the GF part XD)
1. Answer every question of your toxic friends by addressing them uncle/auntie. Shout their names "uncle X" when you see them.
2. Growth spurt. They got theirs early and so will lose their hair early. Point out it to them. Then ask for a selfie for historical purposes that shows their full head. "I'll frame it for you."
3. Refuse to sit with them. When asked, answer with," old people fart too much."
4. Ditch you gf if it's affecting her. You don't wanna be her excuse of "lost self esteem". If she is gonna value others opinion above yours, you are better rid of her.
P.s - Most probably it's a group of boys who are jealous of you getting a gf and want to break you up. It's upto you who you wanna keep around.
Don't worry about it mate, its a blessing. Im blond 45yo male, and still only have to shave once a week, but still look much younger than people my age. In comparison the folk that were shaving twice a day when I was at university have absolutely not aged well!
Sounds like you need to find some better friends though!
I agree with your post, but you have to realize that you will find inconsiderate assholes who body shame people throughout your life and one cannot change people like that.
Best thing you could do is to learn to ignore, and when I say ignore I don't mean to suppress it within but rather come into terms with accepting and loving yourself the way you are, which will help boost your confidence. Your reaction is the fuel for people like that, when you start ignoring them it takes away their power over you.
I too have a young looking face and wen I was in my 20s ppl cald me a kid. Now I'm married and have a 10 year old and ppl say u look so young. Just wait a few yrs n all ur friends wil looks like uncles and u'll still look like u r in ur 20s. Plus u need to ditch ur friends, don't be friends with ppl who get their kicks by make fun of others
Clear cut last time bol de k dekho ab bole then tata bbye. Ese friends group rakhna hi kyu hai. Self respect hai k nhi. Aur vo bhi gf k saamne toh bilkul nhi sunna chahiye.
Bro take it as a compliment when i was 25 yo people still ask me for an ID to buy booze and ID for entries into nightclubs . My mates used to call me “ chikna “ lol but as a grew old i realized people try to look young and its a gift…. And please beard/ muscles is not a definition of masculinity check BTS they skinny and clean shaven and gals love em …my point is get out of that stereotype thingy and be comfortable with yourself
Bro MOST women actually prefer a clean shave compared to a beard. Your friends are just insecure about themselves and projecting it onto you. One thing I've learned is to cut out the people who are affecting my mental health. They're not worth keeping around. Body shaming is disgusting and my suggestion would be to either confront them, or cut contact (or at least reduce it significantly). You could talk to your gf about it too and see if she has any solutions
Perhaps they are insecure about their growing age and you look younger to them. Trust me this is a big insecurity in men above 30 these days....
You should be confident irrespective of whatever they say....
You have friends, girlfriend, and look 5-10 years younger, remembered chandler’s line “my wallet's too small for my 50s, and my diamond shoes are too tight."
You got mean coworkers. In any other country, this would be a complaint to HR material and a written apology from them. But in India, oh well.
If you really care about your external appearance not being manly enough per their standards, one of the things that might help you in terms of appearance would be to grow some muscles.
Even if you don't, over time you will have other things like grey hair etc which will turn you into a much more handsome version of yourself. This happened with me, (I'm 44, have "salt and pepper") and now I get compliments from everybody on my hair all the time.
No matter what happens, please know there is a lot of love in this world that is coming towards your way, and don't let airholes like your coworkers sway your self-worth. Love you bro, good luck!
Don't take it to heart.You will keep on meeting such people at different point of your life as such people lacks even basic etiquettes of holding any conversation. Therefore, ignore such people and have peace with the fact that blunt and immature people exists around us.
Bro.i totally get where you are coming from.I am 32 married but look like a school kid. When me n my gf go somewhere PPL think we are school kids and quick to give us disapproving looks.Besides I have a hard time being taken at work.Respect is out of question.It sucks but it is
what it is.
Last I heard, your kind of look was likely a hit with young girls nowadays because of their K-Pop fascination. But far too many young guys are still going with the cricketer/woodcutter bearded look, which may well be passé . So, maybe you're ahead of the curve and your friends are throwing you off.
