Home » News » Women over 60 overcome prejudice and become popular on the web

Women over 60 overcome prejudice and become popular on the web

When we talk about youtubers or instagrammers, we immediately think of the young people of generation Z, who, in their early 20s, have revolutionized love and work relationships and rethought usual habits. Then, in a slightly smaller portion, come the millennials, in their late 30s. We rarely (or almost never) look at another group of the age pyramid, the elderly. However, this population grows in the country, participates more actively in society, consumes and can also influence followers in the virtual world. They have a less frantic attitude, learning acquired from accumulated experiences, but they are not limited or full of modesty. No popes in the tongue, women who are over the age of 60 (which marks the entry into the so-called third age) practice the almost revolutionary act of occupying a space that has long been restricted to younger generations.

They dive into this proposal without fear. They write blogs, record videos on YouTube, have an enviable Instagram feed🇧🇷 This is all without following the standards of younger influencers. Even for many of them, ultra-technological equipment is out of the question. All you need is a smartphone, which doubles as a camera and microphone. Far-fetched scenarios and meticulously thought-out scripts give way to the living room and the improvisation of loose speech. The quality of the content is the most important thing for anyone who sees life from another perspective. And, despite the strangeness that the digital presence can cause, they are not shaken. So what if looks of the day or makeup tutorials at age 80 aren’t what we’re used to finding scrolling through the feed? These women are at the forefront of an expanding movement whose aim is to show that old age is much more dynamic than one might imagine. And, more than that, that they have a lot to teach.

hobby turned business

An ageless technology. That’s how Mireia Borges, 62 years old, from Porto Alegre, defines their social networks. The concept, which means ageless in English, has delighted her since she discovered it in 2017, when she joined some groups that discuss longevity. However, her engagement comes from a decade earlier. At the time, she noticed the gaps in visibility for people in her age group and started a blog in the Zero Hora newspaper from Rio Grande do Sul. She wrote about behavior, fashion and health. Passionate about technology, she gradually entered the universe of social media and migrated from the portal to her Instagram profile (@mireiabrg), where she is followed by more than 12,000 people.

Read Also:  Swedish royalty has Brazilian DNA: meet Queen Silvia of Sweden

Upon becoming an influencer, Miréia, who was a business educator, faced episodes of discrimination by younger people. “I heard at events: ‘That old woman is here again’. It shocked me too much. She would come home and think about giving up, because I didn’t have to put up with these things, ”she confesses. The gaucho regrets the lack of colleagues of the same age with whom she can exchange experiences, but she is focused on raising her profile. She even has a team to help her produce content, in addition to having a branding consultant and a photographer. As a result, partnerships with brands multiplied, and she undermined her family’s distrust of her new career as a professional blogger. “My daughters, previously reticent, now go on dates with me. And my husband, who thought it was all nonsense, changed his mind. My goal is for people to recognize that my work is important, not a hobby,” she says.

in triple dose

Five decades of friendship and a lot of good humor already unite Gilda Bandeira de Melo, 77 years old, Helena Wiechmann, 91, and Sonia Bonetti, 81, when the trio had the idea of ​​creating a YouTube channel in 2018. The suggestion came from a friend of theirs, Cassia Camargo. With experience in TV, Cassia realized the video potential of the three – who always made her cry with laughter with their stories. Then came Avós da Razão, a channel through which, every Thursday, they answer questions sent by their 7,000 followers. More recently, the bloggers from São Paulo also made their debut on Instagram. “We talk about everything. The last question was whether at our age we still masturbate. And we respond, in a subtle way, that sexual desire has no age”, says Sonia. Just three months after the birth of the channel, they were chosen to participate in CreatorsBoost, an acceleration course for content creators. Afterwards, they won first place at the YouPix Summit, an event that rewards what’s hot in the digital market. Although they reach followers of different ages, they prioritize their own age group when choosing themes. “We want to give visibility to the elderly, for a long time considered sick who needed shelter”, explains Sonia. Avós da Razão is no longer just a hobby and has become a source of income for them. “After several years, I finally paid the bills with my work money”, says Helena, who does not receive a pension. “It started as a party, but the financial return is gratifying”, adds Gilda, who is responsible for receiving the questions that go into the video on WhatsApp and organizing them.

