When I sat down to write this blog post, it was going to be about ageism, but why accentuate the negative?! I switched gears as I did a little research and what I found was surprising and very inspiring! Fifty something women are stepping up and out in a big way. We are living big lives, we have big goals and are a huge force to be reckoned with as consumers.

I read a fascinating article in Forbes magazine about the spending power of the 50ish consumer (women in particular). It seems that brands are finally starting to come around and see that we as a consumer group are not irrelevant. It’s been a long time coming and there is still work to be done before we are represented in advertising as we should be. Research shows that “85 percent of purchasing decisions are made by women and yet 91 percent of women don’t believe that advertisers understand them.”

“According to the Coca - Cola Company and Mass Mutual, a group of 40 million 50+ American women represent over $15 trillion dollars in purchasing power and are are the healthiest, wealthiest, and most active generation in history. This group of super consumers, who will experience the largest population growth over the next 10 years, represent off-the-charts spending power, yet most of these women feel completely ignored by marketers.” ~ Forbes Magazine

Women are no longer brand loyal specifically, but are on the lookout for the latest and greatest of everything from makeup to cars. We want the products that will enrich our lives, make our wrinkles less obvious, and make us feel good…and we are willing to spend the money. For marketers, that means advertising aimed specifically at 50 something women is crucial because we are “literally on the prowl for the items we want”.

According to a study by the U.S Government Consumer Expenditure Survey and Neilson, female consumers 50 and over are extremely engaged with wanting to look and feel better (you can put me in that category). The study shows that women 50 plus compromise the largest demographic of incomes over $100,000, we control 95% of household purchasing decisions, 80% of luxury travel purchases, 82% of us are open to trying new brands and we are the fastest growing consumer cosmetics segment. 75% of us are willing to pay a little extra for quality and convenience and 44% of us want to improve our looks more than ever. WOW!! We are…the ultimate super consumers! Brands should are are (slowly) taking notice. As a group, however, we are still under represented in advertising.

What I found in my research is that instead of sitting around and waiting for brands to notice, we are taking matters into our own hands by starting blogs, businesses, and making our voices heard. We can no longer be categorized as irrelevant. We are increasingly tech savvy and must be because we are completely focused on what we want from life…we are willing to do what it takes to live the lives we are capable of living We are bright and curious and ready to talk openly about the challenges and opportunities of midlife.

There are more influencers than I can count who are over 50 and proving that we can bes and are powerful and successful. What I found as I was perusing the Internet was women like Grece Ghanem who is a 52 year old Instagrammer taking the space by storm and showing that it doesn’t matter what decade you were born in. Grace is a personal trainer in Montreal, has only been Instagramming for about 2 years now and has already has gained over 72K followers. My take on Grece is that she is fearless in her way of dressing and therefore gives other women permission to be fearless. That’s what we can do for each other…step out, show up and encourage other women to do the same! We have nothing to lose and everything to gain by realizing our worth and shouting it out to the world!

With the longevity boom just getting started, we are about to enter into the super consumer golden age.

Now is the time for brands to take notice!

Below, I’m sharing some pretty amazing 50 plus women who have carved out their own niches by staying true to their own style!

Grece Ghanem

Girls Gone 50 is a highly entertaining space targeted to women over 50. It is powered by Grace Creative, an integrated advertising, branding and creative content agency that deeply understands the most empowered target market in history - women over 50. Follow Girls Gone 50 on Instagram here.

In The Groove - A Lifestyle Destination for Age Defying Women - Founded by Susan K Feldman, founder of One Kings Lane, for “women like us: smart, sassy, road tested with a lot more miles to burn”. In The Groove covers everything you can imagine that is relevant to 50 plus women! One of my favorite posts was - You Don’t Have To Gain Weight After Menopause!

Renata Jazdzyk is a Poland native who resides in Newcastle upon Tyne in the U.K., she documents her penchant for trends and fashion-forward dressing. Check out her Instagram here!

Renia’s outfits rival any you might find on the streets at Fashion Week. Her style is always put-together, polished, and original. Her Instagram feed is full of inspiration for how to incorporate designer trends into your everyday look, without looking like a replica of what was shown on the runways. Her creativity and love of fashion is apparent in every outfit.

Linda Rodin is a woman who does things her way! She started a beauty company at the age of 59 when more than a few people told her it was crazy! Rodin ignored even very knowledgeable friends in the beauty industry and singlehandedly created the face-oil trend with her exquisite, now-iconic Olio Lusso face oil. She insisted that her entire luxurious, stylist-secret line be totally nontoxic - because she wanted it that way.

Lyn Slater is a 63 year old university professor and social worker with a blog called Accidental Icon. Her journey to becoming a fashionista was accidental (hence the name), because a paparazzi mistook her for a celebrity. Lyn exudes confidence and her style shows it. Her ability to capture you with pictures and her interesting style of writing on her blog proves that with age comes wisdom and…great style!

Dawn Lucy is the 52 year-old blogger behind the over-forty style blog Fashion Should Be Fun. Lucy is a style blogger, a high school English teacher, a wife and the mom of dogs. Her Instagram feed is filled with fresh and playful outfits, pics captured from her daily life in San Jose, California as well as her travels.

Sophie Fontanel of the blog Fabulous Forever, is a 50-something fashion journalist and style critic for the Parisian publication, L'Obs.

Sophie's style embodies that distinctly French way of looking absolutely effortless and impossibly fashionable all at once. She is a writer, fashion guru and a selfie celebrity. Her style is perfectly Parisian and showcases a wardrobe made up of vintage gems that reflect her whimsical personal style!

Colleen Heidemann is a former flight attendant, who lives by the mantra, "if not now, when?" She was discovered by blogger/photographer Seth Cohen of the blog Advanced Style, when he met Colleen at her California consignment store in 2011. She has since became a fashion muse in her own right and signed with Next Models. Colleen’s style is anything but minimalistic. She favors glamour with a vibrant flair. The only word for Colleen is fabulous!

There are more 50ish bloggers and Instagrammers than can be counted these days and this is a small example of what we as women are doing in the social media world!

wLINK UP PARTY

Welcome to My Link-Up Party!

I’m teaming up with Robin LaMonte of the blog Hello I’m 50ish. Today, through next Tuesday, Bloggers, and Instagramers can hare their favorite posts by clicking the blue Inlinkz button below. Adding your link will allow you to show off your hard work, make new connections, and gain new followers! Share whatever you like and be a part of the community!!

Here’s what to do . . .

LEAVE A COMMENT! Follow Robin and me on Instagram.

Visit a few other bloggers, to make new friends and increase your own following!

Be sure to tell your friends about this linkup so they can join in the fun too. The more the merrier! Have fun hopping around all the Blogs and Instagram accounts that have linked up!

By linking up you acknowledge that you have rights to the photograph you are using for the thumbnail and that the thumbnail may be used on our group Pinterest board, featured in an outfit or look of the week or month, or a slideshow on other social media.

Thanks so much for reading today!