If you don't know her already, let me introduce you to Astrid Zeegen-Holt or as she's known on Instagram, @astridiwantyouinmylife. At 60 years old, Astrid has a staggering 844k Instagram followers and is loved by her followers for her vibrant and colourful wardrobe, cool icy white hair and her 60+ tattoos, which she likes to show off wearing lacy underwear.
I spoke to Astrid about her accidental rise to internet stardom, breaking boundaries in her underwear, the reality of running a brand in your sixties, and why life is far too short to dull your shine.
© Astrid Zeegen-HoltThe Accidental Icon: From Hospitality to Instagram Fame
For the majority of her adult life, Astrid’s world revolved around the demanding world of hospitality. The idea of becoming a global fashion muse wasn't even on her radar. In fact, her introduction to the platform that would change her life was remarkably ordinary.
"I always worked in hospitality and I'd met a friend for coffee one morning about eight years ago and she said to me, 'you should be on Instagram, you should have an Instagram account,'" Astrid recalls. "I had a basic one at the time, and once a month you might put a picture of your dog on it, but I went home that day and I said to my daughters, 'I'm going to start an Instagram account' and they're like, 'oh god', with an eye roll."
Never one to do things by halves, Astrid took that initial spark and ran with it. What started as a creative outlet quickly transformed into a full-time passion.
© Astrid Zeegen-Holt"Ever since then, I have posted every single day at least once a day - apart from when my dog died and then I had some time off, but I became completely involved and obsessed and wanted it to work, and I'm so glad I did."
Navigating the rapidly shifting landscape of social media wasn't without its steep learning curves, especially for someone who didn’t grow up with a smartphone glued to their hand.
"At the beginning I would spend so long trying to get that one image. The light in my house was bad. I didn't like this, I didn't like that, it took forever to get one image that I'd put up," she admits. "And then Reels got introduced and I was dreading it because I was like 'I don't know what I'm doing' but now I can make a Reel and edit it within 10 minutes."
Pushing Boundaries: A Lifetime of Sartorial Rebellion
To understand Astrid’s fearless approach to fashion today, you have to look back at her childhood. She was never destined to blend into the crowd. Even under the strict constraints of a strict school uniform, her innate creativity refused to be stifled.
© Astrid Zeegen-Holt"I've always been a little bit different from everybody else, even when I was at school," she tells me. "When I started secondary school I got into trouble a lot. I would sort of push the boundaries. We had to wear a certain coloured shirt and I would buy a white shirt and dye it. I'd go to jumble sales and buy jumpers and dye them school colours. I wore leg warmers when I wasn't allowed. I made my own skirt in Needlework. And I often got told 'yes you've got style but could you please not bring it to school'."
This early passion for self-expression was nurtured at home, telling me: "I remember being really young and my mum making my clothes and my nan knitting my jumpers and just changing 100 times a day. I borrowed my friend's shoes and swapped clothes with my friends. I've never been scared of being different."
It is this exact philosophy that she shares with her hundreds of thousands of followers today - a message that resonates deeply with women of all generations who are tired of being told what is "age-appropriate."
"Once I find a sort of shape and style that I like, it doesn't necessarily have to be on trend, or I don't really follow trends," Astrid explains. "And I just think if you wear what you feel good in, you'll always look good in it because you'll ooze confidence."
Ink, Ibiza, and Spontaneity: The Story of Her 60+ Tattoos
Perhaps the most striking visual element of Astrid's aesthetic is her collection of fine-line tattoos that are scattered across her whole body. Surprisingly, Astrid was a late bloomer when it came to body art.
© Astrid Zeegen-Holt"I didn't have any tattoos until 12 years ago. I didn't like tattoos. In fact, when I met my husband I said 'I hope you haven't got any tattoos' as I didn't like them at all," she confesses.
The turning point came during a sunny getaway to Spain, proving that inspiration can strike at any age.
"I went to Ibiza on holiday and saw all these amazing cool women with tattoos and I was like 'my goodness they look so cool. I want one'. So I came back and got a very small one on my finger and then I got a second small one on my finger, then gradually it became kind of addictive."
Now, with over 60 tattoos, Astrid views her skin as a living scrapbook - some pieces are deeply sentimental, while others are purely for the joy of the aesthetic.
"I don't think too hard about them. I do have special dates and initials, and my dogs, which all obviously have meanings, but a lot of the others don't. They're just ones that I like or I'll just Google 'pretty small tattoo' or 'American style tattoo' and find things that way. I'm very spontaneous."
