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.
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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.
Now, Chola, who goes by @legendary_glamma, has amassed over 63,000 followers on Instagram and has been the subject of stunning magazine features, something her granddaughter says is a dream come true.
“Our Mbuya is Officially a COVER GIRL!!! A Dream of a 10 yr old Dee in Zimbabwe when I first saw a Magazine I said to my little self Wow! I wanna be on a Cover to one day,” Kaumba captioned an August 7 Instagram post featuring her gorgeous granny’s Your Luxury Africa cover shot. “32 years later that Dream has finally come true but even better!!! I Put MY ANCESTOR on a COVER!!! Now if that’s not LEGENDARY!! tell me what is! God I thank you cheers to more wins to come 🥳”
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!”
We can’t wait to see what magazine cover this gorgeous glamma graces next!
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