Perspective
A s hift in the mindset and behaviour of the flat age society
youth starting to fade has caused a cult of
, replaced by a culture of agelessness (2015: Online).
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Fig 2: (Unknown, Jean Woods, 2014)
Fig 1: front cover image, (Roy, Joni Mitchell New york Magazine, 2015)
Fig 3: (Bencicova, E. Contributor magazine, 2015)
The idea of someone who is a flat ager in my opinion is someone who has simply chosen not to conform and has gone against the stereotypical idea of how they should act and be perceived by anyone around them as soon as they are over the age of 60. A recent trend has formed within the flat age society, Shepherd Laughlin states for LS:N Global (2014: Online) the idea of someone being
generationless.
Those who split into tribes by lifestyle rather demographics based solely on age.
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According to Constance Rosenblum writing for The New York Times (2014: Online), baby boomers are moving to neighbourhoods typically associated with hipster culture. The people whom were profiled for the story were those who were creative types and
gravitated
naturally towards neighborhoods pioneered by young artists and felt inspired by them rather than intimidated by the youth surrounding them. Shepherd Laughlin writing for LS:N Global (2014: Online) summarizes that attitude will describe an area as youthful in the future rather than demographics.
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Fig 4: (Collins, P. She Woke up this this, 2014)
Mima Cattan identifies in her book Mental Health and Well Being in Later
importance of fun and opportunities Life, the
for developing supportive and reciprocal friendships. Her findings suggest that while some friendships fade, others develop to take their place (Cattan: 2009). Cattan also claims that women are more sociable stereotypically through having not been in a typical work environment and have a different pattern of employment to men and that through this have had less of a reliance on work based friendships and have made them else where making them better equipped for retirement. Through this thinking I believe that the concept and the way in which agelessness is perceived has been enhanced through creative types surrounding themselves with younger influential creative’s due to the possibility of them being impressionable.
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Fig 5: (Antoni, G. Jenny Kee for Oyster magazine, 2014)
The general consensus for the baby boomers demographic is that they are misrepresented within advertising, but within recent years this is no longer the case. LS:N Global states that campaigns for anti-aging products seem incongruous and will no longer do. “In this world, where Flat-Agers are revving up rather than
the term ‘old’ is dead and gone slowing down,
” (2014: Online).
By 2017 flat agers according to LS:N Global are expected to have 70% of the disposable income in the U.S. (2014: Online). Imogen Matthews report Older Women: The Forgotten Demographic states that female beauty consumers aged forty-five and over represent 41% of the market and also, many over 75s continue to use beauty products because they always have, because it makes them feel good – and they have no intention of stopping (2015:Online). “Women in
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their 50s and early 60s continue to live very similar lifestyles to when they were younger�- Imogen Matthews (2015:Online), stating that its unlikely that flat agers are going to change their habits anytime soon, so why ignore such an important demographic?
Finally this poor representation is starting to come to an end with the rise of the flat agers. Marc Jacobs Beauty showcased the iridescent Jessica Lange as the face of their 2014 campaign as did NARS through using Charlotte Rampling as the face of theirs as well. LS:N Global
few brands understand their needs state that
and respond to what makes them tick (2014: Online), but with an uplifting representation at hand that the intended demographic uses these products different to younger generations.
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Fig 6: (Cohen, A. S. Sara Gray for Advanced Style, 2014)
The concept of non-conformity is a common trend within the way that flat agers are perceived through the media. Olivia Flemming writes for the Daily Mail about Alexis Bittar’s latest campaign talks about how the advertisements aim is to “stand against the fundamental ageism that is plaguing the fashion industry”(2015: Online). Using Iris Apfel for this concept creates that essence of non-conformity and shows that creative subculture within the flat age society.
The perfect example of this is the way in which the Ari Seth Cohens blog Advanced Style showcases according Amy Odell writing for New York Magazine
mature wizened
“Street style of the
and sense
of
personal
style
developed age
that
,
a has
with
” (2008: Online). Cohen’s blog has taken of even further after the launch of Selfridges Bright Old things and campaigns such as Celine and Saint Laurent. Francesca Dunn, writing for i-D claims that this shows that there truly is a new fascination with those rich in life experience (2015: Online) What Cohens blog does is that it find that niche market that passion for personal expression and enhances how in this day and age, flat agers are showing little sign of slowing down and are craving more the further they progress in life. Artistic types are the ones who thrive as they progress, these individuals are anarchic and provocative.