"Why Are We Hiding?" Confidence Beyond Clothes
One of the most liberating aspects of Astrid's online presence is her willingness to pose in beautiful lingerie. In a digital world dominated by twenty-something models, seeing a 60-year-old woman embrace her body is refreshing to say the least.
© Astrid Zeegen-HoltFor Astrid, it wasn't a calculated move to shock: "The underwear thing started when I got sent some really beautiful underwear and I thought, 'why are we hiding?' I never could afford really nice underwear, it was always awful underwear. And now there's all this beautiful lingerie out there, and I thought 'it is a part of getting ready'. So that is where it started and now it's just become the thing that I do."
Finding Love
Behind every great woman is a supportive partner, and Astrid’s husband has become an accidental star of her channel in his own right. After spending five years raising her daughters as a single mother, Astrid met her husband.
© Astrid Zeegen-Holt"I bought up my daughters on my own for five years but I knew I didn't want to be single forever. I met my husband through a friend and we just hit it off immediately. He's very funny, he's very caring, considerate, and practical. We're a good match. He is very proud of me."
While he might occasionally marvel at the sheer scale of her public life, he remains her biggest champion.
"Sometimes he says things like 'oh, all these all these random people can see you getting ready in the morning', but he's never dulled my shine. And when he gets involved, it is quite funny because people love him being on my Instagram because he's very dead-pan. He doesn't pretend to be enjoying it, but he does it and he does it for me."
Naturally, the perks of the job help sweeten the deal. "He reaps the benefits of amazing things that we get sent or amazing trips we get to go on, so he also feels very lucky and says that he can't believe what I've achieved."
The Reality of the Grid: Championing Small Businesses
It’s easy to look at a curated Instagram feed and assume it's all glamorous holidays and free clothes. But Astrid is quick to dispel the notion that influencer life is a walk in the park. It requires a relentless work ethic, especially in the early days.
© Astrid Zeegen-Holt"In the beginning, I had to find my own work opportunities, because as a new influencer, it's quite hard to get out there," she notes. "So I remember going to a pre-loved designer shop near me and just asking if there was anything we could do together, and they offered me to choose some pieces, film it and bring it back, and tag them. Then people would approach and ask, and I was always very mindful, I didn't always say yes."
Today, rather than chasing massive high-street fast-fashion contracts, Astrid uses her platform to shine a spotlight on independent brands.
"I do love the small independent businesses, but the clothes are usually more expensive so you can sometimes get messages from people saying 'oh I love what you show but I can't afford it'. But I don't really do the high street. I do the odd Zara piece but I never really tag them, I just tell people it's from Zara. I tend to work with smaller businesses. So sometimes I'll approach them. Sometimes they'll approach me."
© Astrid Zeegen-HoltThe job has also opened doors to travel opportunities. "With travel you can film anything you're wearing wherever you go which is incredible because then you get lots of lovely backdrops."
Seizing the Moment: "I'm Definitely Not Slowing Down"
If you think turning 60 means slowing down and putting your feet up, Astrid is living proof of the exact opposite. The energy required to maintain her community is immense, often eclipsing the demands of her previous career.
© Astrid Zeegen-Holt"I'm definitely not slowing down - I feel like even though hospitality was physically hard work, and the hours were long, I feel like the hours doing this are even longer," she says earnestly. "It's not just simply, 'oh, let's take a video of what I'm wearing, and stick it up and hope for the best'. There's lots going on behind the scenes, of replying to people and engaging with people and building a community because it doesn't just happen."
Ultimately, Astrid’s journey is an inspiring reminder that life doesn't peak in your twenties or thirties. The later chapters can be the most vibrant, unpredictable, and fulfilling of all.
"If you feel good in what you're wearing, you look good. I just want to live my life to the fullest. I'm 60 and who knows whether I'll be able to do as much as I'm doing when I'm 70 or 80. So I'm just seizing the moment and saying yes to pretty much everything but also learning to say no."
For anyone sitting at home, staring at their smartphone, wondering if it's too late to start something new, try a new style, or chase a creative dream, Astrid leaves us with a beautifully simple piece of advice:
"Go for it. Use it as a bit of a creative outlet. Don't take it too seriously and just enjoy it."
Follow Astrid on Instagram @astridiwantyouinmylife.
