Joan MacDonald's health was in a shambles at the age of 71. She was on numerous medications for high cholesterol, increased blood pressure and kidney trouble.
Her daughter, a fitness coach, warned that she'd wind up an invalid if she didn't 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, Ms MacDonald is a hype beast for health, with a bodybuilder's physique and 1.4 million followers on Instagram.
She's among a growing number of "grandfluencers" — folks 70 and up who have amassed substantial followings on social media with the help of fans who are decades younger.
Ms MacDonald said she was surprised at the beginning that people cared what she had to say.
"Why would people want to follow an old broad?" she asked.
"My daughter, Michelle, cleared that up. She said it's what you're representing, that people can do what they think they've not been able to do, or were told that they couldn't do."
Turning their digital platforms into gold
Ms MacDonald has sponsorship deals and has just launched her own health and fitness app, not so many years after first learning how to use digital technology herself.
On TikTok, four friends who go by @oldgays have 2.2 million followers who revel in 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...
Read Full Story: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-13/social-media-s-70-up-grandfluencers-debunking-aging-myths/100443904
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