The Relevance of Older Women.

In the past, if you were “old,” you just weren’t relevant. Youthfulness was in and aging was to be pushed under the rug. Yet, the tides are changing as we see more older—or some might say “mature”—women being featured not only in advertisements, but also in leading roles and now even on the Presidential trail.

Perhaps it’s not surprising that some in this group of women continue to push boundaries and champion the Women’s Movement, having grown up during its defining moments. Take these examples:

• Hellen Mirren has carried recent movies, such as The Hundred Foot Journey and Woman in Gold, and is now in a play on Broadway, The Audience.
• Diane von Furstenberg had her own TV show last year on Bravo.
• The great voices of Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler belted out new albums last year.
• Julianne Moore continues to take on amazing movie roles from The Hunger Games to her Oscar winning role in Still Alice.
• Andie MacDowell has been a model for L’Oreal for over 25 years and continues to grace their ads.
• Madonna is still rocking it with her latest album, Rebel Heart.
• And of course, Hillary Clinton has just kicked off her Presidential campaign.

This resurgence is often attributed to the realization that Boomer women are a large cohort with plenty of disposable income. Others suggest we are getting more comfortable with the look of aging. The hope is that we can reverse ageism, and we can see women for the contributions they make, not just the age they are.

The Consumer Forecast: Help me break the barriers of what’s possible, regardless of my age.

Sources:

Bazilian, Emma. “Why Older Women Are the New It-Girls of Fashion,” Adweek, April 6, 2015. http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/why-older-women-are-new-it-girls-fashion-163871

E.W., “What’s holding women back?,” The Economist, January 23, 2015. http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2015/01/women-and-work