Being 20 Sucks
March 21, 2009 5:00 pm Posted in Reality Mazuba-Westchester Community College g+ page
I just turned 20 about a week ago and as I was blowing out the candles on my 10,000 calorie vanilla flavored cake, all I could think was, “I‘m not a teen anymore, but I’m not yet a woman.” Now I know how Britney felt.
My only wish was that the next twelve months whizz by so I can finally be 21.
Don’t get me wrong – I was excited that I will no longer be labelled as a teenager. But being 20 still means that I can’t get into most clubs without using my sister’s ID, or drink myself to oblivion (without my sister’s ID).
I’m tired of my friends having to plan their birthdays or events around the fact that I’m not yet 21 and can’t get into a 21 and above club. Sure, some clubs don’t check IDs when the bouncers think you look older, but I’m a 20 year old who looks like a 16 year old, so there’s no way that works for me. And the few times I tried, I spent the whole time stressing about whether the bouncer would notice that I wasn’t looking him in the eye, or wearing layers and layers of makeup that made me look like a drag queen.
Once I did get in, I would be so paranoid that someone would notice that I was under age and would have me kicked out of the club that I never had much fun. Not to mention the fact that nervousness, adrenalin, those disco lights and the 2,000 other sweaty people gyrating on the dance floor created a serious drag makeup meltdown.
So I stopped trying. And now here I am: an adult, yet still a full year away from taking advantage of that new title. And all my friends are out living it up.
I know that there’s nothing I can do to make time move faster, so I guess I will spend the next 12 months convincing my older friends to hang out at home with me. Maybe I should pick up knitting? That’s an adult activity….
Being 20 sucks.
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vanessa says:
Sat, 21st Mar 200912:17 pm
today is my 20th birthday
in canada it's not bad at all – our drinking age is 19!
Leah - Ryerson Unive says:
Sat, 21st Mar 200912:24 pm
As a fellow 20 year old at first I thought that being 20 does not suck… but then I realized that you are from the States. I could legally drink at 18 (Alberta & Quebec in Canada)
19 meant I could drink in the rest of the country, so my 20th was nothing special.
LKO says:
Sat, 21st Mar 20092:23 pm
My thoughts, exactly.
mella says:
Sat, 21st Mar 20092:41 pm
I totalllyyy hear you. I turned 20 last Friday, and even though I'm from Canada and have been legal for a YEAR, I went to Texas for break and wasn't legal theree. Sucked so bad! Plus, 20 is so old dude. My mom just keeps saying "you're 20, you're not a kid anymore. smarted up" 20=FML
Mazuba says:
Sat, 21st Mar 20096:04 pm
Yes i do live in the states.When I lived in my country in zambia,africa (where the drinking age is 18 but nobody cares as long as you have the money),turning 18 was the big thing.Oh well,one more year
Brittney says:
Sat, 21st Mar 20095:11 pm
Cry me a river. Enjoy life, not by what you can and cannot do during that year.
Emily says:
Sat, 21st Mar 20095:53 pm
i concur. all of my friends have been 21 since december and i have to wait until june & it blows. i would advise anyone in a similar situation to study abroad spring semester…
kirsten says:
Sat, 21st Mar 20097:01 pm
I know exactly how you feel… I have only 4 more months of being 20, but Im the last of my friends to turn 21
Sooo that means that I am either the DD or don’t get to go out and celebrate with them at all 
Kelly says:
Sat, 21st Mar 20096:04 pm
Hahaha Emily I love that advice. I'm definitely doing that.
Jen says:
Sat, 21st Mar 20097:12 pm
Aw, don’t rush it. Once you turn 21 it’s only exciting for a little bit, then the excitement dulls down.
Raeann says:
Sat, 21st Mar 20096:25 pm
I got a fake ID at 19 for this reason.
kikicallahan says:
Sat, 21st Mar 20096:46 pm
wow shut up. im 20 too, but you're being a stupid spoilt little brat.
