Together, British Vogue and L’Oreal are taking a stance against age discrimination. On Wednesday, editor-in-chief Edward Enninful shared a new cover on Instagram introducing the anti-ageism theme. "In celebration of ageless style and beauty, @JaneFonda stars on The Non-Issue cover — a vision shared by @BritishVogue and @LOrealSkin that age should no longer be an issue," he wrote.
As The Fashion Spot pointed out in its bi-annual diversity report, which tallied up all the fall 2019 model appearances across New York, London, Milan, and Paris, age diversity among women over 50 on the runway has declined from previous seasons. British Vogue called attention to that lack of inclusivity with a teaser for the issue on the magazine's website.
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“In 2019, women over 50 remain conspicuous by their absence in the beauty and fashion industries, as well as the wider media landscape,” the post reads. “Age discrimination most definitely still exists, both consciously and unconsciously, leaving many women feeling excluded and invisible.”
Enninful, who has not been shy about his desire to make fashion more inclusive, says “promoting diversity in Vogue has never been solely about a person's ethnicity or gender. It's about diversity across the board.” He continued, “seeing the amazing array of women over 50 in this special edition proves that a person's age will always be a more intriguing, nuanced and inspiring factor than a simple number could ever suggest.”
His cover star, Grace & Frankie’s Jane Fonda, agrees: “It’s important to understand that older women are the fastest growing demographic in the whole world. It’s time to recognize our value.”
The special issue will be sold with British Vogue’s May issue, on newsstands April 9.