Why Does The Australian Beauty Industry Neglect Older Women?
A DEEPER LOOK AT HOW MAINSTREAM MEDIA FAILS TO REPRESENT WOMEN ALL AGES.
Like most developed countries, Australia’s population is aging. In just 50 years the percentage of Australians aged 65+ has gone from 8% to 15%. Over the next 30 years it is predicted to rise to over 25%.
Yet despite this huge demographic shift, one glance at the Australian media would leave you believing that this is a land of 20-year-old-stunners with impossibly long legs and not a cellulite ripple in sight. We get it… Advertising is supposed to be aspirational. But do brands really think that women over 50 aspire to look like models their daughters’ age?
A recent study by Silver Group found that 9 out of 10 women over 40 feel ignored by fashion and beauty adverts. Yet a similar study found that women over 50 are the biggest buyers of beauty products. Perhaps millennial-run ad agencies need to go back to the whiteboard and re-think the way they promote beauty products in the mainstream media.
Take skincare for example. A lot of women don’t believe the false advertising of anti-ageing beauty products. Sometimes the results look more like a nip-tuck job than a magic pot of moisturiser. Anti-Aging coach Anette Spanski says: “It upsets me that ageism is still so rampant and that industries have not embraced the beauty of the mature aged woman.”
People aren’t stupid – especially women over 40! They want to see realistic results on relatable people. Most women aren’t looking for a miracle alchemy that will reverse the signs of aging. They are happy to be the best version of themselves and glow with confidence and maturity on their side.
The aim of the ‘Beauty Doesn’t Age’ campaign is to reveal that aging gracefully does not have to mean age defying. We believe that the beauty industry needs to take responsibility for the impact it has on people’s self-esteem and stop obsessing over how to fight the signs of aging. Instead, let’s spread the word that age is not a barrier to looking fantastic.
Let’s focus on feeling our best we can so we can face each day with a daring sense of confidence!
