Regardless of their age, women work hard to look their best. Bonmarche, a fashion retailer in the United Kingdom, aimed to determine which celebrities the modern woman over 45 most identifies with and why. Results were very interesting, and quite constant across the ages.
Women want to look good, and they turn towards celebrities that they can identify with in order to come up with a style that suits them. Bonmarche, one of the UK’s best known fashion retailers for the woman over 45, decided that they needed to gain a greater understanding of which celebrity style icons don’t just inspire them, but motivate them as well.
To achieve this, they complete a study across a section of women in England, Scotland, and Wales. They wanted to find out which celebrities inspired them and why, looking specifically at how these celebrities motivated them to become more beautiful and healthier at the same time. Bonmarche was also interested in seeing whether there were any significant changes as women age.
Looking first at women aged between 45 and 54, they found the top 10 celebrity inspirations were:
- Helen Mirren, inspiring 19.2% of women.
- Jennifer Anniston, inspiring 16.3% of women.
- Meryl Streep, inspiring 14.5% of women.
- Joanna Lumley, inspiring 13.5% of women.
- Nicole Kidman, inspiring 10.3% of women.
- Elle MacPherson, inspiring 10% of women.
- Julie Walters, inspiring 8.1% of women.
- Jane McDonald, inspiring 5.9% of women.
- Salma Hayek, inspiring 5.4% of women.
- Ruth Langsford, inspiring 4.8% of women.
The same women, in virtually the same percentages, were mentioned in the age group of 55 to 64. In fact, the only significant change happened in women 65 and over, who, in England and Wales, made Jennifer Anniston drop to fourth place. Helen Mirren, meanwhile, became the favorite in 28.4% of cases. The notable exception was Scotland, where Jennifer Anniston took up firm first place, with 27.8% of women being inspired by her.
What the Bonmarche research also showed was what it was about these women that was found so inspirational. It was no longer about being youthful and being a trendsetter. Rather, women like Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep in particular were loved for their sophistication. Joanna Lumley, meanwhile, was loved because of her attitude towards life, particularly through her personification of Patsy in Absolutely Fabulous. Jennifer Anniston, meanwhile, was loved because she appears to be ‘one of the girls’, someone with whom women felt they could actually be friends. Furthermore, her commitment to healthy living and excellent lifestyle choices.
It seems, therefore, that women have changing attitudes as they grow older. Today, women age gracefully and continue to be stylish. They no longer choose to wear frumpy old clothes, in part thanks to stores like Bonmarche, where they can purchase fashionable items that do not make them look as if they are desperately trying to hold on to a lost youth.
What Bonmarche found of particular interest was that, as a woman ages, she seems to change her taste and influences, as well as what she deems as most important. What is the constant, however, is that woman of all ages want to look their very best.
The e-commerce manager responsible for the survey says: “Looking fabulous at any age is easy and achievable – as proven by women such as Helen Mirren, Meryl Streep and Jennifer Anniston: they are in shape, dress for their body types and give off a healthy and confident vibe. It’s no wonder women across the United Kingdom take fashion cues from them.”