Relate Charity Launches Campaign About The Joy Of Sex In Later Life

A new charity campaign is aiming to champion the joys of sex in later life.

Relationship charity Relate has enlisted the services of highly successful British photographer Rankin to extol the virtues of getting it on in your later years.

The campaign is called 'Let's Talk The Joy of Later Life Sex' and the plan is to remove some of the stigma surrounding older people as sexual beings, as well as challenging some unhelpful stereotypes surrounding age.

The project saw Rankin shoot five naked - or at least, scantily clad - older couples and another woman in a selection of intimate settings, all in tasteful black and white

The intention is that the images will be carried on billboards up and down the country alongside some powerful text that will give people pause for thought about their ideas of older people and intimacy.

In one of the shots, showing a woman who has undergone a double mastectomy and her partner, the text reads: "The years are going up, but you're still going down."

Another reads: "Over the hill. And the table. And the sofa."

Rankin agreed to work for free, and said that he wants to exhibit the importance of love and sex, regardless of age.

He explained: "The simple fact is, we all need intimacy now more than ever - and age really is just a number,

"The greatness of love and affection - the very things we can't stop writing books, films and pop songs about - doesn't need to change as we find our later years."

Gail Thorne, a sex therapist from Relate, added: "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."

It goes without saying that older people - and everyone else - will enjoy a bit of intimacy here and there. Thorne went on to add that being unable to speak about wants and needs can have a negative effect on self-confidence and relationships.

"This is what we want to change," she said.

Featured Image Credit: Rankin/Relate

Topics: UK News, Charity, Interesting, Sex, Relationships

Tom Wood

Tom Wood is a LADbible journalist and Twin Peaks enthusiast. Despite having a career in football cut short by a chronic lack of talent, he managed to obtain degrees from both the University of London and Salford. According to his French teacher, at the weekend he mostly likes to play football and go to the park with his brother. Contact Tom on [email protected]

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