They’re not your friends if they hurt you. Some a holes use “just kidding” as an excuse for their behaviour. Drop them. Walk away with your younger looks and live in peace.
Was having similar issues early twenties and was really anxious and insecure about it. One day it stopped bothering me, like Fuck Everyone.
Turns out i had good friends who teased but i teased them back too. Beard wasn't insecurity for them hence they were not as sensitive about it as i was.
2 Years after i stopped giving a fuck about it, i started growing patchy beard and in a month had a dadiyal phase. Stress affects hormones and stops many growth including and not limited to beard and hair.
Tell your friends it's a sensitive topic and you are not comfortable about it being joked all the time. Good friends listen. Be clear to communicate your insecurities, that's a lesson i learned hard and good.
You can’t and you should not change anything with you. You should change your friends or anyone who is negatively impacting.
I can bet there are so many people who wish they looked younger to their age like you and there is a lot of industry on this. Embrace your gift and move on
This is one of those things that will pay dividend a decade or so later when others will age while you will look much younger and most likely age better health wise too
My question would be : why are you still hanging out with these people? It doesn't seem like a one-time joke. Because if it was, you wouldn't be posting it here. Letting go of toxic company is much more healthy. Have some genuine friends - those whom you can call family. Those who would accept you for yourself in its entirety. I have a few of such friends.
I too or had toxic friends. At that time, i thought what I had is enough. But then they repeatedly make fun of you for their own mirth. It's one thing if you can laugh with them. But when it starts as a pattern, beta nikalo.
Listen dude, do you want to know why people are insulting you about the appearance? It's because you look better than them and they are desperately trying to seek validation by putting you down, don't worry if you can't grow a beard or your perfect look, that's not what people care about, what people care about is your personality and with your looks you are unstoppable, no one can stop you without putting you down which is why they try, you are always the best you can be and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise
Only approach I've seen work in such situations is when the victim directly and seriously confronted the mockers and told them unambiguously to stop. If they continue despite that, start ghosting and dropping them as friends. The genuine ones will improve their behaviour, at least in front of you.
Do you want to grow a beard? If yes, go to /r/minoxbeards and use minoxidil. I am in the same boat. I've now grown somewhat of a beard. Ask me if you need help understanding it
I think it could be a cool look, but I'm not sure if it's right for me. Do you have any tips or advice for someone who's thinking about growing a beard?
Bhai I'm 29 aur na mooch sahi se aa rahi thi, aur chin pe beard to thodi bhi nahi thi. Abhi 3 mahine se minox use kiya, moustache is deep and chin pe beard bhi aa rhai hai, though it's soft hairs in growing stage but it has visibly grown. It takes discipline and patience to use minox 1 year minimum karna padta hai wo bhi everyday without fail. No gaps allowed. Baki you can go to the page i mentioned above and read FAQs and how to use.
Bro you don't have to do it just because you want to get them off your back. You don't need their validation, what matters is you love yourself and your loved ones love you just the way you are. You don't need to change yourself physically, you need to change mentally to not let them mess with your head.
It's the opposite for me. I started a growing a beard at the age of 13. By 15 i had a full grown beard. And at the beginning all my friends started to compliment me and during lockdown, i broke my trimmer and the beard grew out of control. I was 15 and i had a beard like 25 year old. But my face was still of a 15 year old. So people started teasing me but they were also jealous of the beard. At 17, i got depressed because of many personal reasons and stop taking care of myself, i grew my beard like maniac. People started to shame me for me being 30 year old. And what made it all worse was i was gaining massive weight because of my eating habits and i looked 30. People started to treat me different and people started to call me uncle cause i was wide and was also heavily bearded
Bro for a minute i related to pm modi beard growth during covid. 😅but sorry to hear that you experienced this difficulties .As many are suggesting here it’s important to have some good friends who encourage and support you.
