We deal with the way things are, not the way things should be. You can either take advice or not; totally up to you. Making a “stand” against ageism by using an AOL address or not dying your hair is noble but it might send you to the proverbial poor-house.
It’s not being noble, it’s being real. Just like the “Karens” being the problem, agism against women especially and hiring managers with that kind if attitude deserve a name too. A professional is a professional no matter what age.
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You get what you pay for. It’s that simple in my experience. If any owner/hiring manager thinks that a 23 year old coming out of school is going to generate the same revenue as a seasoned rep with 20 years of relationships they are losers. And that is more rampant and typical than ever in wholesale sales…oh well, their loss…
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I just wanted to get back on here and add some more of my two-cents.
Unfortunately, ageism exists. For some reason, with all of the diversity and cultural issues being discussed at length on every single news station, publication, etc., ageism is largely getting ignored.
It is something that HAD TO BE discussed. The pandemic has greatly affected those of us in our 40s and older. But even before the pandemic, it was an issue.
Our industry is still a business and as such, those of us with “x” number of years should not be overlooked. We have to be valued. And I don’t care about the “cool factor” who said we aren’t cool?? Why is “cool” only reserved for the young??
I always looked up to the senior professionals at the companies I worked at when I first started out; never would I have thought about talking down to them, dismissing their experience. They were mentors, and to this day I am still in touch with several who remain mentors.
Yet here we are, in 2021, we have the GenZ’ers telling us how to behave, what to say, how to work, deciding whether WE should be hired, etc. They haven’t even LIVED or had enough life or work experiences to warrant any advice for them to give!
We have to keep pushing through that noise. After years of trying to get back into the industry after having taken a different route due to the lack of job opportunities in the industry, I finally got a design job in the market categories in which I have 25+ years of experience. It is part-time until June because of my previous commitments, but it was because of my experience and knowledge that I was hired. Going full-time in June.
It has been a long road, but finally, it all came together. We have to keep making our voices loud and clear. Whether you are GenX like me or a Boomer, keep making your voice loud and drown out the naysayers. That’s the only way we are ever going to get the respect we deserve.
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I agree with you 1000%… How do we get our voices heard? What actions can we take? You sound as impassioned as I am about this. I want to DO something, but what?
I have reached a point where I have to give up a career that I invested in & loved for 30 years because I have to support myself. I have suffered severe depression & experienced a lack of identity & purpose. I am in the process of moving into a new career area, but only because I have to, not because I want to. It’s a very difficult position to be in. The only way I can keep going is by cultivating faith that this is what’s needed in my journey.
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Hi Pinky,
I hear you on this, and know that the only thing we can control is our own life and health. I’m 53 and now suddenly find myself in a position of being a caregiver for my mom and my dad. Thankfully I have three sisters so we’re splitting the caregiving. I have no kids or any idea what my future will look like, but that’s another story. I think in general culture has a fear of aging because it reminds them of what their future will look like. Aging is a normal part of life and that has to be communicated, another thing is healthy aging, being healthy from the inside out, holistically from respecting your body with nutrition and movement (exercise), to creating and doing work and activities you love, to making connections with people and nurturing a social life, etc… I know my parents health history and their conditions today were largely preventable (high blood pressure), their health did not decline overnight it took years. Stress being the biggest factor of all. Their situation is extremely common, and I think people in general associate aging with poor health, low energy, etc…and the apparel industry is stressful as it is wasteful, and that mode of working is not sustainable and has to change. I still love designing and am not employed at the moment, but am taking steps to freelancing or hell maybe even start my own damn company… as now I need the flexibility. Take care.
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Ageism doesn’t seem to affect the high level executive leaders though