I misinterpreted it, with a guilty start, as: “Stop sleeping, gen X,” because I am 51 (peak X), so always tired; while not sleeping at the time, I may have been resting my eyes. In fact, Joel Marlinarson, a marketing guru, was suggesting my generation have become a powerful, if underrated, force online. Aged between 46 and 61, gen Xers with proper jobs are peaking, career-wise (although it’s a different story for those out of work, as a report last month on the struggles of over-50s jobseekers made plain).
We’re more likely to own homes than the following generations; we’re emerging from the trenches of childrearing and, the argument goes, ready to indulge in some me-time. That makes us great customers – witness the tidal wave of menopause-washed wellness guff (Which? reported last month that many pricey supplements were no better than a cheap multivitamin) and beauty brands for people suddenly horrified by their necks. But does it give us content-creating clout?
We’re supposed to be (or at least meme lore presents us as) the forgotten generation, low-key, countercultural slackers on the sidelines in the grudge match between millennials and boomers; aspiration and self-promotion aren’t really part of our brand. Sure, kids are scrambling for Oasis tickets and rediscovering zines; US Vogue called us “the cool ones” and the New York Times went further with “the greatest generation”. I get the argument that it’s our time to shine.
But real gen Xers have a lot on their plate and it doesn’t necessarily lend itself to fun, aspirational content. Being peak career means peak responsibility: our parents are faltering (I’m writing this as my mother-in-law is moving into sheltered accommodation) and our kids are facing awful geopolitical and economic prospects that undermine their mental health and chances of independence. We’re falling apart physically: for women, the sorting hat of perimenopause doles out a set of grim symptoms, while men are wondering what will fell them next – heart, stomach, back or knees?
Who wants to hear about that? And who can be arsed to make perky TikToks? I’ll tell you who: Kathryn Turner.
I was introduced to Turner, M&S Food’s director of product development, by Marlinarson, for whom she is evidence that over-50s employees are “the next biggest influencers”. Turner, a cheery woman in smart trousers who exudes quiet competence, has worked for M&S since 1995. She launched her account in May, but her TikToks already garner up to 2m views and her nearly 250,000 fans are devoted: “Would follow that woman into war,” commented one.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
