Cougar effect boosts lingerie sales among middle-aged women

New York, May 1 : It has emerged that actresses like Courteney Cox and Kim Cattrall are inspiring women in their 40s and 50s to buy lacy stockings and luxury undergarments.

According to the Daily Mail, retailers say that "Sex and the City's" Samantha, played by Cattrall, 53, and TV show "Cougar Town", which stars Cox, 45, are helping the undergarment market among women of a certain age.

"Women in their 40s are being touted as the new 20s," the New York Daily News quoted Annette Warburton, head lingerie buyer for a British chain of stores, as saying.

"We definitely expect the market to continue to grow in the future," she said.

She added that the increased lingerie sales to older women indicate that these women don't think getting married and having kids means shelving their love life.

"Positive female role models in this age group, such as the women in 'Sex and the City,' are giving the women confidence to splash out on themselves," she stated.

At UK chain Marks and Spencer, which recently introduced a lingerie line aimed at women older than 45, the most popular styles are the most racy.

"We launched the Portfolio lingerie brand this season because there was a clear demand for sexy, flattering underwear for the 45-plus market," said M and S trading director of lingerie Frances Russell.

"We have recently introduced sexier shapes such as the cheeky Brazilian knicker, and that is selling particularly well," Russell added.