Out with the new and in with the old: The rise of the 40-year-old influencer

With trends like "blokecore" trending on TikTok and a new mature 'Love Island' on the cards, our parents may be the next big social media stars — for better or worse.

When we think of an influencer we probably think of a 20-something, genetically blessed and fashion-forward individual with veneers white enough to outshine the sun. However, that could all be changing after the news of a potential middle-aged Love Island spin-off.

A source told The Sun “Times change and the current generation in their 40s and 50s still care about how they look, are fit and healthy, into fashion and are ready to let their hair down. This show will give those who settled down young a second chance at love while they still feel in their prime.”

Usually, Love Island features a slew of sexy singletons closer to 20 than 30, providing us with the drama and lack of development that has made the show so popular. However, this year’s fan favourites Ekin-Su Culculoglu and Davide Sanclimente are two of the oldest in the villa at 27 years old, showing that viewers aren’t all that crazy about the reckless young stars of the previous series.

Jeremy Boudinet of influencer marketing firm Ubiquitous states that their maturity is a key factor in the public’s adoration of the couple. “They care less about what the public thinks, they’re more secure and have had more time to develop who they are and what they want and the public loves seeing the risks they are willing to take.”

Alongside this, trends like ‘blokecore’ and 90’s and 00’s fashion have seen huge viral interest over the past couple of years thanks to TikTok. Gen Z is now sporting classic football tops paired with Adidas Gazelles in fits that look more suited to your dad than teenagers. With styles and brands from the past making a reemergence, it makes sense to have influencers who were some of the earliest adopters of these trends back in the day. Alongside this, Love Island recently ditched fast fashion brands and partnered up with eBay in a nod to nostalgic fashion.

You may think that older influencers wouldn’t get the lucrative brand deals of the marketable young reality stars of today, but they could be even more valuable than their younger counterparts. “They’re just as trendy as younger contestants. They have twice the opportunities for brand deals thanks to being able to work with more mature brands that may be hesitant to work with younger influencers, not to mention parenting brands meaning they could possibly rake in double the sponsorships of past Love Island contestants,” explained Boudinet.

Seeing your parents awkwardly looking for love on national television is probably a lot of our worst nightmares, but would we really complain after all those brand deals fly in? The younger generation has had their time in the sun so why not let the senior citizens make their mark in the influencer world.

Writer
Chris Saunders
Banner Image Credit
ITV2 / Love Island