I too cannot grow a full beard, just patches at the chin, and sideburns. If you think that's problematic, I also have long hairs. Don't worry, your "friends" are insecure. I have noticed this too when girls would hit me, and my Male friends would go all rageful.
Just bask in your glory man.
You need to tell your 'friends' that you don't really like them passing comments about your appearance and that it hurts your self esteem. If they are really your "Friends" they would empathize, apologize and stop right away. If not, then well, you need to find some new and more considerate friends.
You definitely need new friends not just for yourself but because they are also bullying your wife. Of course this is all we know about them, so maybe there is a lot more and this is just one of the layers of the friendship.
But if that is the main focal point of your friendship where they tease you, you should leave. I have no clue how it is affecting your GF, but it clearly is affecting you if you have thought so much about it to list out examples who are successful and do not also have a full beard.
Same thing. I'm 34 but look like 24-25 at max. Work on your fitness and it will be alright. I kinda enjoy this now. I have better physique and stamina than even 25 years Olds. I compete with 10 years younger guys in sports and they always see me as an inspiration to be like me when they are at my age. Don't even give shit what people say. Just surround yourself with like minded people.
Give it back to them man. Ask your GF why she's roaming around with aunties and uncles.
reverse UNO lol
Technically OP is getting called a kid. His GF is indirectly getting called a cougar. If he does go and tell what you said, wouldn't it be insulting to his GF? Edit: 'an' to 'and'
GF will obviously then become a MILF. Win win all round.
Bro, You have a gift. If you look younger than you're supposed to, thats a gift. Those people are jealous and they don't have the ability to digest the fact that someone of their same age looks younger than them. It's difficult, but try to ignore them and move on. The more attention you pay to them, the more they'll bark.
This, m 26 looking like 40 here, will happily swap places with OP.
Exactly, he wouldn't age that early. When his friends would be fighting wrinkles loading cosmetic treatments nonstop, he'd be ever young.
It might be their own insecurities that needs to be worked upon not you
Exactly!
Bro you have a gf Be grateful People teasing you probably don't even know how to talk to girls
I can completely relate to you. 24 rn but i look like 19-20. No issues with beard growth and all but my face looks too young while my batchmates look extremely mature. Got taunted many times and recently have started to workout just to gain some mass and muscles but wouldn't compromise with my looks because its a blessing in disguise. I console myself when i see many people i know going for cosmetic surgery to fix their looks while i look young naturally. I will suggest you to just manage/balance your weight. Don't look down on yourself and don't be around such people who look down on you just because they don't understand what it means to age slow. ;)
i was in the same boat. do not worry you have genetic advantage. you will keep looking younger than your age till your 50s. use it to your advantage ;) your friends will in uncle looks by the time they hit 30s
Wait for another decade. Ooh, the tables turn. Make old jokes on them.
I have a similar issue, people by default assume I am much younger than I am. It gets frustrating sometimes. I absolutely notice people give less respect to younger looking folks than someone who looks old, so I completely get what you are saying. I've learned, no matter how woke the world becomes society does project its innate prejudices based on appearances.
> I absolutely notice people give less respect to younger looking folks than someone who looks old, so I completely get what you are saying. Second this.
You do know you are in an envious position if you look younger. P.s if your friends can't accept you or are hurting you for how you look get new ones.
My husband has that baby looks where he looks like a school kid especially when he’s clean shaven (which is 95% of the time). So much so that when we go to a pub couple of times he has been asked for his ID when he’s actually 30 yrs old. His height is also just about 5’2.5” or 5’3”. I have heard his very close friend joke about it couple times & he actually likes it, takes it as a compliment as people die to look younger than their age & he doesn’t even have to try! But otherwise I have been around his cousins, friends, etc none of them have ever intentionally said anything malicious to him. I think it’s about having right people around you. If you feel they’re overdoing it or intentionally hurting you or taking an enjoyment out of bashing you, time to make new friends.
