69-Year-Old Man Petitions to Become 49-Year-Old Man

You’re only as old as you feel. And 69-year-old Emile Ratelband doesn’t feel a day over 49. That’s why the Dutch man wants to legally change his birth date from March 11, 1949, to March 11, 1969, the Telegraph reports. After all, Ratelband says, “When I’m on Tinder and say I’m 69, I don’t get an answer. When I’m 49, with the face I have, I will be in a luxurious position.” Ratelband, described as an “entrepreneur and self-help guru,” also says that being 20 years younger will help him get more work as a consultant, among other benefits. Ratelband’s argument hinges on transgender people’s ability to now change their genders on their birth certificates.

Calling himself a “young god,” Ratelband tells Dutch media, “You can change your name. You can change your gender. Why not your age,” Business Insider Australia reports. Nowhere are you so discriminated against as with your age.” The court is expected to make a decision on Ratelband’s request within a month. But a judge did note that changing one’s age would result in some problems—specifically, what to make of Ratelband’s years between 1949 and 1969. “For whom did your parents care in those years,” the judge asked. “Who was that little boy back then?” (Sinead O'Connor changed her name ... and religion.)