I'm Not Aspiring to Be 20. Why Does Advertising Think I Am?

By Joanna Stone, Founder of Bunny Ruffle Tail

Key finding: Only 3% of Americans over 50 said they feel seen in advertising in a 2025 survey. Ad characters over 60 fell 62% between 2022 and 2024, to 1.4% of all characters. Sources 9 and 6

I still want to see aspirational people in fashion and beauty advertising. Beautiful clothes. Extraordinary skin. A fragrance that feels like a little piece of luxury.

Why can't the woman in the picture be my age?

I'm not aspiring to be 20. I don't need to see a 25-year-old wearing something to decide whether I might want it. And I certainly don't want every appearance of a woman over 50 to become a conversation about aging.

The bigger problem is that women our age often aren't portrayed at all.

The magazine disappeared. The age gap didn't.

My career was built in publishing. Magazines used to be one of the places I discovered what was beautiful, interesting or worth buying. Now much of that discovery happens digitally, through creators and videos.

I see plenty of fashion and beauty influencers doing try-on videos. Many seem to be in their 30s. They may be excellent at what they do, but they aren't showing me what a garment looks like on a woman in my stage of life.

That leaves me doing the translation myself: Would that jacket sit differently on me? Is the proportion right? Is this style something I actually want to wear?

Research in the briefing found that adults 50+ make up 46% of U.S. adults but appear in only 15% of online media images. Source 7 The missing faces are a creative decision, not a reflection of who's out here shopping.

Aspiration doesn't expire.

There's a peculiar assumption underneath a lot of marketing: youth is aspirational, and age is a problem to solve.

But a woman over 50 can be the face of a beautiful fragrance, a fabulous coat or a pair of boots because she looks extraordinary in them. No lesson about confidence required. No wink about being fabulous for her age. Just good advertising.

An AARP survey reported by Pacific Citizen found that 70% are more likely to buy from brands showing people their age. Source 37

That's why I show products on camera myself. When a woman over 50 holds up the coat, she sees how it actually fits a life like hers. Brands that put her on screen don't have to wait for the industry to catch up.

Further reading: Women 50+ Advertiser Briefing · Sources and Methodology

Published October 31, 2026 · Last updated October 31, 2026