Move Over, 20-Somethings. Grandma Is Kicking Your Butt on TikTok
“You’re Too Old For That” is a regular series that explores inspiring activities being pursued by those over 50 years old who feel you’re never too old to do what lights you up.
Welcome to the rise of senior influencers. When I think about major influencers in my life when I was younger, one of the first who comes to mind is my nana. This (barely) five-foot, feisty Italian woman, whose favorite color was red and who could cook the most magical meals without ever consulting a cookbook, taught me to bake bread and read the stock market.
The second-oldest of 12 children — and first to be born in this country — she dropped out of school at 11 to help her mom with the other children. She worked as a seamstress in a blouse factory, opened a dry cleaning shop with her husband, and played the stock market game with enough savvy to squirrel away a tidy nest egg. Oh, and when we played cards, she was absolutely merciless. If she were alive today, I have no doubt she’d be among the grandmothers taking the internet by storm.
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Something interesting has been happening since the pandemic on TikTok and Instagram, but I wonder how much official attention it’s gotten. People in their 70s, 80s, and 90s are becoming some of the Internet’s most beloved and endearing creators.
Meet the online grandmas (and grandpas)
I “met” Babs Costello — Brunch with Babs to her millions of followers — maybe a year ago. She’s 77, a retired teacher, and one of the most trusted voices for cooking and cleaning hacks. She didn’t even plan on this second “career,” but during the pandemic, her daughter suggested she should post some content on TikTok.
Babs thought the platform was just full of dancing videos. But in a few short years, she’s written cookbooks and appeared on Good Morning America, and ABC News refers to her as America’s grandma. She’s delightful, funny, and an absolute joy.
A friend introduced me to Lillian “Grandma” Droniak, who, depending on which article you read, is somewhere in her 90s. She’s also built a following of millions with a persona that gives zero Fs and is fearless. I want to be Lillian when I grow up.
She jokes about her own funeral. She reviews her exes (“This is Bruce, may he slay in peace. I liked him because he had a motorcycle”). In one of her videos — which caused me to spew tea all over my iPhone — she said, “I slayed every day, and now I’m going to lay every day.” I’m so sorry she never had a chance to perform with Betty White because, oh my goodness, talk about comedic gold!
And depending on the topics you enjoy, you can check out Larry Canam, a 60-year-old former soldier who took the internet by storm after he started posting cocktail videos on Instagram. His cookbook, Milkshake Monday, is #chefskiss.
Retired MIT engineer Lynn Yamada Davis started “Cooking with Lynja.” I love her dry sense of humor. I didn’t find Lynn until after she died in 2024, but her videos live on. Into fashion and beauty? Carla Rockmore is a former fashion and jewelry designer who encourages her listeners to embrace aging. Her philosophy captures the absolute best of why you shouldn’t fear aging: “You need to simmer in the juices of life to fully blossom.”
A friend recently introduced me to Heidi Clements, a stylist in her 60s who co-hosts a podcast called Talk Fifty to Me. She builds outfit videos around super blunt honesty about menopause and midlife. The message to her listeners? Know what’s ahead and embrace it now; get loud about it now.
The more I think about it, none of this older influencer stuff is really new. Fifty years before TikTok, we met Maud, from Harold and Maude. The 80-ish-year-old widow of this cult fave wears bright clothing to funerals (of people she doesn’t know), breaks into cars to steal them for fun, rescues canaries from pet shops, and tells 20-year-old Harold, “The earth is my body, but my head is in the stars.” Ruth Gordon played her in 1971, and audiences didn’t know what to do with an older woman who unapologetically refused to slow down or shrink. Maybe we’re finally catching up.
Why granfluencers have become so popular
There’s certainly an “awww, cute nana on the internet” thing happening, but the appeal is deeper. And to be honest, haven’t you assumed that most older people are behind the curve technologically, out of touch, or maybe even a little afraid of the internet? My mom, who’s 85, has enough tech savvy to read emails and browse the internet, but otherwise, she’s definitely challenged. So to me — and millions of others — watching a 94-year-old execute a TikTok trend or a 77-year-old get incredible engagement from audiences a third her age is pretty cool.
But I think the trust factor is even bigger. I work in marketing, so I’ve seen surveys like Sprout Social’s that evaluate trust levels. Interestingly, Sprout Social discovered that being demographically similar to the audience ranked last. Authenticity ranked near the top. Know who’s really good at authenticity? Older creators. They didn’t grow up curating a personal brand like younger generations have. They’re not performing a version of themselves. They’re just going along and doing their thing, being themselves, on camera — and they also happen to be in their 70s.
There’s also something comforting and soothing about these silver influencers. Watching someone in their 90s dance, joke, date, and generally seem pretty okay with being old calms a 30-something’s anxiety about turning 40 or a 50-something’s worry about aging. When I need a pick-me-up, I pop on one of their videos or watch a reel and can’t help but smile (and think that maybe I’m being silly about whatever’s bothering me). These granfluencers clearly love what they’re doing, and it’s contagious to watch.
Longevity vs. Anti-aging: Different trends, one cultural movement
I think there’s a distinction worth making because it’s easy to blur: two things are happening right now. The beauty industry is phasing out “anti-aging” from ingredient lists and marketing decks in favor of “longevity.” And culturally, we’ve got 94-year-olds joking about their own funerals and becoming beloved public figures. Perhaps culture is finally deciding, on its own, that we can — and should! — watch aging with delight, not dread.
Maybe that’s the crux of the nostalgia economy. We’re attracted to the comfort of what we remember, like my nana’s kitchen on baking day. But we’re also drawn toward people who, even in their golden years, show us that there’s still plenty of living to look forward to and enjoy.
Are you doing something inspiring? Do you know someone who is pursuing a passion in their older years? If you or someone you know is 50 years old or older and should have their inspiring story told, please email the editors at Nifty 50+
