Three Tips for Glowing and Growing your online presence at sixty plus!

I‘ve experienced something in my sixties, that I believe my parents didn’t and that is the perception of feeling invisible and society’s age conscious pressure that seniors have nothing to contribute at fifty plus. That feeling seems to ring truer today, than in the past. The feeling that being older, wiser and more experienced seems to have little to no value in our society. It is a feeling that cuts deep for many over the age of fifty. I remember all too well while living in Atlanta for a couple of years between 2016 and 2018, the feeling of elder invisibility. It hit me hard. I didn’t know I was really an elder until I lived to Atl. Coming from the midwest in Ohio, in 2016, I never felt the negative effects of being older until I moved to the land of young and honey. Upon moving to Atlanta with a written plan and a budget, interviewing for jobs, I noticed right away some interviewers would look me up and down and even question out loud how old I was. It was an unsettling feeling. Relocating from Ohio, after taking an early retirement from a twenty plus year career as college professor and administrator to rebrand myself as a personal brand photographer, I was willing to start from the bottom in photography jobs but little did I know that the bottom meant being constantly questioned about my abilities based on what seemed to be age related. Below one of my skeptical photo clients in Atl, who became a believer after I took this picture at Cady Studios, a high end photography studio.

While I proved myself as a photographer who could deliver cool, contemporary images to a young audience of polished, yet skeptical high school students, the constant push to prove my worth and value was not for me. It was draining for someone like myself who left a successful career at the top of my game with better than average skills plus feeling valued. This feeling set in pretty quickly, and living in Atlanta was fun until it wasn’t. I intuitively knew that despite what I felt from others, I had value from within and excellent skills. I knew within two years, this was not a place where I could flourish and feel valued. This is not to dismiss the many people who do very well in Atlanta, but many do not do well and still stay. I wasn’t willing to make any more of a financial or emotional investment in a location that was not mutually beneficial.

Above is from my photoshoot of one of my Cincy, Ohio clients in 2021. In two short years, I moved back to Ohio knowing and demonstrating I still have so much to offer. I actually learned alot in Atlanta and felt I could implement this knowledge in Ohio to the right clients. I saw that women, and men alike over fifty who continued to invest in themselves have much to offer. Keep in mind, there are so many free online tools that are accessible for seniors on a budget. We also see people over fifty who are still flourishing: the Joy Behar(81), Whoopi Goldberg (68) Angela Bassett (66), etc and those in your own neighbohood over fifty who are still vibrant.

Me above doing my own photshoot at 64 yrs old continuing to brand myself online. To feel good about oneself no matter your age, I feel seniors also have to continue to show up with their gifts and passion. In particular, if you have a business or passion to offer, it must be packaged online in a way that represents who you are and how you want to show up in for an audience that values you. The key: determine who values your content, but remember your image must stand out among the crowded online space. That's the reality.

Be the queen that you are Me proud and unapologetic at 65. Click link for more information

Don't be afraid to take risks with your style, you have nothing to prove to anyone especially at this age. Just Be You! Wearing an outfit I designed and constructed at 66. I made the pattern through trial and error. I hadn't sewn in almost fifty years. Understand, it's never too late to dream and achieve, just believe you can and take advantage of free online tools. Below are a few tips for upleveling your online brand image after 60. Tip I: Personal Branding still remains important to a business and your passion even after 50. You must continue to represent visually who you are and what you represent. I don’t think it should be something far off from the core of who you are because your values and character are typically something that remains constant, but the way they are represented after fifty may show up differently and unique to who you are today.

My core is and has always been an affinity for fashion, classic, sexy and tomboyish style since I was a kid. I love food, now it’s still good food but often with a healthier take. I still love art and I love socializing, but have upscaled who and where I go these days. Take the core of who you are today and level and freshen it up.

Tip II: Bold colors. When I was personal brand photography, my purpose was to capture bold images of older women in an upscaled and fresh way. Their story and how it was represented was important. Ensuring they showed up as confident, powerful, and a feminine way was critical to their story of where they were at the time. Pushing pass traditional & the comfortable color of beige, browns, and black that many older women cling to for comfort especially in the Midwest to influence my clients toward bolder and statement making colors. My feeling, anyone can show up mediocre, it is more unique show up with the boldness of who you can be.

Wearing an off the shoulder white top I designed and constructed in 2024. Still making my own sewing patterns. Tip III: Style: What is your style? What are you most comfortable in? Are you wearing clothes that are defined by society or by your community that is defined by your age, or are you wearing clothes that you define. Don’t be afraid to defy societal/community boundaries for women of a certain age. If how you show up, makes others uncomfortable then it’s time to level up with new friends who you have more in common with. Don’t be held back by traditions and old ways of thinking. You can’t glow or grow if you stay stuck with the crowd.