Great-Grandma Says She Doesn’t “Feel Pretty Anymore” – One Woman Has the Best Response

When a 97-year-old woman no longer felt pretty, her great-granddaughter stepped in.

Aging can be a tough process, especially when we no longer feel as vibrant, pretty or mobile as we used to. But aging is also a mindset, and one woman helped her great-grandmother see that one day with an epic shopping trip.

She No Longer Felt Beautiful

@talenacleyne My great grandma (97) who only ever wears pants and a tshirt told me she didn’t feel pretty anymore. This coming from such a strong, powerful and inspirational woman honestly broke my heart. She mentioned she might like to wear a dress again, and I know she hasnt worn one since Pa passed away, so I was determined to have this be a special and fun day for her. Mum and I took her dress shopping and we truley had the best girls day. She smiled and laughed so much (more than I’ve seen her laugh in a long time), she was obviously sassy as she always is, she was very particular and picky in the make of the dresses, the fabric used and the way it did up. It was beautiful to sit and watch her look in the mirror and admire who she was and how she looked in each dress, but also watch her point out what she didnt like about herself and some of the dresses (because thats human, and seeing my great grandma do exactly what I would do when trying on clothes was so incredibly relatable and realistic to the unrealistic standards we put on ourselves. I was so glad I could be there to tell her she looked beautiful because she truley is in every way), I watched her move around in the dresses to see how they would look when she was doing puzzles at the retirement village, I watched her face light up when she tried on a dress that made her feel pretty, but at the end of the day there was nothing like seeing her face when she tried on ‘the’ dress that made her feel all the wonderful things we see her for from on the outside but she never sees herself. She deserves to feel special and I’ll never take for granted how lucky I am to spend time and have these kinds of days with my great grandma ❤️ #grateful #special #wholesome #greatgrandma #grandma #girlsday #shopping #shoppingspree #fyp ♬ what was I made for? – Instrumental – Wheeler

One day, a 97-year-old woman named Terri Waddell confessed to her great-granddaughter Talena that she didn’t feel pretty. The comment stuck with Talena and she wanted to do something about it. The young woman recalled how, when she was a little girl, her great-grandmother used to make her dresses. She had a “lightbulb” moment on how to help.

“We’ve always bonded over fashion,” Talena explained to Good Morning America. “We’ve always loved shopping together.”

Talena and Waddell went shopping and tried on a bunch of dresses. Talena documented the whole thing to show her great-grandmother how pretty she looked. In the videos, you can see Waddell’s face light up each time she tries on something new.

When Talena showed her great-grandmother the videos, she also asked if she could post them on social media. Waddell agreed but didn’t think much more of it until the next day when Talena apologized. The video had gone “a bit viral,” and Waddell was social media famous.

Going Viral

“My great-grandma, who only ever wears pants and a t-shirt, told me she didn’t feel pretty anymore. This coming from such a strong, powerful, and inspirational woman honestly broke my heart,” Talena captioned the video.

“She mentioned she might like to wear a dress again, and I know she hasn’t worn one since Pa passed away, so I was determined to have this be a special and fun day for her. Mum and I took her dress shopping, and we truly had the best girls’ day.”

The video resonated with thousands of people, has been liked 4.6 million times, and drew more than 57.9 thousand comments.

“We were reading through some of the comments, and it was so nice to see her light up when she saw all the ones saying how beautiful she is,” Talena added to GMA.

For Waddell, the moment was a good reminder about the importance of family and surrounding yourself with people who bring out your best self.

“You’ve got to treasure every moment you can with family because we never know what’s around the corner and what could happen next,” Waddell said. “It means a lot to me to be so close to my family.”

Age Is Just a Number

Sure, it can be hard getting older, but it’s also a privilege to age. This beautiful story reminds us of that and of the importance of surrounding ourselves with those who bring out our inner beauty.

At the end of the day, everyone grows older, and youth fades. What’s more important is how you feel and your acts, like raising a loving family or helping out your community.

It can be hard to ignore some of the unrealistic standards society has placed on people — particularly women — over the years. But by standing strong together and reminding one another how amazing we are, we truly can tackle anything, at any age.

This article was orignally published by Goalcast