Read Also:  Woodworms: how to eliminate the ones that stay inside the kitchen cupboard

astral in the heights

Exuberant hats, high heels and many colors prevent Izaura Demari go unnoticed. The look reflects the expansive personality of the 78-year-old from Paraná, who, a widow for 16, found a way to stay active in fashion. “After my husband died, I started traveling more and wanted to be well dressed. With each passing year, I feel younger. Sometimes I can’t even believe my age, ”she jokes. Two years ago, she began regularly sharing the looks she puts together on Instagram @voizaurademari for her 45,000 followers. As Izaura is not literate, her son Marcio Demari is in charge of writing the publications. Florianópolis resident, Izaura spent the last months of 2019 working between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

In October, she walked in a special action at São Paulo Fashion Week and participated in a TV show in which she donated part of her clothing collection to elderly women in a nursing home. “When I accessorized them, they said it no longer matched their age, even though they were younger than me,” she recalls. She believes that her role on the social network is precisely to help women regain their self-esteem and understand that there is no right way to experience old age. For this, she sees no problem even posing in lingerie or a bikini. On one of these occasions, after an advertising campaign, she heard from her friends that it was absurd. “They thought I was naked. So in the other photo, I really took it all off,” she says. For 2020, her schedule is already pretty full. In March, she will be an ambassador for a beauty event for the 60+ audience. Next, she intends to spend a month in São Paulo expanding her networking.

she represents

Although he commands internet profiles that add up to more than 158,000 followers, Rosangela Marcondes, 64 years old, does not define herself as an influencer – she prefers to say that she is a digital inspiration. “When I started to be considered an influencer, I was very happy to realize that ordinary people also have space”, she says. The first time she took on the role was in 2013, when she started the blog Domingo Açucarado. At the time, she had decided to put an end to the clothing business she ran, but she didn’t want to stand still. Instigated by her daughter Fernanda Marcondes, Rosangela created a virtual space to gather everything beautiful that she saw, her “little store of ideas”, as she describes it. “There I manage to talk to the daughter, the mother and the grandmother. And that encourages me to do more. I’m disciplined – twice a day, I post something new. I think someone might be waiting; so that’s a commitment I have,” she reveals.

Read Also:  Inspirational messages to send on International Women's Day

In parallel, she also takes care of a second project on the networks, the Instagram profile @it_avo, focused on discussing longevity. Personally, interest in the topic grew when she turned 60. “I wanted to understand the aging process and publicize the movement. I want to feel and experience aging with originality, ”she says. Outside the networks, since the beginning of 2019, she organizes monthly meetings called “Come Take Coffee With Me”, in which she meets with followers in coffee shops in São Paulo to create bonds and exchange experiences. The audience (20 people on average, mostly older women) usually don’t get to know each other until the day of the meeting. “I realize that they want to be together, have a nice moment to enjoy their old age”, she says to “it granny”.

Continues after advertising

Senior Influencers Around the World

Iris Apfel (@iris.apfel)

Long before social networks had so much power, the 98-year-old American fashionista was already a success. Starring fashion campaigns, it shows that style has no age limit.

Helen Winkle (@baddiewinkle)

With her vibrant looks and attitudes, the American Helen Winkle, 91 years old, breaks the internet (and stereotypes), making it clear that she does not listen to monotonous ideas.

Park Mak-Rye (@korea_grandma)

At the age of 73, Korean Park Mak-Rye entertains 1 million followers on YouTube with travel blogs and laid-back beauty and cooking tutorials.

Linda Rodin (@lindaandwinks)

Enthusiast of the world of beauty, Linda Rodin, 71 years old, created her own brand of cosmetics when she was over 50. On Instagram, she poses next to her dog Winks.

Continues after advertising

Are You Ready to Discover Your Twin Flame?

Answer just a few simple questions and Psychic Jane will draw a picture of your twin flame in breathtaking detail:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Los campos marcados con un asterisco son obligatorios *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.