Why ARE Over 50’s So Poorly Represented By Brands & The Media?

I first published this online in October 2017 but I still think it's as fresh as a daisy.

My intention was for this post to be all about the love of my new red boots. You see, I love fashion and despite what you may have been lead to believe it’s highly unlikely that the passion and zest for it wanes as we shrivel up with age.

It would appear that’s how the media seems to want to portray us. My newsfeeds have been full to bursting this week about a survey compiled by YouGov here in the UK that 1 in 5 of over 50’s feel misrepresented by brands.

Several times over the past couple of months I’ve found myself commenting to people that ‘life doesn’t stop at 35 y’know”

What sort of role models would we be if the young women of today couldn’t see what midlife can be for them? And yes it is midlife not end of life!!  Whoops .. I’m ranting!!

“I don’t want to look 20 or 30 even 40 for that matter. If I can look 10 years younger than the skin I’m in that would be a bonus but { 2023 strikethrough as no longer how I feel at 60}

I just want to be the best version of myself I can be inside and outside and the sooner brands latch on to that then we will all benefit.

After all, demographically, don’t we have more cash to part with at our age?

Please someone start marketing to us wisely.”

I said it then and I’ll say it again.  I love Helen Mirren, Jane Fonda and all but they are in their 70’s and 80’s. They are fabulous role models for me and and my age group right now. I can see that. They make me excited to think about the potential of what I can be in my 70s and 80s if I live long enough.

But where are the role models for me NOW?

I’ll tell you where mine are.

Mine are in my fabulous feed on Instagram. I love the women I follow and chat to in there. I buy stuff because of them rather than magazines and tv adverts]. I hope in some small way I’m helping others feel the same. Brands should be listening to everyone of all ages. We are active and our voices are getting louder, so listen up!

Just why are we so poorly represented? 

Maybe, it’s because we need to be better represented at board level .. across the board so to speak.

Now there’s a whole other conversation for another time.

But just what is it with the advertising world that they are hell bent on portraying midlife as an assignment to the scrap heap?

Maybe, it’s because it can be seen as a time when a woman is at the top of her game. This is a time in our lives when we finally feel powerful. We’ve done a lot and seen a lot. Maybe, just maybe wise, older women threaten the status quo of the patriarchy.

Ageist media headlines again and again trying to take older women down, ‘her neck looks scrawny, ‘she’s getting on, look at her hands’ There’s never the same assault on ageing male celebrities - it’s usually ‘ he’s aging well’ and he’s looking great for his age.'

I detest the fact that when a new eyeshadow palette is launched it’s the 20 somethings that the brands fawn all. I love love love seeing makeup trends on my younger friends but I can look just as good, too.

I bloody love eyeshadow and I’m still as creative with my wing tip eyeliner as I ever was thank you.

Why is there such a gap?

What happens after 35?

It gets worse from 50 onwards and here I am having reached 60 and re-writing the same words.

We are here, we’ve got this far and hopefully we’ll get further.

We’ve got a twinkle in our eye, we’ve got experience, we’re not always wiser but who cares? We are loving the potential that mid life brings us to.

We are living longer, working longer and having fun longer than any previous time in history.

If you want our money … listen up!! You can’t ignore us and you certainly won’t dis-empower us … we are rising up!

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And if you’d like more insight that the problem hasn’t gone away since I first wrote this in 2017, have a read of this fine piece of writing from Telegraph’s Victoria Smith in February 2023 - The belief that older women have less to offer and should ideally not be seen at all remains widespread across genders and age groups.