China’s ‘Fashion Grandmas’: elderly social media influencers share inspiring messages about ageing
- The ‘Fashion Grandmas’ are a group of elderly influencers who are showing China that age is no barrier to elegance
- They do fashion live-streams, share positive messages about ageing, and speak out about domestic violence
Exquisitely dressed in a traditional cheongsam, or qipao, 76-year-old Sang Xiuzhu is one of an unlikely vanguard of elderly influencers storming Chinese social media with videos of glamour in the golden years.
Two years ago she joined the “Fashion Grandmas”, whose one-minute clips and live-streams of them turning Beijing’s streets into a catwalk are watched by millions of fans. They mix elegance with epithets of wisdom – on marriage, love and life – from a generation who are now increasingly integral to both the economy and online culture of China.
“Our young fans say they are not afraid of ageing after seeing grannies like us living fashionable and happy lives,” said Sang.
It is an economy worth hundreds of billions of dollars, whose participants crave longevity, entertainment and consumer goods and are hooked, like everybody else, to their smartphones.