Mothers are more than moms, just ask one. We did (500 actually).
Motherhood isn’t everything. Even to moms. That was made clear in our survey when 9 out of 10 mothers said they wanted to be portrayed in roles other than mom. In no way does this diminish the role of motherhood in a person’s life. It can be defining. It can be exceptional. It can be transformative. It isn’t, however, everything. The pre-motherhood self does not simply evaporate, replaced by the selfless devotion to others and instant knowledge of laundry cycles, sheet pan dinners, and where the extra AA batteries are.
Something to think about:
Women over 40 see themselves presented in very specific roles, if at all. Many of the women we surveyed said that outside of anti-aging and pharmaceutical ads they really didn’t see anyone their age, and even those women didn’t reflect the way our respondents see themselves. Which, in case you’re wondering, is pretty awesome.
What I want for Mother’s Day
Here is the kind of advertising I hope to encounter in my social feed on Sunday when someone brings me a cappuccino and an almond croissant in bed (hint, hint!), what I’d like to see when I treat myself to a pedicure and get 45 minutes to myself to flip through fashion magazines, what I wish would grab my attention from those cool video triptychs that are popping up all over the subway.
Brands Continue to Overlook Women Over 40 as a Group Worth Marketing To
Women are living longer and better. They are not taking the increase in life expectancy and stretching out old age with more bingo and birdwatching; they are taking advantage of it now. Women are more engaged, more motivated, more in control of their lives than ever before. And brands are missing out.