Changing Definitions of Beauty as Women Age

A+E Networks
Sep 5, 2018 · 2 min read

Younger women prefer sexiness, while older women prefer healthiness.

Women’s definition of beauty and what they consider attractive in a partner, change as they get older, according to research in the A+E Networks® Womanhood study, released earlier this year.

Younger women, ages 18–34, are more likely to identify “physically beautiful” with being thin and feminine in appearance, and they want to be seen as sexy. Women 50 and older are more likely to identify physical beauty as projecting inner confidence and having a natural look. They prefer to be seen as healthy.

Similarly, younger women want their partners to be sexy, while older women want their partners to be healthy.

The research points to how important is it for brands to be mindful of the audience’s different needs and desires as they age so that connections can be made with customers. “Marketing is all about connecting,” says Diane Dietz, CEO and president of the skincare company Rodan + Fields. In her interview for this issue of SheReports, the former marketer at Procter & Gamble and Safeway shares, “It’s about communication. It’s about finding that unique insights that can touch someone’s heart and really ignite intellectual curiosity.”

For more information on our research, contact SheReports@aenetworks.com.


A+E Networks Publication

A+E Networks

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The Account #LifeMagnified

A+E Networks Publication

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