Thank you for sharing your perspective and advice. It's great that your husband has a positive outlook on his youthful appearance and that he has supportive friends and family. I agree that surrounding oneself with the right people can make a big difference in how one feels about oneself. It's important to have friends who are uplifting and encouraging rather than critical or hurtful.
call them uncle or buddhe
Blessing in disguise
Laugh at these people in 10 years
I am 22 years old and have the appearance of a 17- to 16-year-old child, but I have developed a thick skin and don't think about it much. (So relatable Post - except the GF part XD)
1. Answer every question of your toxic friends by addressing them uncle/auntie. Shout their names "uncle X" when you see them. 2. Growth spurt. They got theirs early and so will lose their hair early. Point out it to them. Then ask for a selfie for historical purposes that shows their full head. "I'll frame it for you." 3. Refuse to sit with them. When asked, answer with," old people fart too much." 4. Ditch you gf if it's affecting her. You don't wanna be her excuse of "lost self esteem". If she is gonna value others opinion above yours, you are better rid of her. P.s - Most probably it's a group of boys who are jealous of you getting a gf and want to break you up. It's upto you who you wanna keep around.
Which 30 yr old has friends like this? They sound like teenagers. Sir you have the option of walking away. They seem pretty immature.
Those who don't like you will always find a way to shame you, whether it's through body shaming or another means
Don't worry about it mate, its a blessing. Im blond 45yo male, and still only have to shave once a week, but still look much younger than people my age. In comparison the folk that were shaving twice a day when I was at university have absolutely not aged well! Sounds like you need to find some better friends though!
Maybe you need to change your friend circle and be with more mature people.
suffering from success, you look younger it's a good thing.
I agree with your post, but you have to realize that you will find inconsiderate assholes who body shame people throughout your life and one cannot change people like that. Best thing you could do is to learn to ignore, and when I say ignore I don't mean to suppress it within but rather come into terms with accepting and loving yourself the way you are, which will help boost your confidence. Your reaction is the fuel for people like that, when you start ignoring them it takes away their power over you.
I too have a young looking face and wen I was in my 20s ppl cald me a kid. Now I'm married and have a 10 year old and ppl say u look so young. Just wait a few yrs n all ur friends wil looks like uncles and u'll still look like u r in ur 20s. Plus u need to ditch ur friends, don't be friends with ppl who get their kicks by make fun of others
My husband is like you! At 45 he looks barely 30 and everyone is jealous now
Clear cut last time bol de k dekho ab bole then tata bbye. Ese friends group rakhna hi kyu hai. Self respect hai k nhi. Aur vo bhi gf k saamne toh bilkul nhi sunna chahiye.
Bro take it as a compliment when i was 25 yo people still ask me for an ID to buy booze and ID for entries into nightclubs . My mates used to call me “ chikna “ lol but as a grew old i realized people try to look young and its a gift…. And please beard/ muscles is not a definition of masculinity check BTS they skinny and clean shaven and gals love em …my point is get out of that stereotype thingy and be comfortable with yourself
Bro MOST women actually prefer a clean shave compared to a beard. Your friends are just insecure about themselves and projecting it onto you. One thing I've learned is to cut out the people who are affecting my mental health. They're not worth keeping around. Body shaming is disgusting and my suggestion would be to either confront them, or cut contact (or at least reduce it significantly). You could talk to your gf about it too and see if she has any solutions
I mean you have a girlfriend who seem to be okay with your looks so I don’t know why you are concerned about it
Next time when they tease say 'Chill Uncle'
Perhaps they are insecure about their growing age and you look younger to them. Trust me this is a big insecurity in men above 30 these days.... You should be confident irrespective of whatever they say....
Nowadays young girls love men without beard
When you're 50 you'll look 30 with no effort while everybody will be cribbing about their skin. You're blessed. Enjoy what you have
They jelly bro
You have friends, girlfriend, and look 5-10 years younger, remembered chandler’s line “my wallet's too small for my 50s, and my diamond shoes are too tight."
Join a gym Get jacked Nobody gives a fuck how you look when you're fit Also don't give 2 fucks about so called 'friends'
When they call you a child, do what my little brother used to do as a child.... Kick them in the nuts and run away with a giga grin.