whaa whaa whaaaaa i cant drink legally with myy frriiieenndddsss boo hoo hoo. you must be REEEAAAAALL fun to be around. we are 20 years YOUNG!! we have our whole lives ahead of us! so shut up and enjoy it
Kamana says:
Sat, 21st Mar 20098:34 pm
Lol… Legal age in africa is 18, bt i was 17 when I started University.. The clubs we went to just required that we show our student card, so I always got in… Probably coz they assume most people in varsity are 18 +above already. Nw im 21 & I too look Lyk a 16year old so i have to carry ID around, just Incase… Bt enjoy being 20, u dont wanna grow old too fast, coz u know you already halfway to being 40 right.. Hahaha
Nikki says:
Sat, 21st Mar 20098:35 pm
As an almost 27 year old, I'd just like to add that 20 DOES suck…but trust when I say that 22 will be a MUCH more depressing bday…it's like every other bday is a build up to something…18 is important and every other year is one year closer to 21…but then you hit 22 and there's nothing left to look forward to! There's no privileges that come along with age after that and thus, nothing to look forward to…and don't even think the magic 25 "pay less for car insurance/able to rent a car" makes you feel any better….IT DOESN'T! I SAY…ENJOY your 20th year as much as possible…you're still in college…you haven't hit the real world yet and you can still take full advantage of every single agonizing minute of not knowing whether or not you'll get into the bar with that fake ID or not…I STILL don't know if I should look the bouncer in the eye or not and I've been legal for 6 years!! But I DO know that I look back at those years with a certain longing…it was the luck of the draw those days and the 9 times outta 10 that I got in, I felt SO proud of myself and happy/grateful for tricking that bouncer into believing I was of-age…and I look back at the three month countdown to my 21st bday and I miss it…the anticipation was amazing…I longed for the day…the last 2 wks were brutal, gut wrenching even! I was so excited I could hardly contain myself, even with my fake ID…and while it felt like an endless anticipation at the time, like the day would NEVER come, it finally did and it was amazing! But then it ended and there wasn't a thing to look forward to that was quite as exciting….so I say: Enjoy the next 12 months and soak in every moment! I won't say these are the best years of your life but they are definitely times to enjoy to the fullest!
Erin says:
Sun, 22nd Mar 20095:49 am
kinda impressive how instead of obeying a law everyone goes out there and breaks it with pride. Grow up please, drinking is not as great as you are making it. When I grew up my parents would give me sips of beer and wine, or small glasses of beer when I was like 16. AT HOME. I never felt the urge to go out and drink or get drunk and make an ass of my self as that stupid underaged obvious girl. Enjoy being 20, like others have said 22 is a big let down, there is nothing to look forward to, your an adult. And this time when you get drunk in public and do stupid shit they take you to jail, not give you a warning and call your parents and tell the dean.
Jess says:
Sun, 22nd Mar 20096:52 am
Having a late August birthday, I'll be the last of my friends to turn 21. It's not annoying to me because I personally can't drink legally: Even just a few weeks after my 20th birthday my friends will start celebrating their 21sts, and I won't be allowed to celebrate with them. I'm sure by the time I turn 21 though they'll be more than happy to go out with me
Nikki says:
Sun, 22nd Mar 20096:57 am
Being 20 does suck and I know how u feel about being "not a girl, not yet a woman" cos I just turned 20 earlier this month too. It's tough but this mantra of mine helped me through it:
10-19 are the years where you make crazy mistakes. Mistakes you never imagined you'd ever make.
20-29 are the years where you still make those mistakes but you know how to better get through them. And… you TOTALLY live it up.
So don't worry, enjoy being 20. Or at least try, like I am. We all will get through it.
Zoe says:
Sun, 22nd Mar 200911:02 pm
Yeah. It does kind of suck. I turned 20 in December and I've been counting down the months until I turn 21. I hate that my boyfriend is 22 so he can go out and drink and I have to stay home.
Liz says:
Mon, 23rd Mar 200912:17 am
You know I have to say that my 20th was my favorite birthday, I got to relax with my closest friends and still remember it in the morning. My 21st was a blast don't get me wrong but after drinking every shot in the rainbow, I spent the next two days recovering. Oh and you might want to know that all your presents on your 21st will be in alcoholic form and thus can't last very long. My bro spent $80 in shots for me and thats money I couldn't spend on toys I'll tell you what.
nicole says:
Mon, 23rd Mar 200912:02 pm
I'm turning 22 in 2 days and I still look like I'm 15-16…lol. However, it sucks when you're friends are under 21, like most of mine, and you can't really go to the club with them.
Jon-Paul says:
Mon, 23rd Mar 20093:02 pm
Trust me….(I'm all in with Nikki)<[poker expression] on this one.
In a very short period of time, mostly as each day goes by that you realize that you are now closer to being 30 years old than you are to being 10 years old. (Ewww that sounds awlful.)
