It's especially popular with women (whispers) <over 40>

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

Every time that stupid advert comes on the telly, I want to throw something at the woman on it.

Just why does she feel the need to whisper when referencing these foul, ghastly old hags who reached 39 and then had the temerity to continue living and wanting to keep washing their hair?

I remember they had that shampoo decades ago, which was marketed at the over 40s (can't recall the name of it). IF more mature hair (and doesn't it keep falling out and being replaced afresh every day anyway?) does benefit from a different formulation, then great. Even if it doesn't and they just want to market a particular product at certain demographic as a lifestyle thing, then no real problem with that.

But why the whispering? As if it's shameful to have attained this great old age? I dread to imagine how she feels about actual elderly people who still have hair and like to keep it clean and looking good rather than just shaving it all off and superglueing a load of dried-out brittle straw from a barn floor on to their bonces instead. How very dare they?

Seriously, they would never sell a shampoo specially formulated for Afro hair and suddenly whisper "Black people". They wouldn't sell mild 'no more tears' stuff and whisper "Children".

Whispering suggests that something is either a secret or somehow shameful. There are millions of women over 40 out there who are neither trying to hide the fact of their existence nor feeling ashamed of it.

AIBU?

The days of women lying and whispering about their age are long gone surely? That was my mums era .. Ooooooh you should never ask a woman her age!

I am way past 40 and it never crosses my mind to be in any way ashamed of it. Who ever signed this advert off is a complete out of date idiot.

I agree, that advert is so out of touch with real women that I can only imagine it was put together by men or women in their twenties. It pisses me off no end how she whispers it like it's a swear word. I wouldn't buy it for that alone, even if it was proven to be the holy grail. Patronising pricks!

I always though she whispered it because it was unbelievable she could possibly be over 40. I think she looks much older than 40.

I have to mute the TV. So annoying.
I'm guessing as its a German brand (I think) it's a German Ad Agency so maybe being, gasp, over 40 it a bad thing there?

every day past 40 i shamelessly clock up i count as a massive fuck you to the patriarchy :D

I lold the other night when she was whispering over 40 then the next advert was shouting VAGINAL DRYNESS

Advert aimed at women are bloody ridiculous all of them.

I am posting On this thread to nominate it for the best usernames on a mumsnet thread ever (apart from mine)

Oh god I know!
I'm glad I'm not the only one who is annoyed by that stupid advert. Its bloody insulting.
I'm 29 but you can bet your arse I'm not going to be whispering about it when I get to 40! Reminds me of that Carrie Fisher tweet where she said that men dont age better than women, they're just allowed to age.

Just why does she feel the need to whisper when referencing these foul, ghastly old hags who reached 39 and then had the temerity to continue living and wanting to keep washing their hair?

I'm 39 OP and this has just made me laugh/spit tea all over my desk!

"Women, you are inferior. Now buy this!"

Why would they even think this approach would work? It's advertising negging.

I love it when in the same programme the men's hairloss shampoo comes on. So you can really see the stupid stereotypes apparently men need car noises to be encouraged to buy shampoo and women to hide their age. Cringe.

David Mitchell did a brilliant sketch about this. ‘Women, sort yourselves out!’ or something was the tag line.

I haven’t seen the ad, but ugh.

This is the Mitchell & Webb sketch.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=85HT4Om6JT4

As I creep towards 40, I am bugged about it. But only because as my age grows and the amount of greys I have increases, I'm reminded of how responsible and basically adult I'm meant to be, and I'm just not and never will be. It embarrasses me. I really do longer have my innocence as a youngster to hide behind when I get everything wrong or don't understand things.

However, I managed to pass 30 so I'm assuming it doesn't actually feel any different passing 40 except if some ageist and/ or misogynistic twat decides to be rude.

YANBU at all. I am a 47-year-old (with the emphasis on the "old") hag and I hate this.

BTW OP - that was an excellently-written OP, bloody hilarious wording, well done! Made me snurk

Well im creeping towards 50 and embracing it although according to the advert i really should hide in a corner as ageing is clearly shameful 😕

The man shampoo advert is all black and reassuring to men that your hair might be thinning dude but you are still virile and strong rarr

"Men - shave and get drunk. You're already brilliant". Thanks for reminding me of that one @SueGeneris

I was watching The Professionals (judge me all you like, I don't care) and Bodie explained that 50 is the cut off point of shaggability. I wonder who decided its now 40.

I was thinking about posting about the exact same thing @WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll Nasty cringesome advert.

Obviously I'm completely ancient now I'm just over 40, a completely different breed to when I was 39 and now need to keep it a secret as well as adjusting my whole haircare regime.
I may as well bring out the Nora Batty stockings, Zimmer frame and blue rinse whilst I'm at it.

The advert is probably made by the far too old enough to know better (often hairless) men idiots who drive their open top spots cars around my neighbourhood in attire more suited to 20 somethings trying to pick up a very young female, not us over the hill, gorgeous 40 somethings (or heaven forbid someone older🤯).

Everytime I see that advert I feel irrationally ashamed of my age, I'm a decade off and all I can think is "thank fuck I'm not over the hill 40 yet".

It's not old! I would love to see a men's advert in this style. The caffeine shampoo advert is all zooming noises and manly voices, no hint of ageism. "It's especially popular with balding men"

I have been wanting to say this for ages and never got round to it. I always have to mute it before the over 40 bit and scream if I don't manage it - maybe that's because I'm an old hag in my 60s but I still want to keep my hair clean.

In contrast is the Head and Shoulders one mostly aimed at men which is about young, attractive footballers (of both sexes). Also H&S do a shampoo just for men - but not one for women. Why is that? Is men's hair so very different? I would buy the men's in protest if I were buying any Procter and Gamble products, which I'm not.

I always though she whispered it because it was unbelievable she could possibly be over 40. I think she looks much older than 40.

That never occurred to me, actually - possibly because, like you, I had assumed she was several years north of 40 - but whether she's 30, 50, 70 or 90, I don't get why your age actually matters on a superficial level - it's just the number of years you've lived. Why do you 'win' and deserve more praise by being (or appearing to be) young(er)? I mean, most of us coo at babies, but I would hope that routinely shouting at the elderly isn't a regular occurrence.

I really don't know what that shampoo is for, thanks to its coy advertising.

For the same reason, I have no idea what wrong Activia is supposed to right.

I want to kill the script writer and the editor, both of whom are ABYSMAL and deserve to suffer all the torments of Hell forever more.

I dread to imagine how she feels about actual elderly people who still have hair and like to keep it clean and looking good rather than just shaving it all off and superglueing a load of dried-out brittle straw from a barn floor on to their bonces instead.

😆 😆 😆 Brilliant.