Gay couple featured on billboard campaign promoting joy of sex in later life
Let’s Talk The Joy of Later Life Sex’ campaign featured on billboards for two weeks before moving to print and online spaces.
It featured a diverse range of older people enjoying moments of intimacy. The campaign was shot by the celebrated photographer, Rankin: better known for his fashion work.Relate says it wanted to start a conversation about sex in later life.
According to a recent study by 3Gem Market research, “two-thirds of over 65s (67%) say sex and intimacy for their age group is rarely (43%) or never (24%) represented in media compared with a fifth (20%) of 18 to 24-year-olds.”Furthermore, only “one-fifth of people across the UK think society is OK talking about sex and intimacy in people aged over 60.”Related: Ian McKellen sets up new program to help other LGBTQ seniorsGail Thorne, a Sex Therapist with Relate said in a press statement about the campaign, “It may seem as though it’s only young people with ‘perfect’ bodies having sex and being intimate but of course this isn’t true!“In reality, ‘sex and intimacy in later life’ means different things to different people: for some it’s about exploring new and different sexual experiences, and for others it’s simply about feeling able to express emotion through a gentle touch or kiss on the cheek.“What we’re trying to do today is open up a society-wide conversation about the fact that sex and intimacy – whatever that might mean – can be as important for older people as it is for anyone else.“We see every day in our Sex Therapy services how not feeling able to talk openly about needs and desires can lead to a lack of fulfilment and be damaging for individuals’ self-confidence and couples’ relationships.
