Is there an age limit on taste
A friend of ours recently shared a well known company’s influencer requirements. The usual things like number of followers, gender, but shockingly that only those aged between 25-45 need apply. So is there an age limit on taste or does your passion for fashion, food and interiors go into steep decline as you reach middle age?
Of course many people who work in social media are younger and the biggest proportion of users are aged between 25-34•, but does that mean we should write off an entire age group? This is a generation with huge spending power, ••Statista reported that those aged between 45-54 had the highest annual disposal income. This coupled with children growing up and maybe wanting to invest in their forever home or update their wardrobe, surely means there’s many waiting to be influenced. And if you also consider that magazine sales have plummeted by over 60% between 2005 to 2019.••• Where have all the readers have gone for inspiration?
Blogger Kat Farmer of @doesmybumlookforty boasts nearly 250k followers on Instagram and regularly makes high profile TV appearances. The journalist Kate Watson-Smyth @madeaboutthehouse has been ranked in the Top 10 Interiors blog by Vogue. And chefs like Skye Gyngell (aged 57) and interiors guru Abigail Ahern (aged 50) regularly inspire with tastes from their table and their home.
We’d argue that contrived picture-perfect shots are losing their appeal. We’re bored of the same airbrushed aesthetic and want to see real life, that’s authentic, original and rich with character. It’s sad that older influencers and indeed older customers have been sidelined in this social media ageism. Rather than embrace a whole sector of society, still hungry for inspiration.
Hopefully the industry will learn from the designers who are using models of all ages on the catwalk to represent diversity and celebrate that following fashion and taste brings joy no matter what age you are.
If you like to receive our biannual trends report,
please email carole@nikandcarole.co.uk
References :
•• statista.com
