Is this the visibility age?
Ellen von Unwerth at Temperley. Photo: Vogue
Older models and muses are seasoning the catwalks for spring/summer 2019 beautifully (Milan Fashion Week has just ended, Paris is getting started). Last night, Jane Birkin sang Baby Alone in Babylone at the Gucci show, Isabella Rossellini and her gorgeous family appeared on the runway at Dolce & Gabbana, photographer Ellen von Unwerth, actor Helen McCrory and artist Diana Temperley walked at Temperley London. There was a time – just after her 40th birthday – when Rossellini, deemed too old to appear in Lancome adverts was unceremoniously dumped by the beauty brand. Now that companies have finally switched onto silver spending power, older faces are more visible. Lancome saw the error of its ways and reinstated Rossellini in 2016, for the last few years L’Oréal (who own Lancome) have employed older ambassadors such as, Jane Fonda, Helen Mirren and Julianne Moore to represent their beauty ranges. John Lewis & Partners recently used 60-year-old prop stylist and model Jocelyne Beaudoin in its autumn campaign and Winser London launched a collaboration with Gillian Anderson (50). I’m wondering if this (slightly) more diverse situation is the new normal? Have we entered the visibility age?
Jane Birkin at Gucci. Photo: Harper’s Bazaar
The visibility of older women is a conversation that I’ve been involved in for years. As a fashion editor in the 1990s, finding suitable images of models who didn’t look like teenagers was tricky, to say the least. When I left to go freelance, the prevalence of ageism within the fashion industry became even more apparent. Ahem. The lack of representation was one of the reasons I started That’s Not My Age in the first place. The aim of this site has always been to kick invisibility into touch, and to celebrate and empower women of all ages. And, over the last decade, we’ve certainly made progress. Social media has revolutionised the fashion industry and we regularly see models and muses beyond-a-certain-age on catwalks and in glossy magazines.
Isabella Rossellini and family on the catwalk. Photo: Vogue
Maye Muske at Dolce & Gabbana
Last week, Charlotte Tilbury posted a picture of a 40+ model on her Instagram feed and almost broke the internet. Personally, I prefer MAC Cosmetic’s take on beauty at all ages. The Pool discussed the phenomenon in an article Are beauty brands finally tackling the ‘Invisible Middle’? (check out the Neal’s Yard ‘Age Well’ film starring women between 45 and 80-years-old). Meanwhile, Grazia dedicated its Big Fashion Issue to diversity and ‘women changing the face of fashion’. The Big Fashion Issue included fashion shoots (and two different covers) featuring a range of disabled women and older models; I was pleased to see Mouchette Bell whose return to modelling was first reported on That’s Not My Age…
Mouchette in the middle. Grazia’s Big Fashion Issue
In The Pool article, writer Elle Turner concludes, ‘These are the brands investing, quite literally in the future, whose efforts are not about tokenism, but individualism and genuine representation across the board. Of course, we won’t be where we need to be until campaigns like these are the norm. Hopefully, this is just the start.’
Grazia models spanning six decades
I love the idea of individualism – this is why we’re all hooked to the Instagram feeds of 50-plus influencers. Relatively speaking, older women are still underrepresented in the media but we have started the conversation and are slowly shifting beyond an outmoded obsession with appearance and how we look. Increasing inclusivity and diversity, as in Grazia magazine and the various beauty campaigns, definitely helps move things on.
Discussion (26 Comments)
maudie says:
Hurrah, Yaay, yippee , whoopididoo and other delighted exclamations. It is a great time to be 60 plus.
Toomanyshoes says:
Although progress, It is all very patchy and tokenistic ( is that a word? ) in my view. Makes my blood boil at how many brands target over 40s yet still consistently use skinny children in their photo shoots but expect a pat on the back for a once in a blue moon campaign featuring a grey haired woman, as if grey hair represents all older women. They’re too embarrassed to show their clothes on me but not to take my hard earned cash! Winser are as guilty as the rest. Gillian Anderson and Yasmin le Bon were their highly privileged and aesthetically enhanced tokens. Also happy to wag a very annoyed finger at Me + Em, whistles, jigsaw, max mara weekend and basically everyone else. Alyson, you’re a champ on this but we’ll get nowhere until older women are actually coming up with the ad campaigns and marketing. Every marketing dept I’ve seen is full of 20 something’s with names ending in “a” . … ( btw I’m not name judging, just an observation) .
I agree, TMS – it’s staggering the number of brands who use teenage models in their campaigns even though their core customer is older. And yes, it is partly because the marketing/advertising dept is full of young people. This is a subject I’ve covered before, ‘Where are all the 50-something models?’ is a feature I wrote for the Guardian, there’s a summary and a link to it here:
https://thatsnotmyage.com/age/50-something-models/sascha says:
Maybe we ought to campaign for getting the over 45s back into the marketing departments instead. That’ll get things moving. Your blog is a fabulous ‘marketing department.’ The reason they don’t employ us is, because, apparantly, we don’t have our fingers on the trendy pulse! Quite! We don’t….not on the trendy pulse of the undrr 25s…. that’s totally correct! But we do have our fingers on the pulse of our peers, those middle-life, money spending peers. We don’t fall for fads, faux endorsements or head spinning online gigs. We fall for authenticity, durability, sound morals etc and we like it when we feel valued beyond that great word ‘tokenism’. Put us into marketing departments with the flexi hours to suit and watch the money roll in. Looking at demographics, it’s only a matter of time until us second-half-of-lifers will be rocking the show again.
