With the number of retirees in China set to soar in the coming years, hundreds of millions of senior citizens are becoming a lucrative market for the digital economy. And that's giving rise to a new, older generation of influencers, exemplified by Beijing's Fashion Grandmas, for whom "age is just a number."
Friday, 14 May 2021 08:40 AM MYT
The ‘Fashion Grandmas’ collective has 23 main members, with dozens more fringe contributors across the country, all aged between their late 50s and their mid-70s. ― AFP pic via ETX Studio
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BEIJING, May 14 ― Exquisitely garbed in a traditional
cheongsam dress, 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 livestreams of them turning Beijing s streets into a catwalk are devoured by millions of fans.
Compiled by Phelokazi Mbude Share
China is getting old fast and Beijing is faced with the monumental challenge of how to provide for tens of millions of retirees. But this has also opened opportunities for those who are financially comfortable in their dotage and able to harness the commercial possibilities of technology.
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Improving with age, China s Fashion Grandmas are hitting the runway and grabbing attention on social media. I think the elderly should also live the way they want, and be optimistic. Don t keep thinking about how old you are. Our Fashion Grandma group has a slogan: Age is just a number, says Sang Xiuzhu who is 76 years old.