Age is no barrier to wanting to look good: women on body image, age and advertising

Abstract

Purpose -Most fashion advertising in the UK uses and targets young, slim women (and/or men). The purpose of this paper research is to ask whether this approach is relevant and appropriate to older women, who make up a large and growing segment of the market, and who generally have more disposable income to spend on clothes. Design/methodology/approach -Adapted qualitative techniques were used to examine two groups of women, one younger and one older. The Contour Drawing Rating Scale was used to examine the women's self-image and the ideal size they perceived models should be. Triadic Sorting with laddering interviews revealed how the women perceived some recent adverts. Findings -Although the older women, on the whole, were larger than the younger women, they displayed a greater level of satisfaction and contentment with their body's size and appearance. Both groups felt that fashion models should be larger than they are currently and the older women, in particular, felt that the advert using "normal-sized" women was the most effective in selling product. Practical implications -Directed towards the creators of fashion advertising and fashion retailers, this research was one of the first attempts to uncover how older women view fashion advertising. It reveals that while older women do not necessarily expect to see women of their own age in adverts they do require that the models are more reflective of "normal-sized" women going about "normal" activities. In short, to interest them in the products being sold, they need advertising to be relevant to their everyday lives, without being condescending or resorting to escapism. Originality/value -This paper represents one of the first research studies in the UK to explore older "normal" women and their perceptions of body-image related to fashion advertising. It also uses specifically adapted qualitative methods to achieve its purpose.

Real or relevant beauty? Body shape and endorser effects on brand attitude and body image

“…In Study 2, medium-thin figures in the advertisements seen by an older sample, and who had a higher BMI, triggered a desire for a more curvaceous shape. In that case, the idealized stereotype presented may have been more realistic and relevant to a target audience (Peck & Loken, 2004;Borland & Akram, 2007). It appears to be in the interest of marketers to present obtainable, and in some cases ethnically relevant, stereotypes in advertising, rather than adopt a standardized approach.…”

“…The women in Study 2 were older, with 68% less than 25 years compared with 97% in Study 1. Research suggests that older women, while still having a desire to be attractive, do not expect to see themselves depicted by thinner models; they don't represent their idea of reality in advertising (Borland & Akram, 2007).…”

Getting the Focus Right: New Zealand Baby Boomers and Advertisements for Glasses

“…For example, women are particularly aware of the social risks of dressing too much younger than their age and instead, want to "age gracefully" (Beneke, Frey, Chapman, Mashaba, & Howie, 2011). They want to be depicted in advertisements as they see themselves: older women want to see "real women" in advertising aimed at them (Borland & Akram, 2007). Other research confirms that an age-appropriate model in advertisements will elicit a more favorable response regarding purchase intentions among women aged 30 years and older (Kozar, 2010), and that the "age-ofmodel" factor is more significant for products that are age-specific (Myers & Lumbers, 2008).…”

Dimensional mapping: Applying DQR and MDS to explore the perceptions of seniors' role in advertising

“…Consistently, all but five of the thirty items loading high (Ն0.5) on dimension 6 are also located in the quadrant formed with the negative pole of dimension 5, associating the reduced physical fitness with marginalization. Various authors state that seniors are confronted with unrealistic showcase models in marketing communication, which has a negative impact on their self-perception and body image (Borland & Akram, 2007;Furman, 1999). Contrary to the accepted role attribution of seniors as grandparents in the family environment, the associations loading high on the pole "Showcase Models" (ՅϪ0.5) are related to marginalization (M ϭ Ϫ0.25; SD ϭ 0.41).…”