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Further signs that flat agers show no signs of slowing down is how Selfridges have decided to revamp their bright young things campaign by
Bright Old Things renaming it ‘
’, embracing those few individuals who have embraced retirement but have then gone onto starting up a new vocation later on in life (2015: Online). People such as Molly Parkin who was formerly a fashion editor has no revisited her previous love of painting and Nick Wooster has developed his knowledge of retail and styling and has found a clear gap in the market for what was missing and is now a regular fashion week favorite. What these individuals show is that it is possible to have a new lease for life even when you are far into your existing one, and that reinvention is always possible. Flat agers are a game changing demographic and are one to keep an eye on and embrace, and shouldn’t be ignored as they are out there to be noticed.
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Fig 7: (Unknown, Nick Wooster, 2013)
Methodology
I have developed a methodology in order to plan and identify the methods in which I am going to use in order to carry out my primary research. The methodology table will act as a framework for my research and will create an effortless plan for me to follow. When carrying out my primary research I am aware that there are a number of things that I will need to consider. Informed consent will be needed throughout my primary research, whether it is online or offline to make my work ethical. I will be carrying out focus groups and in depth interviews, and I plan to make them as comfortable as possible for the participants, in order for them to give their most honest opinions so that my findings are accurate. I will be aiming my research at an audience between the ages of 59-89 to target my chosen consumer of flat agers, specifically around the creative community. I will provide a welcoming environment for my audience without seeming patronising to their age as I have already discovered that
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they are technologically savvy and a forward thinking community who strive off the influence of the youth. Before beginning any interviews I will have prepared a brief so that they are properly disclosed as to what the purpose of the study is. I will make it evident that any data collected will not be shared with any other parties. Throughout my research I will ensure that participants are able to opt-out at any point of the study. I will always offer a transcript of the interview to be sent to the participants so that they are able to check what has been said and approve what I have collated. There are a number of qualitative and quantitative methods that I plan to undertake in order to gather valued and effective primary research. Quantitative surveys will enable me to gather the basis of the issues for my chosen topics. With this I will be able to pick the most common insights and test this when carrying out my other research. In depth interviews with individuals who embody the lifestyle that I am trying to single
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out will offer a more engaging insight through pairing individuals together with the hope of creating a debate. Any other insights that I have found out through the use of my surveys could be brought up at this time in order to gain adequate feedback. Deciding to use focus groups will allow me to gain opinions from my target audience on a grand scale but will still offer depth around the issues. As I carry out my focus group sessions I will take a step back in order to not change the respondents view in order to prevent biased opinions. Ethnographic research will allow me to observe my audiences behaviour and gain insight into their life from a first-hand perspective. As I carry this out I will constantly be aware of the Hawthorne Effect and will not allow my presence to influence their reactions so that I can gain a natural insight. I feel as though these methods will be beneficial to my research as they will provide in depth findings about my audiences behaviour to show how the flat ager market is expanding and is a beneficial market to target.
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Illustrations Fig 1: Roy, N. J. (2015) Joni Mitchell New York Magazine [Photography]. Available at: http://pixel.nymag. com/imgs/thecut/slideshows/2015/02/joni-mitchell/1. nocrop.w1800.h1330.2x.jpg (Accessed: 7 December 2015). Fig 2: Unknown (2014) Jean Woods [Photography]. Available at: http://thatsnotmyage.com/wp-content/ uploads/2014/05/Jean-Woods-768x1024.jpg (Accessed: 8 December 2015). Fig 3: Bencicova, E. (2015) Contributor magazine [Photography]. Available at: http:// contributormagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ Fredag_051.jpg (Accessed: 7 December 2015). Fig 4: Collins, P. (2014) She Woke up this this [Photography]. Available at: http://pixel.nymag. com/imgs/thecut/slideshows/2014/11/women-in-themorning-linda/3.nocrop.w1800.h1330.2x.jpg (Accessed: 7 December 2015). Fig 5: Antoni, G. (2014) Jenny Kee for Oyster magazine [Photography]. Available at: http://www.oystermag. com/sites/default/files/imagecache/article-image650x580/images/Jenny-Kee-Georges-Antoni-Oyster-105. jpg (Accessed: 7 December 2015). Fig 6: Cohen, A. S. (2014) Sara Gray for Advanced Style [Photography]. Available at: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/lxf6iLADKns/U3YWJB4mtAI/AAAAAAAAIH4/iXAjEqyQcNg/ s1600/IMG_9431copy.jpg (Accessed: 7 December 2015). Fig 7: Unknown (2013) Nick Wooster [Photography]. Available at: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg. com/736x/bf/26/bb/bf26bb6497cf62f4e7355402f3cfdf27. jpg (Accessed: 7 December 2015).
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(Accessed:
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Walker, D. (2015) Age and grace: Photo book celebrates grandmothers. Available at: https://www.lsnglobal. com/seed/article/8540/age-and-grace-photo-bookcelebrates-grandmothers (Accessed: 7 December 2015).
Unpredictable Cattan, M. (2009) Mental health and well-being in later life. Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press.
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