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Commentary: Women Boomers’ Greatest Challenge Comes Out of the Closet
By
Shannon Snow
February 16, 2005
A middle-aged, working woman in the United States has a lot
to worry about. She earns only 78 percent of the salary of her
male counterpart. Despite equal education levels, she is less
likely to work a professional job than a man her age. And the
glass ceiling above her head, while cracked, has yet to shatter.
Luckily, some of America’s top companies are working to
alleviate what they perceive to be her biggest problem: what
to wear.
On Wednesday, JC. Penney announced plans to market a new fashion
line to women aged 35 to 54, joining a slew of companies rushing
to fill the closets of “the missing middle:” employed,
baby boomer women with aging bodies but youthful attitudes.
“We neglect these people because they’re not flashy
or celebrities,” Bud Konhieim, CEO of fashion house Nicole
Miller Ltd, told the Wall Street Journal. “This is about
the democratization of design.”
Yes, progressive retailers are striving toward a time in which
all middle-aged women, not just the “Desperate Housewives,” can
take their kids to soccer practice and look sexy doing it.
Call it Title IX for the size 9s.
Intensive market research by Gap, Inc., found that “missing
middle” women are constricted not only by a glass ceiling,
but also by an oppressive wardrobe culture. Societal limitations
force them to select attire among the midriff-exposing fashions
of Abercrombie & Fitch, the matronly sweaters of Talbot’s,
and the body hiding “expando waist” pants of Chico’s.
Gap Inc., which runs Banana Republic and Old Navy, will open
10 stores of a new U.S. retailing chain in 2005, aiming to fill
the underserved market of older women who wish to look sensual
and hip. Suggested names for the new store: “Age GAP,” “Saks
50th Avenue” and “OBND” (Old But Not Dead).
The retailing efforts by both Gap Inc. and Penney’s will
aim to be affordable. Which is smart, since women in the target
demographic are almost twice as likely as men to have earnings
at or below the minimum wage, according to the U.S. Department
of Labor.
But what’s a little pay discrepancy in the face of a cheap,
sexy designer suit? If the wage gap cannot be bridged, at least
the wardrobe gap can be.
Although I am a decade away from entering the age group in question,
I feel comfortable knowing that businesses are working hard so
that when I do, I will be able to purchase tight but not-too-tight
blouses, flared but not-too-flared trousers and chic suits that
convey power (but, presumably, not-too-much power).
With a gender wage gap that has stopped closing in recent years,
it is meaningful that retailers are taking this important step
to fill the needs of middle-aged women.
This way, when I catch a glimpse of myself 10 years from now
in the glass ceiling, I will see a chic, sensual reflection.
Contact Shannon Snow at ssnow@stanford.edu
