Over 50s strip down to protest against ageism

Six over 50s have stripped naked to protest against ‘everyday ageism’ in a new photo shoot.

The images, photographed by over 50s dating app Lumen, feature three men and three women, all aged between 50 and 65, completely naked and holding placards with slogans aimed at the ageism they’ve experienced, including: “Grey hair don’t care”, “Nobody puts Granny in the corner” and “It’s our time to be seen”.

It comes as new research released in the UK reveals that almost 9 in 10 (86%) of over 50s think advertising targeted towards them needs to change. Over half (51%) say there’s too much airbrushing, while over a third (36%) say the models look plastic. Furthermore, around a third (30%) say that models and celebrities are made to look younger than their actual age and a similar amount (36%) say that there’s too much emphasis on the downsides of getting older. Overall a third (31%) of the over 50s think that advertising is ageist.  

And it’s having a severe impact on their confidence. Of the over 50s who dislike advertising targeted towards them, nearly a quarter (23%) say that they’re made to feel ‘invisible’ by the underrepresentation. Furthermore, one in five (19%) say they feel they can’t be themselves and one in ten (10%) even say that it makes them feel unattractive.

Fashion was identified by over 50s as the sector that most gets them wrong (57%), followed by beauty (42%), health and wellbeing (36%) and travel and leisure (30%).

Charly Lester, Co-Founder and CMO of Lumen, commented:

“The fact that almost nine in 10 over 50s think that advertising aimed at them need to change should be a real wake-up call to the industry about the ‘everyday ageism’ all around us. Not only is it a case of underrepresentation, but heavily edited images are making older people feel like it’s not ok to be themselves.”

“We’re calling on advertisers to reconsider how they portray older age groups, and show them for the attractive, funny and real people they are. Just because you’re aged 50+ doesn’t mean you can’t be sexy and have a little fun.”

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