a big week for anti-anti-aging
Allure announced that it would stop using the word “anti-aging.” I have to wonder if they are making a pitch for a more minted older audience, or if they are having a semantic rethink. The idea that beauty is the sole province of the young is something that we have been banging the drum against since the beginning. It’s demented. It’s not enough to use supermodels, then they must be retouched into the world of Mattel. On the other hand, we all want to look as good as we can. It’s not like the often-mentioned and much-admired Helen Mirren doesn’t have a great haircut.
The London Times had a very good piece this past weekend: “Cosmetics companies are dumping the word to describe their products. Instead, in come phrases such as “youth liberator,” “lift and luminate” and even “line interception” — which is either a new railway policy or a reference to wrinkles.” Youth Liberator? Is that a sex oil?
To all those confused brand managers out there, we propose a couple of simple rules. Cool is cool, no matter the age. Beauty is about much more than lines; beauty is a power and that power includes the person’s worldly capacity and confidence, not just the amount of lines on the skin. Perfection is not sexy. Nope. In fact the opposite is true. When confused, study Georgia O’Keefe.
