The World’s Coolest Old People Prove That Life Begins Beyond The Age of 65
“Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional”- Walt Disney
We’re all guilty of stereotyping every once in a while. We’ve been conditioned as a society to believe that when you reach a certain age, your life is over and you’ve missed the opportunity to fulfill all of the dreams that you once wanted to pursue. People of all ages, genders, ethnicities, sexual orientation and backgrounds are often portrayed in a certain way in movies or by the media and we’re so used to seeing these representations that we come to believe that this is just the way people are.
In reality of course- we know that these stereotypes aren’t always necessarily true. It’s good to see individuals changing our perception every once in a while by letting their unique, eccentric (and sometimes completely shocking) personalities shine through. In a world full of depressing news headlines and scandals- it’s important to sit back once in a while and celebrate the weird and wonderful.
These incredible over 60s are unapologetically destroying every stereotype you ever had about the elderly, and we absolutely LOVE them. Remember ladies, age is just a number…
1) Greta Pontarelli- The 67-year-old pole dancer
This incredibly bendy, inspirational woman took up pole dancing at the age of 59 in a bid to fight off osteoporosis and to generally have fun! Pontarelli is now a pole dancing champion who competes all over the world and has wowed judges with her gravity-defying moves. Pontarelli commented on her unusual hobby with “I want people to realize that age shouldn’t stop you following your dreams.”. Amazing
2) Lloyd Kahn- The 81-year-old skateboarder
Kahn decided that he wanted to take up something new at the age of 65 and fell in love with skateboarding. He noticed the similarities between his lifelong sport of surfing and skateboarding, took the plunge and has never looked back!
3) Ruth Flowers “Mamy Rock” began her career as a club DJ at aged 68 and had amazing success before passing away in 2014
This amazing British disc jockey took the European club circuit by storm and is quoted as saying ‘becoming a DJ is the best thing I ever did’. Her first gig drew celebrities such as Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz before traveling the world DJ’ing and making TV appearances/radio broadcasts. We have nothing but utter admiration for Mamy Rock.
4) Baddie Winkle- The 89 Year Old Internet Sensation
This badass grandma became an internet sensation 4 years ago and we literally cannot get enough of her. Her social media tagline ‘stealing yo man since 1928’ has put smiles on the faces of people all over the world and she can now be found at red carpet events rubbing shoulders with some of the biggest celebs on the planet as well as modeling for huge clothing lines. We hope we’re even half as cool as she is when we’re almost 90.
5) Dr. Jeffrey Life- The buff 80-year-old physician
Not is Dr. Jeffrey Life constantly turning heads with his ripped physique- he’s also an author and has written several books on dieting and nutrition. He admits that he’s now in better shaped aged 80 than he was when he was 21! This gives us all hope.
6) Lynn Ruth Miller- The 84-year-old stand up comedian
This funny old-timer started her comedy career at 71 and has an impressive amount of achievements under her belt (She made it to Las Vegas in America’s Got Talent, 2008, won People’s Choice in 2009 Branson Comedy Festival and got to the finals in Bill Word’s Funniest Female Contest 2009 to name a few). Lynn Ruth Miller is proving that even though other things may deteriorate over time, a good sense of humor never dies!
7) Paul Fegan- The 78-year-old magician
This former multi-millionaire lost everything years back and now earns his living doing card tricks. For twelve years already, Paul has been performing five to ten times a week, under the stage name Fantastic Fig. We agree Paul, fantastic is the perfect way to describe you.
8) Jacqueline Murdock- The 84-year-old supermodel
The beautiful Mrs. Murdock proves that you can still look absolutely fabulous in your 80s. Murdock had always dreamed of being a supermodel and visiting Paris in her youth, and she isn’t planning on letting this opportunity pass her by- “My whole life, I wanted to visit Paris but never got around to it. But now, I’ve firmly decided: I’m going to save money and go there.”
9) Vivienne Westwood- The 77-year-old fashion designer and campaigner
Ok, so you’ve all probably heard of Vivienne Westwood- she’s one of the most iconic and influential fashion designers of the past 50 years. Although Westwood didn’t necessarily begin her career later in life, there’s no denying that she’s one of the coolest older women in the world. As well as bringing punk and new wave fashion to the mainstream- Westwood now also campaigns for civil rights, climate change and political issues. What a woman!
10) Nola Ochs- the world’s oldest college graduate
Ochs became the worlds oldest college graduate at age 95! She graduated from Fort Hays State University in Kansas in May 2007 and is living proof that it’s never too late to learn something new.
11) Yuichiro Miura- the oldest person ever to scale Mount Everest at age 80
Climbing the world’s highest mountain is an incredible achievement at any age- but at aged 80, Miura gave thousands of people half his age a real run for their money.
12) John Glenn- the 93-year-old spaceman
A popular dream that many kids have is to grow up and become a spaceman. It’s something that seems so out of reach (no pun intended) and impossible that we all settle in the end with office jobs. However, at 93 John Glenn amazed everybody when he became the oldest person ever to go to space. What an awesome achievement.
13) Bill Cunningham- the American photographer was taking photos up until his death in 2016 aged 87
This famous fashion photographer was known for searching the streets of New York and taking candid photos of anyone he thought looked fabulous! Cunningham caught the attention of The New York Times and reported for the paper from 1978-2016. His beautiful photos will go down in history. RIP the master of street style!