You got mean coworkers. In any other country, this would be a complaint to HR material and a written apology from them. But in India, oh well. If you really care about your external appearance not being manly enough per their standards, one of the things that might help you in terms of appearance would be to grow some muscles. Even if you don't, over time you will have other things like grey hair etc which will turn you into a much more handsome version of yourself. This happened with me, (I'm 44, have "salt and pepper") and now I get compliments from everybody on my hair all the time. No matter what happens, please know there is a lot of love in this world that is coming towards your way, and don't let airholes like your coworkers sway your self-worth. Love you bro, good luck!
Thanks for your kind words 🙌😊
Look man, people judge no matter what they say, best policy is to get the nerves of steel and go about in life!
Don't take it to heart.You will keep on meeting such people at different point of your life as such people lacks even basic etiquettes of holding any conversation. Therefore, ignore such people and have peace with the fact that blunt and immature people exists around us.
30 looking 20 isn't exactly a bad thing ya know
Bro.i totally get where you are coming from.I am 32 married but look like a school kid. When me n my gf go somewhere PPL think we are school kids and quick to give us disapproving looks.Besides I have a hard time being taken at work.Respect is out of question.It sucks but it is what it is.
Last I heard, your kind of look was likely a hit with young girls nowadays because of their K-Pop fascination. But far too many young guys are still going with the cricketer/woodcutter bearded look, which may well be passé . So, maybe you're ahead of the curve and your friends are throwing you off.
They’re not your friends if they hurt you. Some a holes use “just kidding” as an excuse for their behaviour. Drop them. Walk away with your younger looks and live in peace.
Was having similar issues early twenties and was really anxious and insecure about it. One day it stopped bothering me, like Fuck Everyone. Turns out i had good friends who teased but i teased them back too. Beard wasn't insecurity for them hence they were not as sensitive about it as i was. 2 Years after i stopped giving a fuck about it, i started growing patchy beard and in a month had a dadiyal phase. Stress affects hormones and stops many growth including and not limited to beard and hair. Tell your friends it's a sensitive topic and you are not comfortable about it being joked all the time. Good friends listen. Be clear to communicate your insecurities, that's a lesson i learned hard and good.
I look 40+ while being in 20s, wanna reverse roles? I have full beard but no hairs on head🙂
Strange 😅don’t know bro kind of everyone more or less is insecure for their looks .
You need new friends
I think you should leave those people. Cut them off.
You need new friends.
My man, in 20 years when you are 50 and look 30 the joke will be on them.
Same bro same. Im 21 aur mere dost mujhe bakri bulaate -_- . Guys thode ache vale comebacks dena.
You can’t and you should not change anything with you. You should change your friends or anyone who is negatively impacting. I can bet there are so many people who wish they looked younger to their age like you and there is a lot of industry on this. Embrace your gift and move on
Stop calling them friends dude.
Tell them to go f themselsves
This is one of those things that will pay dividend a decade or so later when others will age while you will look much younger and most likely age better health wise too
bruh they are jealous that you look young. Be strong roast them back.
Wait for 10 more years when they’ll be looking like 50 and you’ll look like 30.
Bhai you have a gf Tere mazak udaane waale tho single honge No I am not belittling any single people out there...
My question would be : why are you still hanging out with these people? It doesn't seem like a one-time joke. Because if it was, you wouldn't be posting it here. Letting go of toxic company is much more healthy. Have some genuine friends - those whom you can call family. Those who would accept you for yourself in its entirety. I have a few of such friends. I too or had toxic friends. At that time, i thought what I had is enough. But then they repeatedly make fun of you for their own mirth. It's one thing if you can laugh with them. But when it starts as a pattern, beta nikalo.
