Brooke Shields has been a fixture in mainstream television and film for the last four decades. And unlike some women who may try to hide or conceal their age, Brooke has nothing to hide.
In a recent interview with Gayle King, Brooke got candid about aging and spoke about the difficulties middle-aged women are faced with and how they’re largely ignored by brands and marketing altogether .
Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, Brooke Shields was one of the most sought-after young actresses in show business.
Known for her work in The Blue Lagoon and Suddenly Susan , the Emmy-nominated star has been turning heads and winning hearts since she was a teenager.
But once Brooke turned 40, she began to notice a dramatic shift as far as her career was concerned.
The phone stopped ringing off the hook and eventually became silent. When she looked at the advertisements on TV and in magazines, she no longer saw herself reflected.
“I’m still in a career, I’m still working, I’m here and I was shocked by how unrepresented I was,” Shields told Gayle King.
“You’re either 20s and sexy and fabulous or you’re in Depends and you’ve got dentures ,” she joked semi-seriously.
Shields continued on with the conversation, stating that 40 is the age where women actually begin living their true lives.
However, they’re no longer targetted by companies through their marketing. Rather, middle-aged women are cast aside and totally forgotten.
“I was incensed by that,” Shields stated bluntly.
This is precisely what motivated Brooke to start @beginningisnow — an online platform for women of every age , that reinforces the idea that every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around.
“When I think about beginnings, I feel like it’s now,” Brooke explained to King.
“I wanted women to be able to feel that. We’re not asking for permission, want them to try new things, to say look how long I’ve lived and look how much more I have ,” she said.
Brooke’s comments on the issue of visibility resonated heavily with her audience.
“Thank you, Brooke! It so aggravating as a mature women to become invisible to much of society ,” Instagram user @peachtree_home commented.
“What brook just said resonates with what I am going through right now,” @saumya.the.bookworm replied.
The ironic thing is that women over 40 have the greatest buying power of any demographic.
According to an article published by FancyNYC, “Gen-Xers have the highest post-tax incomes when compared with Millennials & Baby Boomers and they are outspending both Millennials (by 41%) and Baby Boomers (by 18%).”
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“Yet, 64% of the 500 women 40+ that Fancy interviewed said they feel brands systematically underestimate their spending power,” the article reads.
The $1 million dollar question, then, is why aren’t brands going out of their way to obtain this most valuable chunk of business?
In short — because it has proven increasingly difficult to do so.
Women in their 40s and beyond are incredibly individualistic and difficult to lump into the same category or box. Some are new mothers, others are grandmothers; some are sole earners, while others are stay-at-home.
Brooke Shields understands this as well as, if not better than anyone.
So while the majority of Fortune 500 brands are content to ignore their biggest potential customers, Brooke and @beginningisnow will happily devour all that they leave on the table.
