How This Black 80-something Granny Made the Cover of a High-Fashion Magazine and Has Become an Instagram Fashion Queen

By Angela Johnson, The Root

Now in her mid-80s, Margaret Chola has over 63,000 Instagram followers who flock to her page to check out her high-fashion shots

When most people think of their grandmothers, they think about a strong, nurturing woman who bakes delicious cakes and keeps a permanent supply of peppermints in her pocketbook.

But Margaret Chola has flipped the idea of a traditional granny on its head. The eightysomething is a digital content creator known for her high-fashion photoshoots featuring colorful clothes and oversized sunglasses against a beautiful Zambian backdrop.

Chola became Instafamous in 2023 after a visit from her granddaughter, New York stylist Diana Kaumba. Kaumba made the trip to Chola’s village in Zambia to honor the anniversary of her father’s passing, someone she credited with inspiring her love of fashion. What started as a fun idea for Kaumba and the woman she affectionately calls “Mbuya” to switch clothes turned into an epic photoshoot that made her grandma a social media celebrity.

“I thought it would be nice to dress up Mbuya in high fashion and then take photographs of her in her natural habitat,” Kaumba told the BBC.

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The glow up has made a difference to Chola as well, who says she’s been invigorated by her stylish new look.

“I feel different, I feel new and alive in these clothes, in a way that I’ve never felt before,” Ms Chola told the BBC in an interview. “I feel like I can conquer the world!”

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Read the BBC interview with Margaret Chola.

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