“Oi, we like sex too!”: Together TV creates the 'Silver Sex Guide' to challenge outdated stereotypes

Last week we saw a movement to celebrate intimacy, wellbeing and pleasure in the lives of 55s and over. Is this a forgotten market?

The campaign by Together TV includes a sex guide for over 55s, a 54-page illustrated manual packed with expert advice and real talk on love, sex and everything in between. The Silver Sex Guide looks to challenge outdated sexual stereotypes and offer the older generations a little intimate assistance in the bedroom.

Created by broadcaster Together TV in collaboration with Professor Sharron Hinchliff at the University of Sheffield, the Silver Sex Guide celebrates sex and relationships over the age of 55, offering a little encouragement, advice, and extra spice.

From ‘pleasure and positions’ to ‘sexual health and open communication’, the three-part guide comes as research reveals that despite outdated attitudes, sex is still important to those in the third phase of life.

New moves

The Silver Sex Guide is part of Together TV’s wider aim to celebrate ‘All Life’s Pleasures’, which is described as a ‘joyful, sex-positive campaign reclaiming pleasure, confidence and connection at every age’.

Supported by a TV, billboard and digital marketing campaign and real-world presence at Lou Featherstone’s Self Love Bus Tour, the movement will be seen across the UK this summer.

The campaign comes in response to new Opinium research commissioned by Together TV, revealing that more than four in 10 (42%) Brits over-55 say physical pleasure is important to them, with a quarter (25%) of Gen X having sex on a weekly basis. However, almost two thirds (62%) of those over the age of 55 still feel the media ignores older people as sexual beings.

Almost half of over 55s (47%) feel less pressure to conform to societal expectations about sex now compared to when they were younger, with a quarter (25%) saying they have more time for it now too!

The sexual spark certainly doesn’t dull with age either, as more than a quarter (27%) of over 55s have or regularly use a sex toy in the bedroom. And when it comes to flying solo, one in five (19%) masturbate at least once a week and 27% more than twice a month.

Desiring better recognition

As part of the campaign, podcaster and female empowerment activist, Lou Featherstone, is a proud ambassador of the initiative. She said: "Society often sidelines conversations about confidence, desire, and joy as we get older, but these qualities never diminish. I’m proud to support Together TV’s campaign to challenge outdated taboos and encourage more openness. And most importantly, help people embrace their sexuality, no matter the age!"

Professor Sharron Hinchliff, University of Sheffield, said: “Age does not erase desire - it simply changes how we experience it. The Together TV’s campaign and the Silver Sex Guide is about recognising that intimacy in life in our 50s and beyond can be just as fulfilling, meaningful and exciting. By opening up these conversations, we’re helping people feel confident in their relationships, their bodies and their right to pleasure.”

Our take

We, of course, welcome this campaign, which is pointing in a direction the creative industry should heed.

Certainly, there’s been a notable shift away from depicting older generations as austere, culturally irrelevant dinosaurs. This is evident in campaigns by the likes of Zalando, and in the ways tech is being used.

Creative Moment has hosted a deep dive into the topic before and will continue to give a spotlight to representation in its various forms.