Could Old Pollyanna become a Granfluencer?

I recently saw the word "granfluencer" and wondered if that was something I could aspire to be. I am, after all, Old Pollyanna, and I hope to be a grandmother someday. Could I become a granfluencer?

I did a couple Google searches. I looked up influencer and granfluencer. Here is what I found: 

What is an influencer?

An influencer is simply someone who has influence over others' buying decisions. In other words, it's someone who has the influence, the authority over or trust of, a certain group of people. In marketing parlance, an influencer is someone who causes others to make specific consumer decisions.

What Is A Granfluencer? 

Granfluencers are here to change your perspective of seniors – they are ripping up these stereotypes, chewing them up, and spitting them back out. They are influencers that are showing you that you can be fabulous, whatever age you are.

Well, if "influencers" exist on social media to influence people's buying habits, then I don't think I want to do that. Maybe I could if there were products and small businesses that I really wanted to support? 

I don't think I'll ever be "an influencer", but I hope to influence a few people. I hope that I can make someone feel better about themself and about the world every time I conduct a concert and any time I write a blog post. Actually I'm quite sure that I've helped people feel positive about themselves and the world at my concerts, the choristers and audience members alike. I like to think that I'm being a good example to my children and that they will also influence people. I want people to love themselves and other people and our planet. I believe that music helps. 

I do admire the granfluencers that I looked up. They are out there being good examples of ageing without fitting into a stereotype, without fitting into a mold of senior citizen, or grandmother. If they influence people to love themselves more when they don't fit into a particular mold, then I love that. And, I think that's just what they're doing. They apparently have big followings on Instagram and TikTok. All kinds of people will have to adjust their perceptions of seniors, how older folk should act or look. We can be stylish, or outlandish, or cute as we get older. We can be fun and smart and goofy. We can have grey or white hair and wrinkles and still be youthful and beautiful. 

This is from the New York Times from a couple years ago:

The Glamorous Grandmas of Instagram

The subversive cadre of women over 60 prove that “old” is not what it used to be. “These women are ambassadors of age,” said Ari Seth Cohen, the creator of Advanced Style, a popular street style blog, two books and a film documenting, in his words, the “fashion and wisdom of the senior set.” His subjects, he noted, are simultaneously reflecting and contributing to a gradual shift in the common perception of aging. “The idea of what these older women look like has changed,” Mr. Cohen said. “If they were stylish in their youth, they will still be stylish now. They continue to be who they were.”  

I've let my hair go grey because I saw other women with grey and white hair who looked younger than I am and looked great. It's so good that we can see ourselves represented in social media, and more and more in the regular media as well. Men have always looked great with grey or white hair. Men have always been allowed to age. For women to age openly is "subversive". I've been called "brave" to wear my hair naturally. But, that is changing, thanks in part to the granfluencers. Soon it will be common. 

Here I am rocking my silver locks.

Do they still say that blondes have more fun? Well, apparently silver is the new blonde.  I like that! (That's a nice website supporting positive ageing you can check out.) I do have fun with my natural silver highlights. I'm the same, haven't really changed since I was a girl with a blonde bob. I can feel just as fabulous as I did when I was in my twenties and had natural blonde highlights. Attitude is important, and I've always had a good attitude, but representation helps. 

I frequently read about the importance of representation for girls and women, for indigenous and black people, and people with disabilities in media and the arts and in work places. Diversity is positive. Everybody deserves to be loved; we should love everyone. Please include all different kinds of people everywhere, and please include older people everywhere too, especially older women who look like older women. We are fabulous.