The Anti-Ageing Revolt

In August, Allure magazine’s editor-in-chief Michelle Lee announced that the magazine would no longer use the term “anti-ageing”, to shake the negative connotations that surround getting older. The move was reflective of a seismic shift throughout popular culture and society, whose central characters – from film producers to brand founders – have been faced with an increasingly empowered consumer that will no longer accept being age-shamed. “Women are no longer beholden to the outdated notions of ageing that were pushed to them through marketing,” said Victoria Buchanan, a strategic researcher at The Future Laboratory. “They want to see positive and affirming messages.”

This move can at least partly be attributed to the rise of what some call our flat-age society, in which a person’s age is no longer reflective of their marketing appeal, with brands targeting a non-age-specific attitude. While Hollywood still has a problem with actresses past the age of 40, there are some notable trailblazers, including Meryl Streep and Jessica Lange, both 69. This sense that “age ain’t nothing but a number” has been further supported by stylish beauty and fashion icons – model Linda Rodin, in her sixties and designer Iris Apfel, 97 – who, while having successful earlier careers, hit their strides much later in life.