By: Natasha Archary
Move over slay queens and Ben 10s, and make room for senior stars who are taking over social media by storm.
The “granfluencer” is a new term for an influencer over the age of 50-years, who, through their unique lifestyle, inspirational content or wholesome content are attracting millions of followers.
Going viral these days isn’t just about living the “soft life”, as content consumption needs changes, social media users are looking for new people to follow based on aspirational qualities.
The lived experience of 62-year old influencer, Gym Tan, better known on TikTok as CaliforniaIsTooCasual, means thousands of people are following her fitness, lifestyle and even fashion tips for growing old gracefully.
At 62-years of age, Gym is in the best physical shape she’s ever been in, and is inspiring her followers on the social media app to not let their age define who they are, and what they can and can’t do.
@californiaistoocasual You can’t stop getting older, you just have to keep going! #fittok #lifestyle #running #fitat60 #runner #healthyliving #fitcheck #healthylifestyle #fitinspo #ageisjustanumber ♬ I Ain’t Worried – OneRepublic
Locally, Thomas and Skhumba say Oskido and MaMkhize are two South African granfluencers who are taking the reigns of social media despite their age bracket.
Not only can content creators over 50-years earn a living by being a granfluencer, but many are finding their purpose after they have either retired or should be retired, according to societal standards.
Take Martha Stewart, who at 81-years of age, became the oldest Sports Illustrated cover model. While some people remain obsessed with age and appearing younger than they are, more people are defying those norms and changing the game on social media despite their age.
Listen to the conversation on Kaya Drive:
Also read: When did it hit you that you are now parenting your parents?
