Beauty Tycoon Liz Earle Calls Midlife Women a 'Lost Generation'
Earle, 63, states that women in their 40s and beyond often deprioritize their health due to caregiving responsibilities, leading them to feel invisible.
Beauty entrepreneur Liz Earle, 63, has described women in midlife as a “lost generation,” citing the immense pressure on them to be caregivers for children and elderly parents, which often leads them to neglect their own health. Earle, who built her eponymous beauty brand in the 1990s and sold it in 2010, shared that she personally experienced a period in her 40s where she “almost lost myself” due to deprioritizing her well-being while managing family and professional responsibilities.
"I think, like so many women, I was deprioritising my health, because I was wanting to bring up my family and give them the time," Earle told Women’s Health. "I was focusing on building my business and looking after older parents. And I think that’s true for a lot of women. We’re kind of the lost generation in midlife, because we’re often the caregivers."
Earle, a mother of five and grandmother for the first time in 2024, has published over 30 books on beauty and wellness. She asserts that midlife should not be viewed as a period of winding down, but rather as a time for “stepping up.” She shared that in her 60s, she feels fitter, stronger, happier, more purposeful, and more driven than in any previous decade.
"Midlife isn’t a winding down; it’s a stepping up…I’m fitter, stronger, happier, more purposeful and more driven in my sixties than I have been in any other decade," she stated. "I wouldn’t go back to how it was."
Despite her age, Earle claims her biological age is 39, attributing this to biohacking—a practice involving lifestyle improvements through diet, wellness trends, and exercise. She emphasized a commitment to being evidence-based while maintaining an open mind to new approaches. "I haven’t got 17 years to wait for something to go through a randomised clinical controlled trial, I try to be evidence-based, always," she explained. "That comes from a point of safety. But I also have an open mind – and I will try everything on myself first."
Earle sees physical strength as a key component of emotional resilience. "When I feel strong physically – when I know that I can lift a really heavy object or I’ve got more stamina and more endurance – I feel emotionally stronger, more resilient, tougher," she said. "Knowing I’m not frail is a real strength, and I think more women deserve to feel that way."
The full interview appears in the October issue of Women’s Health UK.