Joan MacDonald害羞草研究所檚 health was in shambles at age 71. She was overweight and on numerous medications with high cholesterol, rising blood pressure and kidney trouble.
Her daughter, a fitness coach, warned that she害羞草研究所檇 wind up an invalid if she didn害羞草研究所檛 turn things around. She did, hitting the gym for the first time and learning to balance her diet with the help of a brand new tool, an iPhone.
Now 75, MacDonald is a hype beast for health with a bodybuilder害羞草研究所檚 physique and 1.4 million loyal followers on Instagram.
She害羞草研究所檚 among a growing number of 害羞草研究所済randfluencers,害羞草研究所� folks 70 and up who have amassed substantial followings on social media with the help of decades-younger fans.
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 so rare to find someone her age being able to do all these things,害羞草研究所� said one of her admirers, 18-year-old Marianne Zapata of Larchmont, New York. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 just such a positive thing to even think about.害羞草研究所�
Both aspirational and inspirational, older influencers are turning their digital platforms into gold.
MacDonald has paid partnerships with the sportswear and supplement brand Women害羞草研究所檚 Best, and the stress-busting device Sensate. And she just launched her own health and fitness app not so many years after learning how to use digital technology herself.
On TikTok, four friends who go by @oldgays 害羞草研究所� the youngest is 65 害羞草研究所� have 2.2 million followers, including Rihanna. They have an endorsement deal with Grindr as they delight fans with their clueless answers to pop culture questions.
Others focus on beauty and style, setting up Amazon closets with their go-to looks and putting on makeup tutorials live. Lagetta Wayne, at 78, has teens asking her to be their grandmother as she tends to her vegetables and cooks them up in Suisun City, California, as @msgrandmasgarden on TikTok.
Wayne, with 130,500 followers amassed since joining in June 2020, owes her social media success to a teenage granddaughter. Her very first video, a garden tour, clocked 37,600 likes.
害羞草研究所淥ne day my garden was very pretty and I got all excited about that and I asked her if she would take some pictures of me,害羞草研究所� Wayne recalled. 害羞草研究所淪he said she was going to put me on TikTok and I said, well, what is TikTok? I had never heard of it.害羞草研究所�
Most people ages 50 and up use technology to stay connected to friends and family, according to a by AARP. But less than half use social media daily for that purpose, relying on Facebook above other platforms.
Just 37% of those 70 and older used social media daily in 2019, the research showed. Since coronavirus struck, older creators have expanded their horizons beyond mainstay Facebook and gotten more voracious, often driven by the growing number of feeds by people their own age, said Alison Bryant, senior vice president for AARP.
In the California desert town of Cathedral City, Jessay Martin is the second youngest of the Old Gays at 68.
害羞草研究所淚 thought I was going to spend the rest of my life relaxing pretty much, and I do, but this is picking up more for us. I had a very structured week where Monday I worked the food bank at the senior center, Tuesday and Friday I did yoga for an hour and a half, Wednesday I was on the front desk at the senior center. I was just sort of floating by, not being social, not putting myself out there in the gay community. And boy, has the Old Gays changed that,害羞草研究所� Martin said.
Like MacDonald, they do a lot of myth busting about what害羞草研究所檚 possible in life害羞草研究所檚 sixth, seventh and eighth decades.
害羞草研究所淭hey害羞草研究所檙e showing that anybody can do these things, that you don害羞草研究所檛 have to be afraid of aging. The 20 and 30 somethings don害羞草研究所檛 often think about that,害羞草研究所� Bryant said. 害羞草研究所淭he authenticity that we害羞草研究所檙e seeing in some of these older influencers is really refreshing. That害羞草研究所檚 part of the complexity of their narratives. They害羞草研究所檙e bringing other parts of their lives to it. They害羞草研究所檙e grandparents and great-grandparents and spouses. They害羞草研究所檙e more comfortable in their own skins.害羞草研究所�
Sandra Sallin, a blogger and artist, has slowly built her following to 25,300 on Instagram. Her reach recently extended to the British Olympic gold-medal diver Tom Daley, who raved about her mother害羞草研究所檚 cheesecake recipe after his coach spotted it online and made it for her athletes and staff. Sallin, a lover of lipstick who focuses on cooking and beauty, also shares photos from her past and other adventures, like her turn last year in a vintage Spitfire high above the Cliffs of Dover.
