One woman decided to ask a seemingly simple question: “How old do I look?” What started as a casual curiosity—one that many of us share—quickly turned into a life lesson, not only for her but for anyone who engages on the internet.

A woman recently posted a TikTok video, posing a simple question for viewers: to guess her age. But she was unprepared for the surprising responses, which she described as “wild.”

Emily Jane shared a video of herself without makeup or filters, inviting people to take a guess. To her shock, some people estimated her age to be in her forties, fifties, or even sixties!

“I’m 56, my guess is you’re close to 47,” one person commented.

Another wrote, “I’m 42. I’d guess you’re around 51.”

One that particularly surprised Emily was someone who guessed she was 58. In a follow-up video, she asked, “Do I really look nearly 60? Like I’m close to retirement age?”

Many others guessed she was in her thirties or even twenties. The guesses varied widely, but Emily was most taken aback by those who thought she was older. She finally revealed her actual age: “I just turned 36.”

Emily explained that her naturally gray hair likely influenced the guesses. She’s had gray hair since she was 19, and people often assume she’s much older because of it. Despite this, she was still surprised by how high some of the guesses were.

In the original video, she pointed out that her under-eye bags were from sleepless nights with a newborn and noted she wasn’t wearing makeup or filters. In her view, her appearance was simply natural for someone her age.

Emily also reflected on how social media might shape people’s perceptions of age, suggesting that filters and cosmetic enhancements create unrealistic standards. “Most people don’t know what a natural woman looks like anymore,” she shared. She asked her viewers if they thought social media had distorted perceptions of age.

Some commenters disagreed, saying it was simply her gray hair that made her look older. “Probably the hair ages you, but you’re still gorgeous,” one person wrote, while another noted, “I think it’s just that people associate gray hair with age.”