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  • 11 minutes ago
Helen Van Winkle is 87 years old. On some days, she likes to wear floral dresses and drop earrings. On others, she‘ll wear a sweatshirt plastered with a hyperrealistic print of Justin Bieber over green-rose-patterned leggings and a clutch of gold chains and tattoo chokers. It‘s this second her — as Baddie Winkle — that has earned this octogenarian 1.1 million Instagram followers, the allegiances of Nicole Richie and Miley Cyrus (who invited Winkle to join her at the MTV Video Music Awards this Sunday), and a fandom of supporters and gawkers who can‘t get enough of the cognitive dissonance of a woman who looks like your grandmother wearing the kinds of things you feel too old to wear.
Transcript
00:01I've always been a rebel, all my life.
00:04Somebody tell me I can't do something, I'm going to show them I can.
00:14Batty Winkle is letting Helen do wild things that she hasn't been ever able to do.
00:23I'm Batty Winkle sometimes, and sometimes I'm just me, Helen Dan Winkle.
00:30I was born in 1928. It was during the Depression.
00:35I thought I was the poorest kid in the country.
00:37It taught me to appreciate what I have.
00:44I sleep till about 8.30, turn the TV on, make my coffee, and smoke my cup of cigarettes.
00:57I've been going to my church for 40 years.
01:00I try to wear a different outfit every Sunday.
01:04I think I'm going to wear this today.
01:09My style, it's always been keeping up with the times.
01:15My life was very hard.
01:18You don't know what's going to happen to you.
01:21You're not supposed to lose your son.
01:24He died.
01:26And my husband died on our 35th anniversary.
01:30I blame God forever.
01:33I miss him every day.
01:35You do for the rest of your life.
01:38And I still talk to him every once in a while.
01:42I cuss him out for lying.
01:45But that's life.
01:47You have to take what you get.
01:52I cried all the time because I couldn't come to terms with it.
01:56So I made myself over into Battywinkle.
02:01This new chapter in my life, I'm looking forward to it.
02:06It's got more interesting, as a matter of fact.
02:10But right down deep, I don't think I've changed all that much.
02:17There you go.
02:18Weren't you going to get mine out?
02:20You ain't lost. He's always the best.
02:21I have some boosters stuff in mine.
02:23Oh, what went in there?
02:24I don't know, but we'll find out in there.
02:26Let's drink it straight.
02:28Drink that, right?
02:29Yep.
02:33I knew lots of old people, and I thought they were ancient.
02:37I'm not an old person.
02:38I've never been an old person.
02:40I just do my thing.
02:42One twenty.
02:42One foot five.
02:43Well, why don't you take it one thirty?
02:46It's three.
02:51It's three.
02:52Three.
02:53Those are three.
02:59Birthday's next month.
03:01Yeah.
03:01Happy 87.
03:02We're almost 90.
03:03Please!
03:04Don't make me 90 till I get there.
03:09So, what's the plan?
03:11We can post a, like, cool pic.
03:13Yeah, you should post something today.
03:16Marijuana pasties.
03:17No pasting whatsoever.
03:19Period.
03:22One day, I was laying out in the sun, and I'd put on some tie-dye shirt and a pair
03:26of cut-off shorts of my granddaughter.
03:28Kennedy's.
03:29She came home, and she said,
03:31Oh, Granny, you look so cute.
03:32Let me take a picture of you.
03:34Alright, let me take a video.
03:35Flick of the wrist.
03:36Flick of the wrist.
03:37Flick of the wrist.
03:38Flick of the wrist.
03:39Flick of the wrist.
03:39Flick, flick, flick.
03:40Flick of the wrist.
03:41Flick of the wrist.
03:41Let's keep cooking, baby.
03:44Yeah, this is good.
03:48Flick of the wrist.
03:48Yeah.
03:49Hold on.
03:51Flick of the wrist.
03:54Flick of the wrist.
03:56Flick of the wrist.
03:58Flick of the wrist.
03:59Flick of the wrist.
04:01Flick of the wrist.
04:01Flick of the wrist.
04:01Flick of the wrist.
04:02Flick of the wrist.
04:03Flick of the wrist.
04:03Flick of the wrist.
04:04Flick of the wrist.
04:04Flick of the wrist.
04:05Flick of the wrist.
04:07Flick of the wrist.
04:08Flick of the wrist.
04:10Flick of the wrist.
04:16Flick of the wrist.
04:17is live and let live.
04:22I would love to be a role model for older people.
04:28You're only here once in your lifetime.
04:32So have fun.
04:48Oh.
04:52Look at the figure there is.

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