HUMBUG
A fascinatingly misunderstood breed, born into a post-War world sometime between 1946 and 1964, baby boomers, as this species is known, are entering into their prime, have culturally and psychologically developed from the 1960s to the ’80s to look after themselves and continue to expect the world ‘my way’.
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Likely to be 60 plus, things may be changing a bit physically, nothing to worry about mind, but mentally these independently minded go-getting hard hitters are rock solid.
Totally aware of the glooming morbidities ahead, they increasingly look to themselves rather than a higher being to guide them through to the other side, relishing the challenge.
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Forged during times of economic fluctuation, liberal self-expression and major societal change, the more affluent survivors of this generation are both demanding and challenging, with a flourishing imaginative, self-confident sense of individuality.
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They’ve been around the block, emotionally and intellectually grounded. They feel safe and that they belong in society. Generally happy, and satisfied with their lives and their relationships, they generally feel the things they are doing in life are worthwhile and come across as less anxious, and lonely than younger generations.
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Baby boomers aren’t fools and don’t suffer them gladly either. They are tolerant and trusting where it matters, forming part of the most ethnically diverse society in Europe. They’re increasingly likely to be of colour themselves, and as they scamper past the age of 80, many of them will be female, the males having shot their bolt.
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No different to others of all ages, they’re concerned about their natural environment and the existential challenges their societies face, and recognise they have a role in doing something about it. They never have been shirkers. The question is more ‘what’ to do?
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Increasingly still working, they’ve carved out a work/life balance that suits their lifestyle. Often self-employed, they’ll keep going way beyond 65 because it's rewarding and because they can!
Retirement is an obsolete concept in this tribe.
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The financially secure have tucked money away in property and pensions and some just have piles of cash, relative to generations below. Getting older is by and large now a big opportunity to let loose and enjoy life as it continues to unfold, staying in control, expressing their independence and financial security.
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Growing up in the extravagant age of consumerism, they were fundamentally shaped by it. They continue to buy things for themselves to look good, feel good, and increasingly do good, buying clothes, visiting hairdressers, taking fitness supplements, favouring organic food providers, and patronising charities. They exhibit both generosity and altruism.
But there is one noticeable shift in their purchasing habits. With many having most, they now favour experiences over things – making up for lost time, when a slave to the mortgage.
Leisure’s time for experimentation, but they also seek the comfort blanket of continuing to do what they’ve always done, nodding in passing to the impacts of physical ageing. Brain training, newspapers and gardening all remain favourites, with ‘the arts” in their many forms, an ever-present immersion.
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As they gracefully refuse to age, they’re increasingly found adapting their home to become multi-functional, places of work, play and care. In these tough times, never mind thinking about care homes for themselves, they are often providing safe havens for both their kids, and their parents.
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There’s a couple of bugbears though. Whilst they love their kids dearly, they want to be cared about and not for, and many a barbed retort is being suppressed. Some also express a sense of frustration when patronised by young Shoreditch creative directors, re-labelling their lifestyles as ‘active great grandparenting’, ‘new’ old’ or ‘late-life’ consumerists. They are baby boomers. Beware Shoreditchers when showing a lack of appreciation or attention, creating marketing campaigns that fail to understand their ‘normality’ and individuality beyond the stereotypes.
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You are missing a trick.
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