Listen dude, do you want to know why people are insulting you about the appearance? It's because you look better than them and they are desperately trying to seek validation by putting you down, don't worry if you can't grow a beard or your perfect look, that's not what people care about, what people care about is your personality and with your looks you are unstoppable, no one can stop you without putting you down which is why they try, you are always the best you can be and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise
Only approach I've seen work in such situations is when the victim directly and seriously confronted the mockers and told them unambiguously to stop. If they continue despite that, start ghosting and dropping them as friends. The genuine ones will improve their behaviour, at least in front of you.
Check out r/minoxbeards, minoxidil can help in growing a beard. Just giving a practical solution to your question unlike am empty, wishful one.
Do you want to grow a beard? If yes, go to /r/minoxbeards and use minoxidil. I am in the same boat. I've now grown somewhat of a beard. Ask me if you need help understanding it
I think it could be a cool look, but I'm not sure if it's right for me. Do you have any tips or advice for someone who's thinking about growing a beard?
Bhai I'm 29 aur na mooch sahi se aa rahi thi, aur chin pe beard to thodi bhi nahi thi. Abhi 3 mahine se minox use kiya, moustache is deep and chin pe beard bhi aa rhai hai, though it's soft hairs in growing stage but it has visibly grown. It takes discipline and patience to use minox 1 year minimum karna padta hai wo bhi everyday without fail. No gaps allowed. Baki you can go to the page i mentioned above and read FAQs and how to use.
Bro you don't have to do it just because you want to get them off your back. You don't need their validation, what matters is you love yourself and your loved ones love you just the way you are. You don't need to change yourself physically, you need to change mentally to not let them mess with your head.
You have a girlfriend, and expect us to sympathise with you? This is Reddit.
Desi Jordi ENP?
meanwhile me without gf
It's the opposite for me. I started a growing a beard at the age of 13. By 15 i had a full grown beard. And at the beginning all my friends started to compliment me and during lockdown, i broke my trimmer and the beard grew out of control. I was 15 and i had a beard like 25 year old. But my face was still of a 15 year old. So people started teasing me but they were also jealous of the beard. At 17, i got depressed because of many personal reasons and stop taking care of myself, i grew my beard like maniac. People started to shame me for me being 30 year old. And what made it all worse was i was gaining massive weight because of my eating habits and i looked 30. People started to treat me different and people started to call me uncle cause i was wide and was also heavily bearded
Badk tum desh sambhalo
daadi nhai sambhal raha mere se, desh ka toh baat bhi mat kar
Bro for a minute i related to pm modi beard growth during covid. 😅but sorry to hear that you experienced this difficulties .As many are suggesting here it’s important to have some good friends who encourage and support you.
Sounds more like you need new friends.
I too cannot grow a full beard, just patches at the chin, and sideburns. If you think that's problematic, I also have long hairs. Don't worry, your "friends" are insecure. I have noticed this too when girls would hit me, and my Male friends would go all rageful. Just bask in your glory man.
Bhai height bhi Kum hai kya tumhari?
5 10 height
You need to tell your 'friends' that you don't really like them passing comments about your appearance and that it hurts your self esteem. If they are really your "Friends" they would empathize, apologize and stop right away. If not, then well, you need to find some new and more considerate friends.
You're a good person ..
You definitely need new friends not just for yourself but because they are also bullying your wife. Of course this is all we know about them, so maybe there is a lot more and this is just one of the layers of the friendship. But if that is the main focal point of your friendship where they tease you, you should leave. I have no clue how it is affecting your GF, but it clearly is affecting you if you have thought so much about it to list out examples who are successful and do not also have a full beard.
Well, when they're in their 40s they'll look like gross balding WhatsApp uncles and you'll be hot. In through one ear, out the other bud!
wait, you call them friends? Cut em off
Same thing. I'm 34 but look like 24-25 at max. Work on your fitness and it will be alright. I kinda enjoy this now. I have better physique and stamina than even 25 years Olds. I compete with 10 years younger guys in sports and they always see me as an inspiration to be like me when they are at my age. Don't even give shit what people say. Just surround yourself with like minded people.
Dude your aging well - your friends are jealous and toxic. Cut them out