Lonni Pike is 58 years old, but it’s clear from her Instagram name that life doesn’t slow down after 50. She uses her social media accounts to make videos in which she tells other women to be true to themselves and their own style, no matter what other people think. We were so moved by Lonni’s decision to be herself no matter how old she was or what other people thought that we had to discuss about her. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did when we were doing the research and writing it. We also talked to Lonni to find out more about the tattoos and why she decided to change her life.
“I’m not afraid to show the world who I am.”
Lonni Pike is living proof that the idea that getting older makes us less able to do things in everyday life is an old and false stereotype. Lonni is a Californian social media influencer who challenged the stereotypes about women in their fifties. This made her go viral on the social media site TikTok. She has a popular blog, more than a million people who follow her on TikTok, and more than 115,000 people follow her on Instagram.
When asked how she would describe her life, Lonni said it was like an episode of an after-school special. “I’m that underdog that everyone wrote off (including myself) who proved them wrong.”
At some point, she decided to start over with her life, and she was surprised by how great things could be. She adds: “It’s this second chance at life that gives me the motivation to do what I want to do, and it lights a fire in me to help others find their reset button. So long story short, I describe my life as amazing.”
When we asked Lonni how she helps other people see their own beauty and uniqueness, she gave a piece of advice that is easy to understand. She took the time to tell us that we are all different and that we shouldn’t look like anyone else but ourselves. We are constantly told that we all need to be this version of perfect that no one can reach, and we accept it as true.
“It’s my message that we need to stop trying to be someone else and just like the person who is looking back at us in the mirror. If you stop to think about it, why would you want to blend in and look like everyone else? Be bright, be bold, and be yourself because there is only one you!” adds Lonni.
As was already said, getting older means gaining knowledge and skills. When asked if she has anything to say to her younger self, Lonni said that she would tell her 20-year-old self that everything in her life, good and bad, is worth it. This was her answer to the question of whether or not she would tell her younger self anything. “Every life lesson will make sense when you are older, those lessons will turn to wisdom, and that wisdom will make you fierce,” she says.
“I hope to inspire people to be themselves. I would love to show people that you can be yourself without the fear of what people might think. The freedom to let the inner you out for the world to see,” Lonni professes. “I don’t judge people for their lifestyle and would love to help spread the word on acceptance for everyone.”
Lonni says that each of her tattoos shows a different part of her life. She got her first tattoo when she was 30 years old. Unluckily, she was in a bad marriage, and they ended up breaking up for a while. She felt helpless and like she couldn’t get out of her situation, so she decided to wrap barbed wire around her ankle. “This was the beginning of my journey to let the real me out and be who I wanted to be.”
“I think it is important to know that my tattoos don’t make me who I am any more than any other part of me. My gray hair or my green eyes…just a part of the whole picture,” says Lonni.
She wants to tell everyone to follow their dreams and not care what other people, like Karen and Susan, think about it: “I would love to show people that you can be yourself without the fear of what people might think. The freedom to let the inner you out for the world to see,” Lonni explains.
“You know what? We’re moms, we’re grandmas, we’re students. We are women. We are who we are, and we’re just time stamping ourselves to remember who we are,” she added.
Have you ever run into someone who told you how you should or shouldn’t act because of your age? How did you figure out how to answer them? Tell us about your experience in the comments; we want to know what you have to say.
