American Apparel is no stranger to controversy over the years, showcasing its "Made in America" (for now?) garments on young models, risqué poses, nudity and other provocative images that have given the brand and its Canadian founder, Dov Charney, a bad reputation — most of all as a businessman, with a lifeline investment by billionaire George Soros making headlines earlier this year.

Whether it's another way to be provocative or at least unexpected, the brand has been expanding its casting calls for models, staging a (disastrous) contest for plus-size models, hiring its first transgender model (in partnership with GLAAD, no less) and now upturning ageism with the new face for its "advanced basic" line: 60-year-old actress Jacky O’Shaughnessy, who was spotted by an AA staffer in New York.Continue reading...

Kim Cattrall recently became the celebrity face for Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Advanced Anti-Aging Body Wash."I'm 54, and Olay isn't scared to put a woman of my age up on a poster for their campaign," she commented. "I think that communicates an incredible message for women everywhere." Cattrall and Olay are the exceptions.

Sharon Stone, Raquel Welch, Christie Brinkley, Valerie Bertinelli, Sela Ward, Jaclyn Smith and Kim Basinger are all over 50, and rank at #1-7 on StyleBistro’s list of most beautiful women who are 50 or older.

And yet they are all being passed over and excluded by the beauty industry, according to a recent AARP Media Sales report which found that nearly two-thirds of women in that age group feel forgotten, while 70% don’t identify with beauty products geared towards a younger demo.Continue reading...