Meet the 76-year-old fashion influencer challenging society's negative perceptions of aging

Editor's note: This article was originally published on April 3, 2023. It has since been updated.

Aging is an inevitable process that all living beings undergo. Yet when it comes to women, it is often associated with stigma and negativity. Society places immense pressure on women to delay the aging process with advertisements promoting anti-aging products and celebrities undergoing cosmetic procedures to maintain their youthful appearance.

This expectation of women to remain eternally young can have a detrimental impact on their mental and physical well-being. However, recent years have brought a shift in attitudes toward aging as many people are speaking up against these negative perceptions. One such individual is 76-year-old fashion and lifestyle influencer, Candace Leslie Cima, who is working to change the attitudes regarding aging for both her generation and the generations following hers. 

Through her social media presence, Cima promotes a positive outlook toward aging and encourages women to embrace their natural beauty at any age. She shares her favorite outfits of the week, offers candid advice on how to face the passage of time and showcases her life experiences through her ongoing documentation called "Life in My 70s." By doing so, she has become an advocate for the visibility of older women and a role model for future generations.

Cima said in a video, "I remember being on the checkout line at a supermarket and looking at the headlines on those magazines. They would always have headlines like 'How to look your best at 20, 30 and 40.' Never did they mention 50, 60 and 70." One of Cima's most viral videos features her responding to a detractor, who criticized her decision to wear sleeveless tops.

Quoting the critic who said, "You're 60, you shouldn't wear that," Cima confidently retorts, "I am actually 75," and struts back and forth in her kitchen as if it were a glamorous runway. Other videos showcase her self-assuredness as she walks confidently by a pool deck in a swimsuit, offers styling tips or exhibits her physical strength by climbing a tree.

She wrote in a blog on her website, "The only way that view is going to change is if we as older women show them that aging is a gift, something to be embraced, valued and shared. A culmination of years of discovery and learning that allows us to be the best version of ourselves. Then when and where we can, helping other women to do the same." Other than her outstanding self-confidence Cima also has the support of her followers. Her top two most popular videos have gained 7.5 million views and 5.6 million views respectively.

TikTok user @that_us commented, "If I'm not like this when I am older then I don't ever want to be 75." @se.naeke said, "I just got goosebumps. What a queen!" TikTok user @tchaikovskys_swan wrote, "Wear whatever the heck you want queen."

Cima also wrote on her website, "The one thing I know for sure is that Aging is Changing. We are not our mothers or our grandmothers. We now have the chance to be productive, intelligent, compassionate, stylish woman throughout our later years. I hope that you will follow along with me as I investigate all of our opportunities to redefine our later years in ways never done before."