After over two decades in the contemporary lexicon (and approximately two centuries of historical context), twerking (or as us oldsters used to call it, โbooty-poppingโ) is proving to be as enduring and evolutionary as hip-hop itself. So much so, many of us who grew up with the dance are now technically years closer to being senior citizens than sexy young thangs poppinโ that stuffโbut that doesnโt mean we shouldnโt keep trying.
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Inspired by the recent runaway success of City Girlsโ โTwerkโโfeaturing the relatively unknown Cardi Bโchoreographer Radha Ruiz brought the ongoing craze (thankfully snatched back from the likes of Miley Cyrus and Iggy Azalea) to a Los Angeles-based group of senior women for a demonstration in โhow to get flewed out.โ
The results? Pretty adorableโespecially the fully choreographed and costumed reenactment of the video (complete with poles and lip-synching). Check it outโand try to not bop/rap along.
But while itโd be easy to play this off as a parody strictly made for laughs, these women looked like they were legitimately having fun; the kind of fun we hope weโre still having decades from now. In short, this shit was inspiring as hell.
For all of us waiting for better days aheadโyou know, when weโre thinner, or fitter, or less busy (I know itโs not just me)โthe time is now, and the key to a happy life is clearly to let all the self-consciousness go and use those hips as long as theyโre still functional (after all, they say if you donโt use โem, you lose โem).
And for those of you afraid of being the โold [lady] in the club,โ Iโm just going to refer you to โDisco Sally,โ the New York City attorney who was one of Studio 54's regulars at age 77โand ended up marrying a twentysomething, in the process (h/t Guest of a Guest).
Okay, so maybe those arenโt our exact aspirations for old age, but staying limber and fly certainly are, so why not twerk our way into it? Itโs also worth noting that Ruiz isnโt the first to bring twerking to an older generation; remember this now-viral video from 2015?
The moral? While twerking may seem a young womanโs game, chances are she got it from her mamaโand youโre never too old to get flewed out.
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