Where’s the Fun? How Sexual Wellness Brands Are Failing Women Over 40—and What Needs to Change
Women between 40 and 60 aren’t slowing down; instead, they’re waking up. They’re stepping into their power, letting go of preconceived notions of what middle age should be (or could be!), and yes, ohh yes!, reclaiming their pleasure. So why does the sexual wellness industry still talk to them like they’re broken (if they talk to them at all)?
Marketers are more obsessed with our looks than we are
How much of our lives has been spent on living up to impossible beauty standards? Standards created by the media, the patriarchy, and yes, advertising. Global ad spend in the beauty category continues to grow, but who’s really paying attention? Who is absorbing the nonstop barrage of content messaging and predetermined ideals? Apparently not women over 40.
1 in 4 americans is a woman 40+. Surprised? I was.
For as long as we can remember there have been so few women over 40 portrayed in advertising and entertainment, or celebrated in the highest ranks of business, that we have come to believe that is reality. We literally think there are far fewer of us than there are. Consequently, we feel alone. But we’re not. There are 83 million of us. 25% of the population.
Survey results are in: Women 40+ have their say
Brands love millennials and they’re even somewhat interested in senior citizens, but women over 40 are not even on the radar. Fancy’s survey of 500 women over 40, recently covered by Campaign, gives these women the mic, and it turns out they had a lot to say.