Woman, 52, Goes Viral After Getting Carded During Girls' Night Out: 'I Gotta Get This on Camera' (Exclusive)

“I’m very proud of my age," LaeTania Richardson tells PEOPLE

• Mom LaeTania Richardson, 52, recently went viral after sharing her experience getting carded while out with her friends
• Richardson tells PEOPLE she even asked security to repeat his request to make sure that she heard him right
• However, Richardson says there's an even bigger compliment than being told she looks young for her age

At 52, LaeTania Richardson says she's no stranger to being told she looks young, but when she got carded during a night out with friends, she ended up going viral on TikTok.

“I was going out to celebrate my friend Danielle’s 50th birthday and so I decided to take her to dinner," Richardson tells PEOPLE. "We went to Level 8 here in Los Angeles."

"As we approached the [security] stand there were some people ahead of us, and the guy kinda let them in, and then he stops us and then he says, ‘I’m gonna need some ID from you,’ " she recalls. "And I’m like, "What? I gotta get this on camera because I know you’re not asking me for ID.' "

He’s like ‘Yeah I need your ID,’ the Los Angeles resident and entrepreneur adds.

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Fittingly, she captioned the video — which has over 3.6 million views — "when you get carded at 52."

After deciding that the moment needed to be captured, Richardson says that she “gave my camera to the host, who was standing next to him, and she started recording.”

She even asked security to repeat his request to make sure that he was indeed asking for her identification. When she countered by saying she was 52 years old, she says the bouncer had a one word reply: "What?"

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Even though people being shocked by her age “happens often,” Richardson said what surprised her about this particular incident was that the people ahead of her in line weren't asked for their identification. 

She also adds that she was flattered by the request, as she felt quite beautiful that night. “Thanks for the nod, thanks for the recognition,” she says of how she felt in the moment.

Still, even though she thought what happened was "a cute moment," she admits she was shocked that the video "blew up."

“It has become this thing," she adds, "it’s crazy to me."

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Richardson, who has only been on TikTok for about a year, says her pride in being 52 is what prompted her to start sharing her life on the platform.

“For me aging is a luxury that’s not afforded to everyone. I feel like a lot of women get to 40 and they feel like, ‘You know I’m old, I’m afraid to start over’ and they get in their heads," she says. "And for me, I’m just one of those people that’s like ‘No!’ Be proud of who you are, you have so much experience behind you…I embrace it wholeheartedly."

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When asked by PEOPLE about her secrets to staying youthful, Richardson says there's no big mystery.

“I’ve been using Noxema since the age of 12. I get this little cocoa butter stick from the beauty supply store and then every six weeks I get a microdermabrasion," she says. "So, that’s the complete routine."

Additionally, sticking to a “very disciplined” diet aids Richardson in her appearance, as she tells PEOPLE that she “hardly ever eats any fast food” and doesn’t “drink any alcohol” or “smoke cigarettes" — and abstains from soda in favor of “lots and lots of water.”

If there's any secret, Richardson believes it's "keeping a youthful spirit."

"I think sometimes when we get a certain age, people feel like they need to kinda bring it down," she says, sharing that one thing she tries to avoid at all costs is unnecessary stress.

Richardson feels that being a mom to a 21-year-old son “keeps her young" too, although she admits that having such a youthful-looking mom wasn't always something he enjoyed during high school.

Overall, Richardson says there's an even bigger compliment than being told she looks young for her age.

“I live my life everyday with the intent of what’s going to make me happy. The biggest compliment I receive, especially on social media, is when someone says my insides match my outside," she says. "That means the world to me."