The world’s oldest Instagram influencers? Meet the octogenarian couple with 650,000 followers, and counting

TAIWAN — In June this year, Mr Reef Chang made a decision that changed the lives of his octogenarian grandparents forever.

He posted the first Instagram photos to @wantshowasyoung – an account that has now already amassed more than 650,000 followers. Not bad for 83-year-old Chang Wan-ji and his wife, Ms Hsu Sho-er, 84, the owners of Wansho Laundry in central Taiwan.

It was the height of the pandemic, the whole world turned into a slump. Businesses were slowing down as everyone was in lockdown and Wansho Laundry grew eerily quiet.

This was when Mr Reef Chang decided to put a smile on his grandparents’ faces by dressing them up in some of the clothes that had been left in the laundry shop over the years.

Little did he know that he was also going to brighten everybody’s day, or least the thousands of followers just around the corner.

“Since I have been aware of the problem that no one takes the laundry when I was a child, I hope that through a move, I will let everyone know that they must remember to pick up the clothes or help them find a new owner.

"Besides, seeing the life of my grandparents is very boring. I can‘t bear to see them sitting in a daze every day. I hope to give them some changes and fun in their later life,” Mr Chang said in an interview after the account suddenly went viral.

Mr Chang Wan-ji started working in the laundry shop at age 14, which makes it around 70 years old. His grandson, Reef, is also helping in the family business whenever he can.

Over time many clothes have not been collected. And these are what the couple have been wearing in their posts, mixed with their own clothes and styled with a little help from Reef.

“They are very happy because many netizens will encourage them and praise them, as if there are many more grandchildren in the world,” the younger Mr Chang said. “They also feel that they have done a good thing, telling many elderly people not to limit themselves.”

Overwhelmed with support from around the world, they even gave back. Mr Reef Chang posted a giveaway in July, where he wanted to share 30 badge patches of the shop logo.

And even though the pandemic seems to be under control in Taiwan and other countries are adapting to a new normal, the couple seem unfazed.

“As for the present, they also know that many people say they are happy because of their photos. So they also hope that the epidemic will end soon, everyone is happy,” says Mr Reef Chang.

But it doesn't end there. Mr Reef Chang is going to continue with the account to help find new owners for these clothes while promoting sustainable fashion.

He is also hoping that this will encourage everyone to care about the elderly. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST