Janet Rook, a 65 year old actress has recently flown the flag for older women everywhere by taking part in Scantilly ’s second edition of the #TheNewSexy campaign. This season’s campaign shares another diverse line-up of powerful females ready to challenge mainstream perceptions of ‘sexy’. The new boudoir collection is modelled by women with an array of skin tones, body shapes, backgrounds, abilities and ages; all with the aim of celebrating the beautiful diversity of women.
Janet Rook, from Essex followed her dream of becoming an actress after the devastating loss of a youngest son in a motorcycle accident in 2003. When Kevin died at the age of 22, Janet was made to look at her life in a different way. Previously a bank manager, Janet gave up her day job to follow her dreams as she believed life was ‘too short’. She now appears in adverts and soaps as an extra on a regular basis. Janet, who turned 65 this November, now jumps at the chance to take part in any activity that pushes her out of her comfort zone. Being part of #TheNewSexy campaign allowed her to prove to the world that age is just a number and that nothing should hold you back.
The UK now has nearly 11.8 million people over the age of 65 across the country, that’s one in five people, which is a shocking statistic considering the lack of age diversity seen in advertising. This absence is supported by a report run by The Fashion Spot in November 2016, exploring the range of models cast for Autumn/Winter Fashion Campaigns. Out of 438 models across 190 print campaigns, they found that only 4.1% were over the age of 50, 23.3% of the models we’re of colour, and a disappointingly low 3.2% were plus size (over a UK size 16). #TheNewSexy has challenged these biases with models from all walks of life and, in the process, inspired people around the world to love their bodies.
Following the overwhelming success of the first campaign, the original stars were invited to select the next generation of inspiring models. Through this ‘Pay-it-forward’ system, eight women were chosen and photographed in the new Scantilly boudoir collection. These icons will be the core of the brand’s marketing plan and signify a new era for diversity in the fashion industry and wider.
Head of PR and Marketing, Hannah Isichei follows: “The use of diverse role models should no longer be news worthy; it’s something all companies should practice in all areas. #TheNewSexy campaign isn’t a one-off. Women of all shapes, sizes and looks model our collections as we believe a larger variety of models should be seen by all. Society isn’t made up of one woman and we know our customers are all different, so why not give them someone they can recognise.”
When speaking of the campaign, Janet states, “It’s so important that the fashion industry show diversity as we need to learn that people of all shapes, sizes and ages are the norm – not just one type of woman. When I hear that only 0.15% of models at Fashion week were over the age of 50 it makes me feel sad because we are all living longer and there are huge numbers of older people, who are looking and feeling so much younger than their years, who would love to be represented.”
The fourth Scantilly collection is available through curvykate.com, Debenhams, Bare Necessities (US) and Figleaves. The range including peep-hole briefs, sexy suspenders, half cup balcony bras and sheer basques is available in sizes DD-HH cups and S-XL. For more information please visit: www.curvykate.com.
Read the next installment of the campaign with Carla here.
