Age Isn't a Limit. It's a Variable.

Browse any AI art platform and you'll see it. Young women. Everywhere. Type "beautiful blonde woman in lingerie and heels" into a generator and you'll almost certainly get someone in her twenties. You won't get a woman in her fifties. Not unless you ask for one. But I've been wondering — why is that? What's driving it? What I've Observed Young and beautiful is still the default. Maybe beginners don't realize they can specify age. You type what comes to mind, and what comes to mind is shaped by what we see everywhere. The loop continues. Or maybe for some creators, the person doesn't matter. They're showcasing an outfit, a pose, a setting. The woman is a mannequin. Age is irrelevant because the focus is elsewhere. Maybe it's both. Maybe it varies. What I've Tried My characters range from early twenties to late fifties. Monica is in her early fifties — a woman whose cheating husband thinks he has all the options, until she proves she has just as many. Her age is part of her power. Then there's Polly, an 18th-century pirate captain. Her story demands presence, history, weight. Young and naive doesn't survive on a pirate ship. I also use my characters for photo shoots — lingerie, heels, fashion. And here's what surprised me: the older characters get just as much engagement as the younger ones. People respond to presence. To confidence. To bodies that look like they've lived in them. What Age Differences Can Do Age differences between characters open up storytelling possibilities. The protector — older, experienced, sheltering someone younger. The provider — resources, stability, and the tension that comes with them. The predator — darker, a power imbalance that can be explored responsibly or recklessly. These dynamics don't work the same way when everyone is the same age. The tension comes from the gap. What I'm Still Curious About Is there an untapped audience for mature characters? Would beginners explore more if they knew they could? I don't have clean answers. But I've noticed that when I put effort into the person — not just the image — the age tends to matter less. Maybe that's the real question: are we building people, or are we building images? What have you noticed? Do you work with mature characters or age differences in your stories?