Slaying, not decaying: A 93-year-old’s refreshing take on life
Mic. A 93-year-old’s refreshing take on life.
What you need to know:
- This “granfluencer” has captured the attention of many with her fearless commentary on dating, death, bullying, and the whole gamut of life’s experiences.
- On relationships, one of my favourite quotes from her is: “I got ghosted last week, but it was because he turned into a ghost. Slay in peace, Andrew.”
What can a 93-year-old teach us about navigating the complexities of modern life? Plenty, if you ask Grandma Droniak and her staggering 13 million followers on TikTok.
This “granfluencer” has captured the attention of many with her fearless commentary on dating, death, bullying, and the whole gamut of life’s experiences. “I’m a celebrity and a 93-year-old grandma,” her profile proudly declares – certainly the words of someone with nothing left to prove.
On relationships, one of my favourite quotes from her is: “I got ghosted last week, but it was because he turned into a ghost. Slay in peace, Andrew.”
She also throws a truth bomb with “I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you don’t need a boyfriend to be happy. All they do is cause problems.”
In a digital world dominated by meticulously curated social media images conforming to conventional beauty standards and where users stick to politically correct language to avoid the pitfalls of the cancel culture, Grandma Droniak is a breath of fresh air. She challenges the norms with her unfiltered posts.
In a world where headlines can still bear the burden of racism, sexism, and ageism—such as the one initially published and subsequently retracted by Swiss newspaper Aargauer Zeitung: “This grandmother will be the new chief of the World Trade Organization”—Grandma Droniak serves as a poignant reminder that a woman’s value should be determined not by her age or gender but by the substance of her thoughts and her accomplishments.
Also read: Grandmother, a child’s empathising caregiver
No topic is taboo for Grandma Droniak, and she tackles the topics with the kind of ease that can only come with age and experience. Whether joking about her obituary photo, discussing incontinence, revealing her funeral guest list, or offering unsolicited advice on dating, she provides a virtual extension of what our grandmothers traditionally offered: a non-judgmental listening ear and bare-knuckled approach to life.
While acknowledging the commercial aspect of her brand—her grandson is managing her account and some videos feature product placements—it’s important to underscore the social value, too. Grandma Droniak, by delicately addressing norm-defying topics, delivers what our society needs: an unfiltered perspective akin to the wisdom our grandmothers imparted.
In brief video clips scattered across different social media accounts, Grandma Droniak reminds us that life is meant to be lived, not meticulously curated.
Discussing her own funeral preferences, she exclaims, “Don’t be sad; I lived a long life. I slayed every day, and now I’m gonna lay every day.” Who can argue with that wisdom? These lessons, I hope, will endure long after she’s gone. Her candid discussions about death, faced with an unflinching demeanour, have prompted me to contemplate my own mortality and plan for it – because, after all, death is as certain as President Ruto’s taxes.
The writer comments on social and gender topics (@FaithOneya; [email protected]).
