‘If this isn’t us in 30 years, I don’t want it!’, is one of the most frequent comments on Melbourne content creators Ginger and Carman’s videos. The two women, who started sharing their alter egos’ everyday adventures online in 2019, have become Internet icons with a diverse audience that admires them in more ways than one.
Ginger and Carman became friends through their kids, who went to school together. And on a girl’s trip to Paris, they realised they both shared a love of ‘not making plans’, and the freedom it brought them – away from the structure of their busy careers and family lives.
‘We had so much fun getting side tracked and finding the vibe (which is what we now call our ‘escapades’), so we started documenting it,’ Carman says. A few years on, and their viral TikToks of vintage shopping trips, street-style fashion shows, and quirky dancing in graffiti-filled laneways have earned them more than 8.5 million likes on the app.
‘The reactions have been varied from “who do you think you are… teenagers?” to “how fabulous are you two women, you’re so inspirational”,’ Ginger says. ‘We chose to focus on the [latter].’
‘We are connecting with a lot of amazing young people. It’s driven our purpose even more so and we’re realising how important it is to be the “elders” in the community. This intergenerational connection is happening through social media, which has been totally unexpected and very humbling.’
Before social media unlocked their new lives as online ‘vibe finders’, the pair held an impressive string of creative jobs – and they still work in their respective areas ‘when the right jobs come along’. Ginger’s been a model, actor, boutique owner and a stylist, while Carman’s a singer and interior designer!
‘We are just continuing being who we’ve always been, and evolving all at the same time,’ Carman explains. ‘We’ve always looked for the vibe, for the energy. We’ve always been a bit irreverent. Why with age does something have to stop?’
‘Our first hashtags were #repattern, #reemerge #reignite because we were highlighting the fact that women need to be aware of who they may have become. Look inside yourself and find out who you were before you had to be that someone. We all get lost in jobs, parenting and societal expectations at some point, but don’t ever let your inner child, your inner weird disappear.’
Beyond their authentic sense of style and inspiring confidence, they’re also showing that friendship (and the type of fun you can have together) can start at any age – their recent trip to Beyond The Valley music festival, is perfect proof.
‘We think the younger community see their future in us somehow,’ Ginger says. ‘There is a sense of promise and hope that growing up is not all dull and boring.’
See what a typical day in their lives looks like below!
