CHICAGO — Ting Ma is a mom of two sons, a homemaker and sometimes seen on the street in Chicago filming videos as a full-time content creator.
At 54 years old, Ma has 216,000 followers on Instagram and 197,000 followers on TikTok. Her channel is all about pro-aging, self-love and inspiration for women to embrace naturally aging.
“People on the street ask about my outfit, and it has evolved into a content creation career challenging stereotypes in the content creation world,” Ma said. “Especially for young girls, when they pass by me, and they say ‘wow, your outfit looks amazing,’ and they see my gray hair, and they see my wrinkles, getting old is a cool thing.”
Growing up in China, Ma was bullied as a kid for her looks. It wasn’t until she was older that she started to become more confident.
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In response to negative comments on her channels, Ma said, “This is my age. What I dress is what I dress for my age. I dress what I want, when I want and where I want.”
One of her Instagram reels shows her dancing unapologetically with negative comments around her. Her channel also features fashion tips and fitness advice.
“We don’t need to be pressured by the beauty industry’s unrealistic beauty standards. It’s totally ok.” Ma said.