By Laura Medina
Compared to Baby Boomers and Millennials, Gen-Xers are smaller in numbers but very big yet hidden influence, making a very big and quiet impact on society, the economy, technology, and social media.
Thanks to Gen-X's younger cohorts, Millennials, these younger cohorts has taken over, took advantage, and conquered then took social media as their own, leaving the originators in the dust, much less the still youth-oriented Baby Boomers who still hold sway in economic leverage.
This stings more in image-dependent Instagram and YouTube beauty advertising, where Gen-X and Baby Boomer cosmetic and skincare inventors are being discriminated against at particular beauty conventions, where the "Get Them Young" mentality is desperately predominating.
Gen-X and Baby Boomer journalists and vendors, who professionally rsvp and confirm (through proper registration) weeks and months prior to these particular conventions (which are mere souped up trade shows) are being denied and refused access to these particular tradeshows, when they do appear then denied access, whereas the younger end of Millennials and Gen-Zers (who either apply late or none at all) float right by on, thick on low end makeup and thin on knowledge...and professionalism.
The panelists of professional women at Pink Pump Beauty Panel were discussing this age discrimination and popularity over professionalism and cheap advertising towards the low end with very little or no experience at all.
This professional women panelists range from attorney to a social media celebrity to a veteran beauty industry professional, age ranging from Baby Boomer to Gen-X to Millennial.
If traditional blogging's saving grace is Advanced Style, http://www.advanced.style/ then Pink Pump Beauty Panel is the beauty industry's saving grace.
These women tackle the problem head-on with industry wisdom and knowledge.
They are not afraid to tackle the irony of particular beauty conventions being financed by traditional, big brands who have catering to their grandmas and great-grandmas while discriminating women over the age of 35.
Whilst selling and pitching advanced wrinkle creams and serums and anti-aging makeup to the acne-spewing tweens and teens who lack the funds to buy these advanced beauty products, the Pink Pump panelists can't help but laugh at the huge gapping canyon and the disconnect between the who these beauty products are meant for and who these brands are selling to. Imagine anti-wrinkle creams and serums and makeup being pitched and sold to 10 years-old girls...and boys experiencing their first pimples.
The discrepancy practiced by these particular beauty conventions and the crowd they're attracting is so huge that these industry professionals think it's a joke and a joke that's wasting money.
Yes, it is a matter of marketing targeting your audience but these, not all nor every, particular beauty conventions do not have to practice age discrimination or accept it.
Which is ironic, considering one particular beauty convention that sends out a non-discriminatory mission statement from the get-go, from day one, says it practices
inclusivity of race, ethnicity, and gender orientation (believing casting a wider net gains a bigger market) but puts a blocking hand towards women...and men over age of 35. Yet once setting foot inside, all these young crowd are swamped by anti-aging products over the price of $65 to $100 and beyond.
The Pink Pump Panel veterans cannot help but laugh at and state this discrepancy, beauty conventions wanting too young an audience who are too young and too poor for high-performance, upscale luxury beauty products that only Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers have the cold, hard cash and authentic needs for, and have absolutely no problem in buying many more in multiple amounts.
Yes, these younger Millennials and Gen-Zers can jump on social media to instantaneously advertise these products for free and these beauty brands are more than willing to advertising for free, bypassing the cost of a real, old-fashion ad agencies. But, these too-young an audience don't have a reason to use, try, and review these expensive beauty products unless it tackles their immediate hygiene needs and facial concerns. According to Jacklyn Smith, the excitement might attract consumers but it's the quality of the products that keeps them. How can you keep the customers, if they're being paired with wrong high-performance products meant and developed for different age demographics.
Yes, there is a solution and an answer to solve this age gap discrepancy in target audience and purchasing power by people who actually need these high-end products.
It like goes back to this particular beauty convention that has been preaching inclusivity for the longest time, with its founder.
During the first and second time covering this particular beauty convention, the founder was outright friendly, warm, accommodating and nurturing by randomly selecting a fan, from the audience, then giving this fan an impromptu YouTube class, training this fan how to pose and how to use brushes and makeup to appear professional in a YouTube makeup tutorial. This fan looked as though she was blessed by god.
Why can't this beauty YouTube celebrity, who founded this particular beauty convention, try real, complete inclusivity and approach and offer the same friendly offering in training technology to experienced Baby Boomer veterans in having fun doing YouTube tutorials, utilizing their years of knowledge then preserving for the next generation? Since these beauty veterans were meant for these advanced makeup and skincare, putting their reviews and experienced applications will be a boom for YouTube and beauty convention industry in general?
Once mastering the basic, there are no rules in beauty and beauty comes in all forms, shapes, and colors...and ages. Age ain't nothing but a number.
Remember, today's hotties will be tomorrow's veterans.
