What
does beauty entail? Top Family Fortunes answers would include confidence,
lovely eyes and a slim build, but another likely, more debatable, answer would
be ‘youth’.
Words and graphics by Rosie Sparks
Words and graphics by Rosie Sparks
Fashion
and media industries orbit the easily influenced and highly powerful youth
culture. Advertising and pop music sing out to young generations to enthuse
their exciting, carefree existence. These years are often said to be the best times
of your life, and we appear to reach an age for these experiences to be
considered by society as unsuitable. Conformity
pressures are associated with adolescence, but older women may certainly be
victim to conventionality, as society often gives them frumpy housewife
stereotypes. Messages in the media drive the idea that physical ageing is undesirable
and almost curable. Younger models
present fashion trends and TV adverts include older female models often in domestic
settings: presenting germ-ridding products, catering for the family and having
weight and appearance concerns. Many women, however, continue to celebrate their
individually and visual personalities with fashion.
78-year old New York boutique-owner Lynn Dell truly inspires. Her flamboyant style is a frequent feature on AdvancedStyle, a blog that celebrates mature flair. Lynn has a colourful perspective on
this part of her life and motivates her clients each day with her motto ‘dress
for the theatre of your life!’ She encourages fashion risks, ‘making mistakes
is the best thing! I am lucky enough to have the day to dress how I like, so
I’ll keep going until I can’t stop!’
When women come into Lynn’s extravagant
boutique, the team inspires clients to find something wonderful. ‘We get people
who say ‘I’m too fat, I’m too old…’ but we tell them to try something
new…everything doesn’t have to match, just be creative!’ She considers women
aged 40+ through the eyes of the industry, ‘[society] ignores people over a certain
age. We have the taste, but every young girl wants to look like her friend
Suzie with long hair.’ Lynn believes these women have potential to explore
their inner glamour. ‘They are neglected by themselves. We can’t focus on ‘what
I don’t have, what I don’t look like’. You make life fun and enjoyable, as so
many things aren’t fun!’ Lynn’s beauty essential is for all ages: ‘Once you put
a smile on your face, everything looks good!’ Her belief in women is touching
and her poise, radiance and enthusiasm for life and style shone through her
words.
Channel 4 aired a hit documentary FabulousFashionistas in September, and was a stark contrast to previous productions of
10 Years Younger and How Not to Get Old. A group of 6 women, with the average
age of 80, exhibit their infinitely energetic, optimistic and spritely outlooks
on life. Each woman’s ethos manifests in colour, independence, and
fearlessness. Gillian still loves to wear mini skirts, and although the public
may think ‘who does she think she is?’ she replies ‘I don’t give a toss!’ and
maintains her performance arts career aged 87.
When shopping with my 53-year old mother
Christine, she leaves each shop, feeling ‘anxious, depressed and frustrated’.
She states she feels most confident when feeling she looks nice, but this is
problematic. ‘It’s hard to find the styles to suit my body as it’s changing,
but there’s also not enough styles for older women who don’t feel old!’ For the
highstreet to deliver to these women, both entities must be open and engaging
with one another. Drapers claims 45% of 45-54 years olds prefer researching
purchases in store than online, compared to 38% of 18-24 year olds. If this is
the case, why are current retail environments accustomed to marketing towards,
and serving younger consumers?
A recent survey for FOLK magazine revealed over
half of the British women aged 40-60 asked, a reassuring 73% expressed they own
a personal style. 90%, however, claimed their fashion choices to be ‘safe’
purchases. Safety is not necessarily negative – attraction to familiarity and
wishing for comforts are natural human traits, but it may be the limited
encouragement and confidence to try something new that is socially influenced. Credibly,
over half of these women expressed feeling of neglect and being unvalued by the
fashion industry.
All respondents stated they often question
if clothes are ‘too young’ for them. An assumption that mature women do not and
cannot remain part of the fashion scene may restrain their self-assurance and
dampen the acceptance of ageing in this industry. With all respondents investing
in anti-ageing cosmetics, hair dyeing and vitamin supplements, it may indicate that
they, and society, favour a youthful look and believe signs of growing older
should be postponed, or eliminated all together. Conclusively, 63% of these women admitted to
feeling pressured from the media and fashion industry to remain youthful looking.
Fortunately, high fashion is beginning to
embrace the wrinkles and lead the way with older models. Models commonly retire
before the age of 30, but Daphne Selfe, 82, and Isabella Rossellini, 60, have
recently graced advertising campaigns for Dolce and Gabbana and Bulgari,
respectively. Jacquie Tajah Murdock, 82, modelling for Lanvin, claimed ‘it
wasn’t until I was in my 40s that I began to see my beauty.’ This year, M&S
celebrated the beauty found in all ages of women, in ads featuring Ellie
Goulding, Tracey Emin and Grace Coddington, amongst others, in a presentation
of timeless style and female unity.
Yves Saint Laurent famously said ‘fashion
fades, style is eternal’. With age comes maturity, and the knowledge of one’s
self. Older women must deem their individual
characters as perpetual, and proudly present this by fashion and active lifestyles.
Insisting to dress down after the age of 50 is absurd. No woman should be
prescribed the dowdy, shapeless option, rather than taking her own inspired
initiative to make a truly desired decision. Believe ‘why the hell not, I may
never have the chance again!’ because this may be the ticket to eternal vitality
and passionate promotion of the self for years to come.
Article part of Editorial Journalism university
module, exploring the theme of 'identity and fashion'.
.png)
.png)
