Grandma, 97, said she didn't 'feel pretty' anymore — so her great-granddaughter knew what to do
As we grow older, our looks change, and we start to miss our youthful selves. That's exactly what happened with a 97-year-old grandmother, Terri Waddell, who quietly confessed that she doesn't feel pretty anymore. Upon hearing her admission, her great-granddaughter, Talena Cleyne (@talenacleyne), knew exactly what she had to do to lift her granny's spirits—take her shopping! On TikTok, Cleyne shared the special moments from their shopping trip that made Waddell feel beautiful again.
As reported by Your Tango, in her captions, Cleyne wrote, “My great-grandmother (97), who only ever wears pants and a t-shirt, told me she didn’t feel pretty anymore. This, coming from such a strong, powerful, and inspirational woman, honestly broke my heart.” Cleyne shared that her great-grandma had once said she might like to wear a dress again—something she hadn’t done since her husband passed away. So, Cleyne planned a fun day just for her. They went shopping and had the best girls' day, as reported by Goalcast. The sweet gesture reminded Waddell just how much family matters and how nice it is to be with people who make you feel happy and confident.
@talenacleyne My great grandma (97) who only ever wears pants and a tshirt told me she didn’t feel pretty anymore. This coming from such a strong, powerful and inspirational woman honestly broke my heart. She mentioned she might like to wear a dress again, and I know she hasnt worn one since Pa passed away, so I was determined to have this be a special and fun day for her. Mum and I took her dress shopping and we truley had the best girls day. She smiled and laughed so much (more than I’ve seen her laugh in a long time), she was obviously sassy as she always is, she was very particular and picky in the make of the dresses, the fabric used and the way it did up. It was beautiful to sit and watch her look in the mirror and admire who she was and how she looked in each dress, but also watch her point out what she didnt like about herself and some of the dresses (because thats human, and seeing my great grandma do exactly what I would do when trying on clothes was so incredibly relatable and realistic to the unrealistic standards we put on ourselves. I was so glad I could be there to tell her she looked beautiful because she truley is in every way), I watched her move around in the dresses to see how they would look when she was doing puzzles at the retirement village, I watched her face light up when she tried on a dress that made her feel pretty, but at the end of the day there was nothing like seeing her face when she tried on ‘the’ dress that made her feel all the wonderful things we see her for from on the outside but she never sees herself. She deserves to feel special and I’ll never take for granted how lucky I am to spend time and have these kinds of days with my great grandma ❤️ #grateful #special #wholesome #greatgrandma #grandma #girlsday #shopping #shoppingspree #fyp ♬ what was I made for? - Instrumental - Wheeler
Cleyne, for her part, loved watching her grandmother try on dresses, smiling at the mirror, and appreciating her appearance. At times, she also found Waddell pointing out things she didn't like, which reminded her that everyone, regardless of age, can be hard on themselves. The video touched a lot of people as the video made the rounds on the internet. On TikTok, a person (@maureengearity), commented, “Cried as soon as she walked out with the first dress and had to pause to collect myself.”
Another person, @missdarkdome, wrote, “I wish I still had my grandma, this makes me so happy she’s beautiful in all of the dresses, hope she had an amazing day.” In a similar vein, a comment ( from @paigeasaurr) also read, “So my 5-year-old son is watching with me and he can't read yet... watching in silence, and he just said, 'Wow, she looks gorgeous.' 😭 My heart.” Meanwhile, @mammamonkey82 chimed, “Kiss her, hug her, take thousands of pictures. Remind her how important she is and that she is loved. I lost my grandma, and I wish I could have more memories like this with her. She was like my second mom.”
As the comments poured in, Cleyne revealed that when they were reading through some of them, her granny's face lit up as people praised her beauty. Getting older isn’t always easy, and Waddell's story shows how important it is to have people around who make you feel good inside. It might seem like a rather small gesture, but it made all the difference to her.