Soon enough your days will be spent with great concoctions in the form of "…how do I say I'm 24 over, and over and over…
jps
kealeboga says:
Tue, 24th Mar 200912:01 am
im turning 20 soon. and ive neva been to a club, neva consumed alcohol and i kinda think that im missing out, but then on the other hand i kinda lyk innocent fun, lyk just chillin wiyh my friends and playing music….so i dont think im in a hurry to turn 21.. im also scared of recovering from hangover
Slamonista.Rapinasti says:
Tue, 24th Mar 20091:01 am
sucks to be american
Olivia says:
Tue, 24th Mar 20092:50 pm
I hate being 20 too. But I think that's just cause I'm having a really bad semester so I dislike everything at the moment…
Tiffany says:
Wed, 25th Mar 20092:03 pm
Right now I am 19, about to turn 20. I know I am frankly not too excited about it, living in the states. At 18 you can get into (some)clubs, buy porn.. Eh stupid stuff. Then 19 you could go to Canada for a weekend of fun since the drinking age is 19. Then 20, everything stays the same. I figured since I am the last of my close friends to turn 21 (my boyfriend included, who is 23), I just have to deal with it. Everyone turns 20 at one point or another and goes through the same thoughts of "why can't I be turning 21 already?", and eventually time is just going to keep flying by. So why rush it? Being 20, is at least one year closer to being 21
Xannot says:
Thu, 26th Mar 20092:42 pm
Your friends plan events around you not being 21? Lucky devil. The best I ever get is "Come hang out until we decide what bar we wanna hit."
Andy says:
Wed, 1st Apr 20094:35 pm
I agree. I'm 20 and my boyfriend will turn 21 tomorrow. I still have 7 more months to go, so. I feel your pain. This country is the newest developed nation and we are so damn backwards with everything! Hopefully something will change for the better…
Alex Chilton says:
Sat, 13th Jun 20099:02 pm
Just turned 20? Wish I was you… except much smarter than you, of course. And also, much smarter than I was at your age (still smarter than you, but not so smart).
You can take comfort in the fact that you are far more attractive than I am, although it will only last for a few years…
kay says:
Sun, 11th Jul 20102:56 pm
OMG. I feel the EXACT same way, i just turned 20 in march and this blog is..like, ME. i was excited not to be a teen but it drives me insane that i can't have "REAL FUN" because im always paranoid too and it makes me wanna sit home and knit too. amen girl, amen. :/
kay says:
Sun, 11th Jul 20102:58 pm
its that girl up there again LOL …i just noticed, u wrote this blog on my birthday 19th bday. LOL weird.
rob says:
Sun, 7th Nov 20103:25 pm
as a 19 year old, it pisses me off when people remind me im not 21 and cant drink. people who say being 18-20 years are some of the best years of your life are fucking retarded because u really are still treated like a kid. i cant wait till im 21 and can finally drink
nat says:
Wed, 23rd Mar 20112:08 pm
u guys r dum enjoy ur youth so wat ur not legal to drink im 20 and wish i can go back to 17 anytime i want these are the ages anyone over 30 wish they can be again.
asdfjkl; says:
Wed, 27th Apr 201110:45 pm
Being castigated for being under 21 is horrible. I still have two months until I turn 21 — I can't wait. Most people say they liked being 18, 19, and 20 because most states allowed the consumption and purchase of alcohol at those ages. Anyway, I can't wait until my 21st birthday. The pain of obtaining beer and being turned down to have a pint with my dinner is a real pain in the ass.
stfu says:
Fri, 15th Jul 201111:03 pm
Oh my god you're such a whiney bitch. Alcohol doesn't make you an adult you stupid fuck.
Susie says:
Fri, 12th Aug 201111:39 pm
I am 20 and I’m not going to be 21 until next June. Honestly being 20 isn’t really that bad, it feels good to know that my next birthday will be a good one, I’d rather be 20 right now than 18 that’s for sure. And all this talk about fake
Id’s is pissing me off. Getting caught drinking
In a bar underage while using a fake I’d will
Be a misdemeanor and will be on your permanent record. Believe me
I love to drink and party but I’m just smart about
It now and I know to wait and to not take the risk. I just hope everyone makes good choices and stays smart because you don’t want to have to explain to future employers about your misdemeanors and have them think you
Have an alcohol problem.
Kay says:
Sat, 24th Nov 20121:23 am
Well, you wrote this a while ago, but I totally get this. The ages of 18-20 are going to suck. And, I am only nearly finished with 18. I'm no longer a kid, or the great high school age, which I didn't complain about because there were little responisbilities and none of my friends could drink. But, after turning 18 I have a ton of responsibilities, but I have nowhere to go on the weekends because I'm not 21. Okay…so lay the responsibilities down treat me like an adult, burden me with troubles, but keep me locked up in my house because I am not old enough. A lot of my friends are 21 so they can go do whatever they want, and I'll be one of the last to turn 21 having a March birthday. So yea it does suck and will be worse when everyone is 21 but me. Think about it, maybe if it wasn't built up to be such an exiciting event we wouldn't have 21 year olds with such serious issues. Look at Europe, most of them are responsible by 21 unlike Americans who are just learning to handle alcohol at 21. So in other words… I can vote, smoke, go to war, and get married, but I can't have a drink. That's logical. Cheers America!