A new social-led campaign launched to fight against ageism and challenge sexist stereotypes has become a global viral hit – registering over 4 million views in just over a week.
Aimed at ’empowering age’ and calling out ageist agenda with thought-provoking content, the campaign was developed by The Bias Cut’s activism platform Ageism Is Never In Style.
Partnering with charity group Centre for Ageing Better, the hashtag has seen millions of men and women hit back at ageist and sexist clichés by posting under the #ILookMyAge banner.
The social movement will primarily look to dispel outdated attitudes and assumptions about ageing by calling out such phrases as “you don’t look your age”, “you look younger than you are” and “you look good for your age”.
“All of these phrases are outdated and ultimately meaningless. We all look the age we are supposed to look as we all age differently,” The Bias Cut & Ageism Is Never In Style founder Jacynth Bassett said.
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“Ageing is not a monolith. Yet ageism in society has resulted in warped, stereotypical, narrow minded perceptions of what age looks like – especially for women.
She added: “Ageing is a personal experience for every person, and the aim of this campaign is to champion diverse representation of ageing; disrupt outdated, restrictive ideas of what it means to look a certain age; and for women in particular to reclaim ageing as a badge of honour”.
#ILookMyAge was inspired by research indicating that women believed 46 to be ‘the age of invisibility’ when they stopped seeing themselves represented authentically in the media.
The survey also showed that a staggering 73% of respondents felt that older women were shown in a negative light across adverts and media outlets focusing on work and employment.
The results come as another survey by Centre for Ageing Better showed that brands are failing to represent women over 50, with advertisers presenting middle-aged females ‘wearing old-fashioned clothing’ or ‘kooky and struggling with menopause’.
