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Meet Dorothy Wiggins, the 99-Year-Old Unlikely Social Media Star

Despite thinking social media is 'stupid,' this New Yorker finds lots of love on TikTok and Instagram

By Randi Mazzella

What is life like when you are 99 years old? If you think you slow down and stop doing the things you enjoy, then you have never encountered Dorothy Wiggins.

Wiggins is a New Yorker who tells it like it is. Under the handle @DorothyLovesNewYork, she shares videos of her daily life and words of wisdom on TikTok and Instagram, where she has nearly 300,000 followers.

Headshot of a woman. Next Avenue, Dorothy Wiggins
Dorothy Wiggins  |  Credit: Michael Astor

Wiggins's rise to fame happened organically. In 2019, her son Noel asked his longtime friend Michael Astor to make a short documentary about his parents, Guy and Dorothy Wiggins.

Guy died in 2020 at age 100. "My husband and I were married for 61 years," Wiggins says." We were together all the time, and I loved him very much. When he died, I was devastated."

"I am not trying to create her — it's all just Dorothy being Dorothy."

Noel suggested Astor continue working on the project and make a documentary about Dorothy. Noel thought filming her as she did her day-to-day activities might be a way to help her through her grief.

A year later, Astor decided to post some of the videos of Wiggins on social media as way to hype up the upcoming documentary about her life. "The videos were a hit, so I kept doing it," Astor explains.

While Astor's goal was never to make Wiggins a social media star, that is exactly what happened.  "Having known Dorothy since her son and I were classmates, there is a trust between us," Astor says. "She grants me a certain level of intimacy. While I do edit the videos, there is no script. I am not trying to create her — it's all just Dorothy being Dorothy."

"Some people, especially in certain cultures, seem to give up when they get to be a certain age," Wiggins says. "American women, I think, strive more than some other nationalities. It's an attitude. As long as you are healthy and maintain your health, there is no reason you can't keep going and live your life as you always have."

"I have always had a lot of confidence since I was a kid. I think it's because I had a lot of independence."

Having known Astor for a long time, he doesn't think she has changed much over the years. "Since I have known her, Dorothy has been the type of person who goes after what she wants," Astor says. "Some people may think about doing something, but then they don't do it. Dorothy goes after it. She doesn't wait; she acts."

Wiggins concurs, saying, "I have always had a lot of confidence since I was a kid. I think it's because I had a lot of independence. I was playing outside in the street when I was 5, and at 10, I was taking the subway into Manhattan myself. By 12, my mother let me go to Bloomingdales to pick my clothes."

In contrast, Wiggins believes today's youth have been hovered over by their parents. She says, "Young people seem much more fearful. I have always been determined and not afraid to go after what I want. If something has to be done, I pick up the phone and do it now. I rarely don't get what I want, including my husband."

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Staying Active, Staying Stylish

Wiggins believes it is important to put yourself together every day. Her weekly trip to the salon to get her hair done are often documented on her social media. She insists on putting on an outfit, even if she is staying home.

"I am horrified that people don't get dressed in real clothes daily," she says. "There is no reason to dress like a slob. Sloppy dressing shows a lack of respect, especially if you are going to the opera or the theater." 

Headshot of a woman. Next Avenue, Dorothy Wiggins
"I have always been determined and not afraid to go after what I want," Wiggins says. "I rarely don't get what I want, including my husband."  |  Credit: Michael Astor

Wiggins has always maintained an active lifestyle. "I like playing tennis and swimming," she says. She also enjoys walking around her neighborhood and spending time with her two sons who live nearby. "I am fortunate they come to see me often," Wiggins says. "They always get a good meal when they come over, and I think they enjoy my company too."

A lifelong lover of the arts, Wiggins goes to the theater two or three times a week with her friends, most of whom are younger than her. "Most of my friends are in their 60s — I have more in common with them," Wiggins says with a laugh. She also stays involved in her charity work, including holding a board position at the Salmagundi Club, New York's oldest art club.

Wiggins also loves Manhattan, having lived in her current home for almost 40 years. A second-generation New Yorker, Wiggins is often seen in her videos walking through the streets of the city.

"Being a New Yorker is part of Dorothy's spirit," Astor says. "She is a straight-shooter. She's not pandering or acting or trying to get followers. Some people will comment [on social media] that they find her rude, but you don't have to love her. ... Dorothy is being herself and has the right to be herself."

Social Media Star

"I think social media is stupid," Wiggins admits. "People shouldn't get their information from social media — they should read the newspaper. Young people are too obsessed with their phones."

That said, Wiggins has many fans who follow her on social media. "I often get recognized when I'm walking in the village (Greenwich Village, her New York City neighborhood)," she says. "But if they find me inspiring, that is nice. If they ask to take a selfie with me, I don't mind."

"People shouldn't get their information from social media — they should read the newspaper."

Wiggins' vitality and mental acuity into her 90s have her many fans asking, "What's your secret?" Wiggins herself is not quite sure. Her parents both died of cancer in their 50s, so there isn't a family history of longevity.  

Although she has had the same breakfast daily (usually fruit, cereal, or egg for years), she doesn't follow a special diet. She still often partakes in a "sacred" cocktail hour where she drinks scotch and water. "It a ritual I started with my husband years ago," she says. "Often life can be stressful and exhausting. It is very important for the mind and the spirit to take the time to stop, relax and have a conversation. It was always a pleasure to sit and talk to him."

Taking the time to stop may be the key to what keeps Wiggins moving. "I still feel energetic, although I am going to be 100, so my body is starting to give a little bit," she says. But while her body may show some signs of aging, Wiggins remains the same inside her head. "People seem surprised that I am the same person. Your age doesn't change who you are on the inside, or at least it hasn't changed me."      

"Dorothy is on the top of her game and mentally sharp," Astor says. "You don't often see that, so people are amazed because their expectations are that someone at her age should be recoiling from life, but Dorothy is right in the thick of it."

Looking Toward 100

Wiggins says her birthdays have always rolled around without her giving them much thought. But she and Astor are already thinking about her 100th birthday in August 2025. Astor is aiming to complete the documentary right after her birthday. 

There is also a celebration planned. "The idea for the party is a 1940s-1950s nightclub," Wiggins says. "We will have music and dancing. When I was younger, my husband and I would go to people's houses for dinner, and afterward, someone would move the sofa, turn on the radio or record player, and we would all dance. I have always loved dancing, especially ballroom dancing with my husband. They used to call us Fred and Ginger. Dancing was such a wonderful expression of life."

But for now, Wiggins is focus remains in the present. It is advice she got from an aunt when she was a little girl. "The only way I can keep going is not to dwell in the past or I would fall apart," she says. She also doesn't worry much about the future: "I live by the day. My grandson who studied psychology says that I am naturally mindful."

Randi Mazzella
Randi Mazzella is a freelance writer specializing in a wide range of topics from parenting to pop culture to life after 50. She is a mother of three grown children and lives in New Jersey with her husband.  Read more of her work on randimazzella.com. Read More
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