Is it time to TIKTOK?

The social media of choice for Gen Z might just be the coolest place for midlife women to hang out

- RACHEL OGDEN

Does your phone groan with the weight of social media? There are so many platforms, it wouldn't be a surprise. When a new one comes along, there's a tendency to brush it off, as you're already on the main ones - right?

Except when it comes to TikTok there's a growing number of women aged over 35 taking the platform by storm. Women over 50, in particular, are posting about exercise routines, health fixes, fashion finds and exploding menopause myths, one snappy video at a time.

GET TRENDING

Perhaps the biggest indicator of how the TikTok demographic is changing is the sort of trends that are beginning to emerge. The platform's 'TikTok Taught Me' campaign, which showed people how to use a seasoning bottle and fold a fitted sheet, is a far cry from some of the past trends, such as climbing up precariously stacked milk crates.

Trends that are about enhancing your life rather than accumulating clicks are beginning to gain traction. The 'Slow Living' trend is a case in point, encouraging us to find joy from the smaller things in life. If you browse #slowliving, you will find everything from flower arranging to lifehacks and cottage core idylls.

And then there's the BookTok hashtag. This is a wholesome corner of the app that has hundreds of thousands of people reviewing books, and which has single-handedly led to novels such as Taylor Jenkins Reid's The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo going viral and storming the bestseller lists.

HOW TO GET STARTED ON TIKTOK

+ Before you start sharing videos and following people, you'll need to set up a TikTok account. Once you are in, click the 'Me' icon to change anything you need to, including your handle.

+ Browsing content is simple: you can search by account if you know who you're looking for, or by different hashtags.