I can’t get enough of this...
Being a lifestyle brand photographer for women – with the majority of my clients 40+ who are starting or running their own businesses or passion projects, I’m reminded every time as I’m watching images from a shoot download – at how beautiful they are. So interesting. So rich with knowledge, with wisdom, with humor.
The above image is pulled from fashion designer Naomi Nomi’s website.
Her homepage hero banner features the same model – as shown below. Thrilling!
Can we get a f*ckin AMEN to this?!
**Also, side note – the same website has a page devoted to buttons, so right there they’ve made me a fan. Growing up with a mother who sewed all our clothes, one of my favorite things was the button jar…digging into it and letting the buttons flow through my fingers was so satisfying (it’s ok, I know it’s weird).
So forgive me if I can’t stop talking about it – after forever of only seeing our youth celebrated and compensated. My heart literally leaps every time I see an ad campaign featuring a “women of a certain age” as magazine founder/style editor/writer Kim France likes to say. It reinforces the idea that we don’t just disappear after 40. Or 50…or dare I say 60?! We are often just getting started – shedding past insecurities and roles that gobbled up the first half of our lives.
I swear at this rate 70 is going to be the new 40. Remember how old people looked at 40 in past generations? It’s like aging was a goal. I seriously know 70 year olds that are more vibrant and active than a lot of people in their 30’s. It’s heartening. Gives me hope.
Fashion has this youth mania. But 70-year-old ladies don’t have 18-year-old bodies, and 18-year-olds don’t have a 70-year-old’s dollars.
Iris Apfel
Expanding the age range in advertising might not seem like a big deal, but it actually helps shift the cultural narratives about aging from decline to empowerment and continued relevance. Another nudge in encouraging people to embrace aging with positivity. I think it can also enhance the perceived authenticity of a brand – especially in industries like fashion, beauty, and wellness, by reflecting real-world diversity instead of unattainable ideals.
Brands that feature older women help disrupt the status quo and makes a bold statement about redefining who fashion (for example) is for… we all know the tired trope regarding what women should or shouldn’t wear once they reach a certain age.
After all, style and sophistication are ageless.
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