Facing the Taboo Our Industry Created

With a new administration in power, and policies impacting female rights playing out in real time, many people are wondering ‘what will this all mean for women’?

The question I’ve been thinking about is, what’s happening for women that aren’t of ‘childbearing age.’ A phrase worth an honorable mention since it is the term widely used by the press to describe any woman aged between 18-45. It’s also a phrase that first appeared in middle England in 1350... perhaps we’re due for an update?

More than half of women in the U.S. are over the age of 50. 75M of which are in perimenopause, menopause, or post-menopause right now. Another 6,000 will reach menopause every day. But, despite this, this topic remains poorly understood, underfunded, and suppressed. Havas Health’s “Superwomen” report found that the U.S. economy loses more than $26B per yearby not addressing the impact of menopause on working women, through lost workdays and medical expenditures. Another significant challenge faced by this group is the impact on their sexual wellbeing. Frequent symptoms impact their sexual activity, intimate relationships, and self-esteem.

Two cultural taboos sit at the heart of the problem: ageing and sex.

These taboos have been reinforced by the media and advertising industries for a number of decades. Having long created an association between youth and sexuality, this ongoing narrative has left women over 50 invisible when it comes to discussions about sex and pleasure.

In practical terms, advertising regularly:

1. Reinforces a youth-centric view of sexuality: Advertising often relegates women over 50 to non-sexual, caregiving roles. There’s injustice in the fact that women go from being sexualized and objectified from the moment they reach puberty, and then suddenly drift into the background the minute their ovaries ‘dry up.’ (a problem not shared by older male sex icons such as Mick Jagger, who continue to reinforce this status long into their later years as his much younger partner pops out one baby after the other.)

2. Positions ageing as a problem to be solved: In the case of menopause; communications are one dimensional; think hot-flashes and leaky bladders.

3. Flat out ignores older women: Only 5% of advertising dollars are targeted at the 35-64s. Unsurprisingly, 53% of boomer women feel that they are ignored by advertising because of their age.

Beyond just tackling the obvious bias of the situation, let’s not forget that this is a matter of commercial importance for brands that we work for. Women over 50 account for 27% of consumer spending. Named the ‘super consumers’ by Forbes, they have $15T in purchasing power. This is the exact reason Havas plastered a MysteryVibe vibrator on a NYC billboard – to start a conversation with menopausal women about the proven medical benefits of orgasms. The campaign not only drove a 90% increase in positive brand sentiment, 3M out-of-home impressions, and a 25% increase in web traffic, it was also picked up over-seas in the UK press, further extending brand awareness and message reach.

So, no this is not about social do-gooding and a worthy activity to improve brand reputation. This is a reminder that brands that engage women over 50 properly stand to make a great, fuck-ton of money.