The ad depts are full of young women because they are the ones willing to be underpaid, just to get a foot in the door. This is true across the art & design world. The fashion world is rife with wage discrepancy. Probably they are told to get “ mommy & daddy” to support them. Actually I was told that, in an interview with an interior design firm, quite a long time ago. I could go on & on, but need to get going.
Toomanyshoes says:
Thanks for the link. Very thought provoking. As a result I just wondered whether If pret a porter, matches fashion, my Theresa, ASOS, John Lewis or next launched a copy version of their sites using only older more diverse models, what would the effect be?….
Mmm the must have grey hair to be relevant over 50 is wearing thin for me. As if colouring my hair is a betrayal to my 50 plus sisters?
Love your comment toomanyshoesLauren Getchell says:
I still think it is ok to color your hair. Jane Fonda, Julianne Moore, and Isabella Rossellini in their ads don’t have grey hair. I still color my hair at age 59. I have curly hair and I refuse to straighten it
like some salons have suggested. But I do still like seeing older models not the 90 pound models with no figures. I started loving fashion in my 20s (and even back then, I thought the models were too young).
@sparkyBakewell says:
Such a valid post. I’m really feeling it in the job market and can’t believe how overlooked and undervalued we are. Keep up this topic please!
Vancouver Barbara says:
Great stuff. Let’s hope it continues and grows. What’s the demographic of Over-40’s, Over-50’s, Over-60’s?
Take a look at the recent Nordstrom’s campaign, called True Nord, featuring Mel Kobayashi of Vancouver. She is stellar and must be seen. Google True Nord ad campaign to see the video and go to @fcfashionista to see a wonderful poster of Mel as part of Nordstrom’s print campaign.Vivien says:
Hurrah!! And ditto to the comments made. Don’t these ladies look fab and far more interesting than the blank faces of dare I say it, some younger models. More power to your elbow, Alyson for enlarging the conversation on invisibility – long may you continue.
fabhat says:
It’s great to mix up who we are looking at – and for Fashion Houses to show their clothes on everyone instead of only whippet thin teens. It always seems so shortsighted to show clothes on an age group that are unlikely to ever afford it!
When you look back at fashion shoots from the 40’s/50’s, the models were older ( although 40-ish max) and infinitely more interesting to look at…
Patrish says:
Not so many women over 50 in the September issue of Vogue USA. I think I counted one person with white hair in hundreds of pages.
Generally, I believe the key word is ‘relevant’ …. the younger generation is very self-involved and don’t get their heads out of their devices, never mind look for interesting, older inspiration.
This ‘battle’ is one I have been fighting for decades. At 71, I am not about to give up but am feeling worn down by so much effort and not much to show for it. Also, seeing a couple of the same ‘token’ women in ads no longer makes me feel giddy. I want more.
Heather Cupit says:
I mind less about the targeting… I just choose what I want to wear from what is on offer within my price budget and buy and wear it. I feel very lucky to be able to do that – it’s fun and I don’t feel restricted by anyone or anything other than my size and my budget.
When I started 1010ParkPlace, for women over 50, the Exec VP of Mktg for Lululemon told me women over 49 were no longer relevant. I asked when was the last time she looked at their home page… It was a photo of a yoga class and three-fourths of the women had grey hair. Unfortunately she just glared at me and walked off. Needless to say I don’t buy Lululemon.
Vicky says:
It drives me crazy when I see menswear ads and there are many examples of grey haired, wrinkly, and craggy toothed models and it’s seen as distinguished and sexy whereas show a woman with the same features and it’d be shocking because, let’s face it, women are supposed to look young all their lives. What marketing doesn’t get is that by the time we have the financial ability to buy pricey clothing, we’re no longer the teenaged models they show them to us in.
Wow, 1010ParkPlace that is outrageous, I am now in that market, training more than ever, and experimenting with different price ranges. And Heather Cupit, I like your sentiment and try to do the same. Enjoy what is out there, experiment with all brands and look how you want to, not what the trends are telling us.
Joanna says:
As many have said, it is a token. Fashion knows we are an aging population and we have cash in hand to spend, so they try to appease us with the occasional white haired model. The worse is the campaigns of anti – aging products on twenty/ thirty year olds. Do we lose our minds too when we turn fifty? Oh, please!
Having said that, I can see through the model to the clothing and pick the styles that I deem appropriate for my body, personality and lifestyle.Expanding into mainstream film and television here… Watching a show I love on Amazon Prime (Bosch), I realized that there were plenty of real women in their 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s in major roles. They are fabulous and look amazing. I get so tired of the leading men being 50 plus and the women they are involved with (either romantically or work related) being much much younger. Slowly but surely, we are making progress.
Thank you for inspiring me with your posts. I love dressing for me!Elizabeth says:
I’ve never bought a Lancôme product after they unceremoniously dumped Isabella. Never! Pity her own cosmetic and perfume brand was not better supported. I loved the mirrors on the base of her lipstick and eye colour packaging. Bring back Manifesto perfume, too!
Maisie says:
Thinking more about this, I realise that at 68, I don’t have a problem if clothes are modelled by someone younger than me, though I do want to be represented of course. What makes me see RED is grown-up clothes shown on skinny teenagers or even children. This really has to change. In the September issue of Good Housekeeping ( UK ) the models are not girls, they are women and I can relate to them just fine. Also the clothes are really wearable and there’s not a high heel in sight. For once ! Who wears them anyway ?
kathryn 
Susana 
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I’m glad to see the diversity of models in general now. And good for Grazia to present this range of sizes, ages, colour of skin and abilities not only in the current Big Fashion Issue which you feature but in the spring one similarly. Mixed “cover girls” a good thing surely for us all. Clearly Alyson you have added to the support of attractive older women still looking good through your work on TNMA. I prefer to be in this climate as an older 60 something person.