According to Moschis (1996), as the older population continues to expand with the aging Baby Boom Cohort, information is needed on this market segment, including their reactions towards promotional strategies employed by marketers and retailers. Furthermore, given their materialistic tendencies and purchasing behaviour for luxury goods, marketers should not disregard the spending power of Generation X consumers. 

 

As previously reported, a need also exists in studying the shopping characteristics of the Generation X market segment (National Jeweler, 2006). Given shifting demographic and psychographic characteristics of consumers in the marketplace, in addition to the stated value in researching consumers’ responses to various marketing tactics, this study was conducted to address female consumers’ reactions to models of different ages. 

 

The relationship between participants’ attitudes towards fashion models and their purchase behaviour, perceived similarity to the models and perceived fashionability of the model’s clothing was also explored. The sample of this study included women aged 30–59, representing both Generation X and the Baby Boom Generation. Using the stages of the human life cycle defined by Levinson (1996), the age range of participants included those either transitioning into, or currently in, the middle adulthood life stage.