Sweet Fifty

"I have a good feel for social currents, for topics that interest people and that are in the air but have not yet been flattened by the media," says Silvia Aeschbach. The sales success of her book proves her right. Within a very short time, "Getting Older for Beginners" has landed at number one on the Swiss nonfiction bestseller list.

The book tells the stories of thirteen women between the ages of 43 and 73. They are all "cool women who look great and deal well with getting older," as Aeschbach says. "It doesn't matter if they're starting their own business or raising three kids: They're confident and making something of their lives."

Aeschbach also describes in detail the appearance of the women portrayed. "Tall, slim, with shiny brown hair, large dark eyes and a pert nose, the 43-year-old is a real eye-catcher," she describes the owner of a hair salon. "On the street she is approached by complete strangers who are fascinated by her charisma and beauty," a 73-year-old model describes her. Who is the author behind this clichéd women's book - and why did she write it?

Journalist with fighting spirit

The inside cover of the book says: "Silvia Aeschbach is a journalist. She has worked for Swiss television and various magazines and newspapers." It's an understatement. Aeschbach has had quite a journalistic career. After her position as a presenter and editor at SRF, she worked as a department head in the founding team of the news magazine Facts, at 39 she became editor-in-chief of the former Meyers Modeblatt ( to "rejuvenate" it ), after which she worked for three years in the chief editorial department of Blick.

It has also collaborated with high-caliber journalists. Facts' founding team includes well-known names such as Linus Reichlin and Richard Reich, both of whom are now active as writers. She learned a lot from such journalists, Aeschbach says. "I was hired as a department head relatively young and inexperienced. I came from television, I didn't really know the print sector at all," she says. The management task appealed to her. That's because she's not only bubbling over with ideas and knows how to make a story that resonates with readers. "I can also get that across and pull a team along. That's what made the start-up phases at Facts or at Meyers a good fit for me." Later, she also held a management position in the editorial department of Blick.

Eight years ago, a break occurred. When Blick made a change of editor-in-chief, Aeschbach was demoted to columnist - and subsequently vacated the office. "That was difficult. Blick was like a locomotive that you got on in the morning and were spat out of in the evening. After I quit, I fell into a hole." On top of that, there was disappointment. "Along comes one person with whom it doesn't fiddle, and overnight it's all done. For the first time in journalism, I really came into the world. No one fought for me. Not even those who had previously planned my next career steps with me."

Aeschbach now blogs about beauty and health on Tagesanzeiger.ch, is responsible for the German-language edition of the lifestyle supplement Encore, and works as an independent journalist. She operates away from hierarchies ( with the exception of a small team at Encore). "I'm not a traditional boss and no longer work for a superior to whom I have to report on a regular basis." She says she enjoys it, discovering new freedoms. "My ideas are very much about myself. I do what I like and can also realize myself to a certain extent."

Breaking out of role models?

One of her latest publishing projects is "Getting Older for Beginners. With the book, Aeschbach wants to break down stereotypical role models, as she says. "Older women used to be sidelined in society - by business and fashion, but also by making themselves invisible," explains the author, who is 55 herself. "That is now starting to change very slowly. We're breaking out of traditional roles and no longer being told how to dress or behave as we get older."

Aeschbach is ambitious, "an attribute not commonly associated with women," as she herself says. And now the journalist, whose curriculum vitae does not correspond at all to the female role model of her generation, wants to break down traditional role models by writing about women who, despite being 40 plus, "are cool and look great"? Aeschbach is convinced that she is doing so. Without a doubt, she strikes a chord with a generation with this book. Numerous middle-aged female readers find themselves in the stories and say to her after the readings, "That's how I experienced it, that's how it was for me, too." However, the bestselling author does not want the fact that she serves an interesting target group to be understood as a motivation. "I never thought about which target group I was addressing. I wanted to pass on my own experiences with aging."

Text: Simone Isliker