Maturing
women and
unwanted
facial hair
ann.steyaert@psilogy.com
1

Midlife/ senior
life stage is
paradoxical by
nature:
Something
women love and
hate at the same
time.
2

During menopauze, women often feel rotten!
Constanly thinking about death.
3

“My mother is going to have to stop lying about her age because
pretty soon I'm going to be older than she is.”
• Boomer women?
o … the grips of a midlife crisis 
o … going through menopause 
o … considering cosmetic makeovers 
o …caring for elderly parents while parenting own children and working full
time 
4

And still … Boomer women are reinventing themselves!
• The sheer number of boomer women is changing the image of midlife
women like no other generation before.
o Boomer women are more educated, spiritual, wealthy, healthier, … than
any generation before.
o It's no secret … nowadays Boomer women want to look younger!
o They are choosing to follow their own passions.
5

Yes, the times they are changing … terms like mature (overripe),
middle-aged (frumpy) and senior (out to pasture) fail to convey
their vitality and potential
• The age of female riders is increasing, today averaging 42 years old*
• Since Sept 2008, the number of women over 55 on FB has tripled and
makes up the social network's fastest-growing age group.
2009
1958
6

Boomer women feel a lot more confident now compared to
when they were young …
• Constructive view upon life and growing old
• Finding renewed energy
• More comfortable with their own body (and
face), with their looks.
• And interesting for Philips:
• Boomer women wish to pamper themselves a
lot 
• They love luxury 
• They consume a lot 
7

Women after menopauze feel more confident and gain
strength : Time for a ‘Comeback’
• Female Empowerment! Overall women have an optimistic view on
life after menopause:
• @work: having some responsibility  challenging and
satisfying.
• @home: fulfillment from children growing towards young
adults .
• Feeling that personal and social life is very rich (family, friends,
art, theatre, books, …)
• Not taking themselves too seriously, but they finally want
recognition from society.
• Feeling confident and competent to deal with life and
problems as they happen
8

Almost 2,000 aged between 45 and 60 were asked what books they liked and why.
2/3 said they were keen on raunchy scenes in novels.
1/2 said sex in books was 'titillating'
1/10 actively chose books which featured lots of sex.
9

Harmonized Need States Model - 9 different female archetypes
* 3 partners - + 20 years of experience
[The Spunky Young [The Social
Minded] [The Cougar] Networker]
[The Iron
Lady] [Mother Nurturer]
[The Trendsetter]
Modest/ submissive woman
[Miss romance]
[Re-engager
The Icon
woman]
10

So how do these midlife women deal
with unwanted facial hair?
11

Unwanted facial hair also
makes boomer woman feel …
UNFEMININE it is a
MALE thing!
12

Unwanted facial hair also makes boomer woman feel …
UNCLEAN, not fresh
13

Unwanted facial
hair also makes
boomer woman feel
…
INSECURE
It is a shame and
a taboo
14

Unwanted facial hair also makes
boomer woman feel …
the world is UNFAIR
15

Though boomer women are very vain, they are also more
experienced, and hence they know to deal with unwanted facial
hair growth in a more mature way.
• It is ‘just another sign of getting older’…. Damned! I hate it!
• Let’s do sth about it: let’s find the best way to remove it/make it
invisible:
• No stress, not taking it too serious, but let’s do sth about it
rather today than tomorrow.
• Price is less of an issue, as long as the tool/means/expert gives
me what I deserve.
16

Any new concept for removing
unwanted facial hair should be:
• Very personal
• Very feminine
• Very facial specific
• Very small
17