Never has there been a more unpleasant term for an older woman than cougar. And yet, several beauty companies have used it either as a shade name, a product name or even a brand name.
To me, there’s nothing playful about the term cougar when used to describe women; it strikes as predatory, hungry and desperate. I would never, never even countenance a beauty brand with the name cougar in it but I’m curious about the way that brands name their products to target us, the beauty+.
When I look at titles around the anti-ageing market, we have Dr Perricone Crinkle Eraser, Carita Supreme Wrinkle Eraser, Natura Bisse The Cure, Soap & Glory Make Yourself Youthful Super Serum, Rodial Cougar Skin Zero Gravity Cream and Bliss The Youth As We Know It. These are just a few examples of how a name can be instantly derogatory and I have many to pick from. Never mind whether they actually work or not, from the moment we look at a product named like this, we’re instantly aware of our ‘flaws’. I was even having a quick peek at my own cleavage after finding Crinkle Eraser. You would think that none of them has any respect for the ageing process. Oh, wait! They don’t!
Faced with a daily onslaught of the beauty industry battering us with everything that wrong, and almost never looking at things that are right about us (is there anything about beauty+ women that doesn’t need ‘curing’ beauty-wise?), we have to, to some degree, hold ourselves responsible for feeding the beast. The assumption, when we look at beauty products, is somehow that we must need it. It’s us that’s at fault for not having creaseless skin, or having a bit of cellulite.
I wonder at what point we’ll be able to look at the normal ageing process and think it looks like something that looks, well, normal. If there will ever be a point where we don’t feel pressured to try and erase all signs of age… It’s only ever going to happen if we’re vocal and confident that it’s perfectly okay to be an older woman. Creases are irrelevant.
As I have said before, we have choices in how we age and I feel personally that I want to be experimental with that, but what I don’t want is to walk into a beauty department and instantly have every possible beauty flaw in the whole world for being my age.
If you think there’s no chance of that ever happening, think again. The beauty industry is a wise bird – it goes where the trends are. If it becomes a trend that older women don’t want their faces under constant scrutiny and that they don’t want to be repaired or have their youth recaptured, but they do want clear, glowing skin that feels smooth to the touch and comfortable to live in, the industry will follow. It’s all up to us to be trend makers, not trend followers.
As for the brands that think cougar is in any way, shape or form, an aspiration of older women, it’s so misguided and derogatory that it’s just derisory.
By Jane aged 49
Transparency Disclosure
All products are sent to me as samples from brands and agencies unless otherwise stated. Affiliate links may be used. Posts are not affiliate driven.
9 comments
I so agree. The word “cougar “conjures up a n image of a desperate individual … Not an image I intend to buy into .
Thank you, thank you! I have always hated that word for all the reasons you mentioned. It conjures up “man-eating tiger” for me. I have been starving that beast ever since it reared its ugly head, i.e., I won’t touch anything that includes that term. Cheers!
Another one I hate is Laura Geller “Spackle”. It reminds me too much of putting makeup on with a trowel and I can’t bring myself to ever purchase any product called “spackle” no matter how great it is. And I totally agree with the word “cougar”. It’s just demeaning and insulting. They don’t have a comparable word for older men who go after women 30 years their juniors, do they?
Sugar daddy springs to mind, Kellly
Jane, I think you have hit the nail on the head – the beauty industry need to stop thinking of ageing as a disease to be cured. Beauty+ women do not need to be cured. Ageing is a natural process that many of us actually enjoy. Yet, during these years we still want to look and feel our best; with clear, glowing skin which is smooth, exactly as you said. Yes, with a few lines and wrinkles that’s to be expected!
I was asked recently, ‘do you really want to refer to women over fifty as older women, would you prefer them to be called mature’. I responded, ‘well some of us aren’t’. What I am mature enough to know is that women do not want or need the BS attached to ageing. We are older women – fact – we will continue to be older women for the rest of our lives, there is no getting away from it nor do we want to.
To be described or marketed to as a cougar is more insulting than the usual anti-ageing message. I can only hope that no self-respecting older woman would be foolish enough to purchase such a range. Thankfully there are some brands that have lightened the load by using terms such as ‘Youthful Ageing’ which Merumaya has, but is this because there is an older woman at the helm of the company who understands just how it feels getting older, rather than a twenty-something marketing team who have no experience of ageing.
I love Rodial, the packaging looks amazing but the name! I wonder how many women my age where consulted in the marketing of this product?
How would men feel about Old Desperado Zero Gravity Crinkly Bottom Serum?
Oh Jane – thank you so much for this! And thank you to everyone who replied.
Coincidentally I commented along these lines last night to a beauty blogger who had praised the Rodial serum in a sponsored post about how we ‘deserve’ high price beauty products, how they make us ‘feel better’ … and nobody picked up on the twisted logic of paying £££ to be insulted by a label twice a day… Rant over.
I enjoy thebeautyplus immensely and hope to be informed and entertained by it for many years to come.
I don’t get too excited about this type of blatant stereotyping. Rodial and their other brand Nip Tuck, aren’t even on my radar. I figure a brand that is serious about its audience isn’t going to use thoughtless labelling now are they.
I’m with Ali above – Rodial makes so many offensive sounding products (Skinny Beach Sticks anyone) that given the choice of using them and a bar of soap I know what I would choose.