Here’s a sad finding: According to a NIVEA study, two-thirds of women over 50 feel invisible. The brand’s new campaign, Stand Firm Together, aims to gain back some confidence.
A study by NIVEA has revealed that nearly 7 in 10 women (68 per cent) feel society makes them feel invisible as they age. The research also reveals that nearly 9 out of 10 women (87 per cent) believe ageism is a reality, with nearly three quarters of women (74 per cent) believing the problem is more prominent for women.
Who is to blame for this ageism? Hollywood is at least partially to blame, says 68 per cent of women who took part in the NIVEA Q10 Firming – Women & Ageing Research study. But then 70 per cent of women feel that, as they grow older, society expects them to be less sexy, so perhaps the pressure is actually closer to home than we might think. Case in point: nearly three quarters of respondents (74 per cent) feel that as they grow older, there is pressure to adapt their style to something more conservative (think shorter hair and longer skirts). And 70 per cent feel they should be less sexy as they age.
Sure, being age appropriate is one thing, but should women really feel such a strong need to conform? Is long hair on an older women such a crime? Is wearing a short skirt really such a big deal? And when did a sexy old woman become a turn-off…?
“Life can whiz by so fast. One day you are the life of the party, feeling amazing, being told how fabulous you are and then like a giant slap in the face from the universe….it stops,” says campaign ambassador and media commentator Bianca Dye. “Society tends to ignore women over 50. You just seem to become invisible.”
This clearly isn’t great news for women of any age and it’s a positive move that brands like NIVEA and New Zealand brand Trilogy (which recently created the “What I Know Now” campaign, inviting women aged 45+ to share their stories) are working to change the sentiment. Thankfully the younger women in the NIVEA survey believe that we should be more aware of the way older women feel, with 91 per cent saying we should help older women feel more confident and visible, and 94 per cent believing we should constantly remind our mothers and other older women of their worth. After all, 73 per cent of daughters in the study attribute their mother’s positive affirmations when they were younger as a source of their own confidence now.
To help stop women over the age of 50 from feeling invisible and to boost morale in women of all ages, NIVEA has launched the #standfirm campaign, which encourages mothers and daughters to support each other.
Here’s the NIVEA Stand Firm Together campaign. Watch it, then go call your mum.
Have your say: Do you think ageism is a problem? Do you find your older clients suffer a loss of confidence?