Is Thirty the New Sixty? Dating, Age and Gender in a Postmodern, Consumer Society

Abstract

Based on a content analysis of 1094 advertisements, the article extends the author’s previous research on dating by examining how age and gender intersect to influence the age at which people advertise, their choice of partner and how they manage aspects of their age identity. Locating analyses in the context of a postmodern, consumer culture, it shows that young men and older women are most likely to advertise. It reveals that the maintenance of traditional age differentials varies according to age group. It argues that intimations of a reversal in tradition are discernible in that some older women now seek younger men. It concludes that in a culture that gives primacy to youth, assembling an age identity is problematic, not only for women but also for the chronologically young.