Here in the UK we have just been through an election which has seen the smooth and very rapid transfer of power from one group to another, and now many hundreds of new Members of Parliament are on their way to Westminster to assume the reins of either government or opposition. One of them is Sam Carling who, at just 22 years of age, will become the youngest new member, whilst at the other end of the age spectrum, 71 year old Jim Allister KC is the oldest MP to assume his seat in Westminster for the very first time, albeit after a lifetime of involvement in Northern Irish politics.
Given that they will both do the same job, which success heartens you the most and gives you the most confidence that our parliament is in safe hands? The Ingénu Sam or the Old Hand Jim?
Unusually, at Look Fabulous Forever we have a very similar wide diversity of age within the team. Like Sam Carling, Amelia Knight joined us straight from university and is now 23 years old, whilst I am the oldest person in the team with more than fifty years of life and work experience under my belt. Our roles are very different but we both have a vital part to play in the success of the business.
The Case for Age and Experience
When I decided to start Look Fabulous Forever I had absolutely no experience of the beauty industry apart from being a consumer of its products. However I did have experience of being made to feel bad about my ageing face because of an anti-age rhetoric which infuriated me. I also had experience of being ignored when attempting to buy makeup and being made to feel that I was too old to be part of a conversation about beauty. My fury at these things informed my determination to do something about it by creating a different kind of makeup company for older women with products better suited to our needs.
At 65, I also had the benefit of a smallish pot of ‘stake’ money that I could gamble with by starting a new company. This finance came directly from a tax-free lump sum I’d received from my private pension. This, combined with a life-long love of putting myself on the line to see what I could create from scratch, allowed me to think: “what have I got to lose?” With long experience of both life and work, I knew that the answer to that was “very, very little, apart from a bit of money and being made to look stupid.” So I took the necessary leap of faith and you all know what the result has been.
Looking back, I think that by 65 years of age I also knew how to convince people to help and support my new venture. In the ten months that I spent creating the business I had to ‘sell’ the idea to a cosmetic manufacturer, a delivery company, various friends who tested products and volunteered to appear in photographs and videos, and many others who all came on board, most of them enthusiastically. Since then Look Fabulous Forever has grown and flourished and is now managed very professionally by a team of real experts, but I still represent the archetypal customer for whom I can constantly advocate and speak up. Experience has taught me that without customers a business is nothing, so we will always put them at the centre of everything we do.
The Case for Youth and Fresh Ideas
At Look Fabulous Forever I now work most closely with our youngest team member, Amelia Knight who joined us straight from university in 2022 and who has just been promoted to be LFF Senior Content and Social Media Executive. Our business is about the visual impact that is made by makeup and skincare on an older face. To support this we need an endless supply of photographs and videos which are designed both to inspire and inform our customers about our products. And this is where Amelia’s incredible skills and talent come into their own and, because she is so good at her job, she has, quite literally, saved the business thousands of pounds. How? Because, in a very short space of time she has become a phenomenal in-house photographer and videographer and constantly bubbles with great ideas to keep our customers and followers engaged and entertained on social media.
I’ll let Amelia tell you about her background and experience:
The Impact of Covid on my University Experience
“The COVID-19 pandemic had a massive impact on my life, especially on my university education at Nottingham Trent. When the first lockdown was announced, I was in my first year of university. After about 6 months on campus, we were all sent back home. For the next year and a half, normal education did not resume. All my classes moved online, primarily through Zoom. As a creative student, this was a significant challenge. Many of the hands-on experiences that my course promised, such as photo and video shoots, and access to specialised facilities and equipment, were no longer possible. Adjusting to online learning was difficult, and I felt that a significant part of my education was taken away.
During the first lockdown, I was at my parents' house in Coventry. My two elder sisters and my brother, who lived in London, also moved back home to create a single household bubble. We were fortunate that everyone in the family had jobs that could be done from home, but the internet bandwidth was stretched thin with six people using it for work and study. This made attending university seminars and lectures particularly challenging.
For the second lockdown, I moved into a rented house with four university friends. Although we had a lot of fun together, it was disheartening that our university experience wasn’t what any of us hoped and anticipated. Socialising, going out, and meeting new friends were all restricted as bars and nightclubs were closed.
My Role at Look Fabulous Forever
After graduating from university, I moved back in with my parents, who had relocated to the countryside. Without a driving licence, I was eager to move to London and start my career in fashion or beauty. Around 3 months later I applied for a Content and Social Media Internship at Look Fabulous Forever. I was so happy to receive the call that I’d got the job, that I actually shed a few tears! I interned for 6 months and was then offered a full-time position, and since then I have been promoted to Senior Content and Social Media Executive. In my role, I manage our social media accounts, including Facebook and Instagram. This involves replying to comments, engaging with Tricia’s Super Troopers’ community, and scheduling all the videos and images you see on our platforms. Additionally, I oversee our lovely influencer relationships and ambassadors, providing them with video briefs and editing their content.
On the content side, I serve as the brand's photographer and videographer. I organise and conduct photo and video shoots with our fabulous customers, and I handle all product photography. I create pages on our website filled with tutorials to inform all our customers, and build Tricia’s weekly blog after she sends me the text. My job blends creative and strategic elements, making it incredibly fulfilling.
My Life at Look Fabulous Forever
I absolutely love my job! Photography is my hobby, so being able to get paid for it is something I am very proud of. I am extremely creative, and this role allows me to express that creativity daily. I also have a passion for makeup, so sitting in meetings where the team brainstorms new products and shades is incredibly exciting.
Working for a brand that empowers women and challenges societal norms about beauty is deeply gratifying. It feels great to be part of a company making a positive impact.
Initially, I wasn't enthusiastic about social analytics and the data side of my role. However, since the marketing team has started reflecting on our monthly content and analysing its performance, we've seen significant improvements in our measurements of success. This progress has made tracking our performance rewarding.
Working with Tricia
Working alongside Tricia at LFF has been an incredibly insightful experience for me. Since joining LFF, I've learnt a lot about her wealth of life experiences. Having a diversity of ages in the workplace is crucial, especially at this early stage in my career, as it allows me to learn and appreciate different perspectives.
At times, our team discussions reflect our diverse ages, which naturally leads to varied opinions. I see this diversity as a strength because it encourages us to explore a wider range of ideas and approaches. Each perspective brings something unique to the table, contributing to a thorough decision making process.
Tricia's presence brings a depth of knowledge to the team. Her ongoing involvement is invaluable for gaining insights into our customers, drawing from her 10 year journey of founding and growing LFF.”
I will finish by echoing Amelia’s sentiments about the contribution and value that age diversity can make to any organisation. Amelia loves her job and I thoroughly enjoy working alongside such a bright, creative and thoughtful young person. In our society we often ‘other’ both the young and the old, lumping them together so that we can ascribe prejudicial characteristics to each group in a totally arbitrary way. At the beginning of this piece, I asked if you were more heartened by the electoral success of young Sam Carling or the much older Jim Allister and my answer would be that both delight me.
Why? Because organisations, including political ones, are enriched by a plurality of viewpoints, and age diversity is the one that is most often undervalued and overlooked. At Look Fabulous Forever we are proving otherwise.
Tricia x
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