L’OREAL | THE NON-ISSUE | 2019
Making Age a Non-Issue / L'OREAL "THE NON-ISSUE"
Both the beauty industry and fashion magazines have long acted as if women over 50 simply didn't exist. L'Oréal Paris and British Vogue set out to fill that gap.
The problem
In an industry obsessed with youth, women over 50 had long been missing from view. Charlotte Francerie of McCann Paris pointed out that ageism is a form of discrimination that often gets overlooked. For L'Oréal Paris, a brand that has long celebrated women of all ages, this was a problem they couldn't ignore.
The insight
Built on the belief that "age is not an issue," L'Oréal Paris and British Vogue teamed up. It was the first collaboration of its kind in publishing history.
The idea
What they created wasn't an ad—it was a real magazine. 80 pages, with every model and contributor aged 50 or older. The cover featured an exclusive interview with Jane Fonda, with appearances from Helen Mirren, Isabelle Adjani, and makeup artist Val Garland, among others. From career stories to conversations about menopause, the magazine treated aging as simply a normal part of life.
What happened
In April (month 4) of 2019, 220,000 copies hit bookstore shelves. In less than a month, it drew more media coverage than Vogue's biggest annual hit, the September (month 9) fashion issue. Scanning a QR code let readers watch behind-the-scenes footage through Facebook Messenger—a first of its kind in the world. The campaign won Gold at the Clio Awards, and Gold, Silver, and seven shortlist placements at Cannes Lions.
Afterthought
Turning "age is not an issue" into an actual magazine that lands on real bookstore shelves—that approach itself became the message. Women over 50, who had been rendered invisible, were brought back into the pages of Vogue, one of the industry's biggest stages. I'd love to see more actions like this—ones that go beyond just words.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2019
