My adult daughter wants to turn herself back into a teenager | Ask Philippa

Distorted external referencing can keep her paralysed, because she's trying to live up to an imagined ideal

The question My daughter is now 34 years old, but she wants to be a teenager again, because she feels that she missed out on the fun she should have had back then. She hates the way she looks, because she thinks she looks older than 16. She wants cosmetic surgery and orthodontics to look younger.

She wants to experience university life as a fresher again and have young fun, but she also doesn't want to as she feels too old. She wants to earn and have independence, but also fears it. She relies on her mother and me and is not interested in getting a job. She never goes out and has no friends. She has no interests and spends most of her time comparing herself with teenage social-media idols.