A New Chapter

If there’s one positive that's come out of the past year and a half, it’s the motivation to reflect. Since The Bias Cut’s launch in 2016, I’ve barely taken a moment to stop; but with the brand reaching its 5th birthday earlier this year, and our world as we know it transforming before our eyes, it became clear it was time to review our journey so far.

Whether you’ve been with us since inception, or joined our movement more recently, you’ll know our pace and mission to end ageism has been relentless. We’ve faced constant obstacles – from brands recoiling at the idea of seeing 40+ women in their clothes, to designers unable to comprehend how a woman’s body changes with age – and every time we’ve unapologetically tackled them head on.

When we were advised to make our messaging more subtle, we made it bolder. When people only dared whisper about ageing, we shouted louder. And when designers begrudgingly noted that women over 40 were their core customer, we said “thank you, next.”

But as fashion – and society - has started to become more comfortable talking about ageism, a new challenge has emerged: turning the conversation into action.

Barely a day goes by now where ageism isn’t in the press. More and more Fashion and Beauty Editors are writing about going grey, celebrating style at every age, and cheering on the 90s supermodels and celebrities re-emerging on the runway.

But, as we know, the actual progress has been incremental. Ageist youth-centric advertising language continues; where brands do feature an older woman in a campaign or on the runway, there’s a lack of consistency; and during Fall 2021 February fashion weeks, only 16 models were over 50 – that’s 0.98% (plummeting 50% from Spring 2021).

At The Bias Cut, we pride ourselves on not falling foul of these issues. Or so I thought. As I reflected on our progress over the past 5 years, this model statistic got me thinking... Every season I analyse age diversity at fashion week, and every season I criticise the lack of older models. I’m not talking about celebrities or supermodels here - I mean normal women who’ve either had careers in modelling, or are forging a new career for themselves, and are now struggling to find work. And that includes at The Bias Cut.

We’ve even had some of these women approach us, eager to model for The Bias Cut, and we’ve turned them down on the basis we only feature ‘non-professional models’. But is this really fair? This is simply their career, and they are now being told they aren’t worthy. Don’t they deserve to have great careers, and be treated with equality and respect - just like the rest of us?

And to say they’re not ‘real women’ is an insult; their looks don’t make them any less real than you and me, and, in, fact several of our models from past campaigns have gone on to become professional as a result. So by The Bias Cut not featuring professional models, aren’t we just contributing to that discriminatory 0.98% statistic?

With this in mind, 5 years into the life of the business, I’ve decided it’s time for a change of attitude. We will continue to feature non-professional models and be a champion of diversity, but The Bias Cut also welcomes professional models.

To celebrate this, for new our Autumn / Winter campaign, we’ve featured 4 different professional models: Jane and Mickey, who were both models in the 80s, Rachel who became a model in her 40s, and Venus who was a star of Dove’s ground-breaking ‘real women’ campaign and only recently started modelling professionally

And this is just the start of our new chapter. We are turning all our words into actions. Our ‘look’ will be more editorial, proving that older women can look just as stunning and striking in modern fashion imagery. We will be working with fashion educational institutions to help champion age inclusivity from the ground up. And, starting next month, we will be the lead business partner on a new ground-breaking study into ageism in fashion, funded by the UK Research and Innovation non-departmental public body.

What’s more, The Bias Cut will be a true destination and community of modern female empowerment. As well as continuing and growing our activism through Ageism Is Never In Style, we will be bringing you more lifestyle products, and creating more inspiring and supportive content that explores and honours your journey of ageing. Because The Bias Cut is more than clothes – it’s an attitude and way of life.

So from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your continued support and loyalty. Without you, we wouldn’t be at this stage 5 years in, and be able to continue pioneering age-inclusivity in fashion. And I can’t wait to continue this journey with you – to say I’m excited is a bit of an understatement!