This is the question I have been asking myself. I’m in my 40s. I’m not cool, or funny. There is no place for me here. But this isn’t sitting well with me. Age shouldn’t be a barrier to anything in my view, so why this?
I have two young children who are learning the dance moves and giggling away at these 15-30 second video clips of people doing funny, crazy, cool and creative things.
My daughter begged to have her own TikTok account and I said no for quite sometime (I don’t really want my 10 year old spending all her time on social media). But eventually I caved in and set up a private account for her that I could monitor.
I watched them learn these crazy dances and consume these short videos for entertainment and honestly wondered what all the fuss was about. Until I heard someone I respect on a podcast talking about TikTok and how powerful it is becoming for her business and her brand.
In February 2020 a report published by Statista revealed that 19.4 percent of TikTok users are aged 40-50+. This is compared to 37.2 percent of users who are ages 10-19. So to be fair, we have quite a strong representation on the app.
Turns out its not just Generation Z that is having fun on TikTok. But is it for me?
More often than not in my life if someone tells me I can’t do something I set out to prove them wrong. So when my daughter muttered the words “But you are too old mummy” that sealed it. I immediately got myself an account.
I discovered that I’m not alone. There are plenty of women my age creating their own videos and building up a following. I spend a lot of time telling women in my community that age isn’t a barrier to fitness and I really do believe this. So why did I think age was a barrier to me getting myself on an app?
All our lives we are told how we should behave in order to be accepted by society. But this isn’t necessarily a reflection of who we really are. We are told to dress a certain way to be taken seriously, get a particular job to become independent and not to do things that are age inappropriate in case we make a fool of ourselves. We begin to care too much about what others think because that is the message we have received.
Well, quarantine has made me reflect on who I am, as I’m sure it has for you. It has given me time to work on ME, what I need, what I don”t need, what makes me happy and what I simply don’t have time for any more.
A TikTok account may only be a small part in this process but I’m hoping it helps me to let go a bit more. Care less what people think and just have some fun. No doubt people will think it’s a waste of time, I am making a fool of myself, or I have lost the plot and some people may even say mean things about my videos. But do you know what? I’m going to try and not care as much about any of that.
I have already moved on from my daughter’s insistence that I never wear a crop top and reveal my midriff on any videos (because I’m “too old” for that…). The thing is, I have to comply with this request. Because if I don’t, she won’t help me create the videos, which means there won’t be any, as I really don’t have a clue what I’m doing!
If you are not yet on TikTok, why not give it a go? You are not too old! And if you want to follow me and like some of my videos you can find me here https://vm.tiktok.com/w4uPpx/.
Be nice!