害羞草研究所淚 wanted to expand my world. I felt that I was older, that my world was shrinking. People were moving, people were ill,害羞草研究所� Sallin said. 害羞草研究所淪o I started my blog because I wanted to reach out. After that, I heard about this thing called Instagram. It was really hard learning it. I really stumbled my way in. I害羞草研究所檓 shocked because most people who follow me are 30 and 40 years younger. But there are people who are older, who have kind of given up and say, 害羞草研究所榊ou know, I害羞草研究所檓 going to start wearing lipstick.害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟
Toby Bloomberg, 69, in Atlanta is a Sallin supporter. She discovered Sallin after Sallin competed on the short-lived Food Network show 害羞草研究所淐lash of the Grandmas.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淪he talks a lot about aging. That害羞草研究所檚 quite an unusual phenomenon on social media, which is obviously dominated by people far younger than we are,害羞草研究所� Bloomberg said.
MacDonald said she was surprised at the beginning that people actually cared what she had to say.
害羞草研究所淲hy would people want to follow an old broad,害羞草研究所� she giggled from her home in Ontario, Canada. 害羞草研究所淢y daughter, Michelle, cleared that up. She said it害羞草研究所檚 what you害羞草研究所檙e representing, that people can do what they think they害羞草研究所檝e not been able to do or were told that they couldn害羞草研究所檛 do.害羞草研究所�
Grace Maier, 32, is home full time with her two kids, ages 6 months and 2. She follows Barbara Costello, a 72-year-old Connecticut grandmother who uses the handle @brunchwithbabs.
害羞草研究所淪he does these posts, 害羞草研究所楧id your mom ever tell you?害羞草研究所� and I followed her immediately on Instagram,害羞草研究所� Maier said. 害羞草研究所淗er content brings me joy! She害羞草研究所檚 got all of these life hacks and tips that remind me of things my grandma shared with me before she passed. She also doesn害羞草研究所檛 take herself too seriously and just seems like the kind of person who would welcome you into her home.害羞草研究所�
Mae Karwowski, founder and CEO of the influencer marketing agency Obviously, has more than 100 influencers in her network between the ages of 60 and 80. With more than a billion users on Instagram alone, she points to the successes on that platform of 93-year-old Helen Ruth Elam (baddiewinkle), 67-year-old Lyn Slater (iconaccidental) and 100-year-old style legend Iris Apfel.
There害羞草研究所檚 another aspect to the reach of seniors: Grandparents and grandchildren who have teamed up to share their adventures together, from traveling the world to Nerf gun battles.
害羞草研究所淢ainstream media, I would say, presents a really narrow viewpoint on this age group. What害羞草研究所檚 great about social media is you can follow a really cool 75-year-old woman who is just doing her thing in Florida and that害羞草研究所檚 fun. That害羞草研究所檚 different. And she害羞草研究所檚 funny,害羞草研究所� Karwowski said. 害羞草研究所淭he 21-year-old fashion model influencer is managed. She has a team. She has designers falling all over themselves to give her everything. She has professional photographers. A lot of these 70-plus influencers are doing it all.害羞草研究所�
Candace Cima, 74, taught herself to shoot and edit video for Instagram by watching YouTube tutorials. She hopped on the platform in February 2019 as a fresh voice on fashion and style while encouraging her audience not to be afraid of aging. Her husband sometimes helps out with photos for @styleinyour70s.withleslieb (Leslie is her middle name).
害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 still in that learning curve, I have to be honest. Two and a half years ago, I didn害羞草研究所檛 even know what an influencer was,害羞草研究所� said Cima, in Ithaca, New York. 害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檝e always had a lot of ideas about aging. I don害羞草研究所檛 understand why aging has such a negative connotation.害羞草研究所�
With 37,900 followers, some of her youngest fans have shared with her why they care: 害羞草研究所淭hey don害羞草研究所檛 want to age the way they saw their relatives aging,害羞草研究所� Cima said. 害羞草研究所淭hey feel like they can learn something.害羞草研究所�
Leanne Italie, The Associated Press
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