We sat down with Brentwood resident Nanette Johnson, 59, and the content creator of the Instagram blog, Sweet Fringe Benefits. Nanette is an accountant for a global company and has lived in Tennessee for 21 years with her husband, Doug. The couple has three grown children and four grandchildren. Sweet Fringe Benefits has over 65,000 Instagram followers and aims to be relatable and real about midlife, including changing bodies, home lives and fashion.
How did you start Sweet Fringe Benefits?
I was about to turn 50 and I had a friend the same age. We both had a child who had gotten married, our parents were aging and our other children were leaving the nest. I had been a stay-at-home mom for 15 years and I thought, ‘What do I do now?’ I was also in perimenopause, so there was a lot of crazy! I said to my friend, “There has to be sweet fringe benefits in this life stage and not just the yucky stuff.” I had been toying with the idea of starting a blog and I liked the name Sweet Fringe Benefits so I did it. Each day I posted a selfie of my outfit and wrote about a sweet fringe benefit, maybe about gaining a daughter in-law, or my son experiencing life in another country, or time with my teenage daughter. I ran it for 18 months and had no way to monetize it, then I got a full-time job. The blog went by the wayside for seven years. During Covid, I was working from home, and my daughter, who’s a photographer, offered to take my pictures if I re-started the blog. It has been busy ever since.
How often do you post?
I post six or seven days a week, shooting most pictures and videos on my Iphone using a tripod. Sometimes Doug will take my pictures. He has gotten good at it! I still have a full-time job and when I have a break I’ll hop into a new outfit and create content. At night I write posts and engage on social media with followers and with other accounts. You must be active on the app in order for Instagram to prioritize your content. Funnily enough, the videos I don’t have time to obsess over are the ones that go viral. I guess because they’re so authentic.
What are some midlife challenges you write about?
There are challenges and benefits in this season. One of the benefits for me is having grandchildren, of course! And one of the challenges is traveling to see them. We have grandchildren in Texas and Connecticut, and I love visiting them. The challenge becomes, 'How do you manage your own life yet still leave home to see your family?' When your children are building their lives, it’s important for midlife parents to have their own lives and communities too. It’s a balancing act, visiting your faraway kids and grandkids while still cultivating your own life at home.
Many midlife women are self-conscious about the way they look in pictures. You’re darling and you look terrific, and you have more confidence than the average midlife woman. Where does your confidence come from?
I’m not tall. I’m a size 12/14 and I’ve never been a petite person. I was the largest cheerleader, the largest track runner, and that’s just who I was. My love of fashion developed because no matter what size I was, I could always have a great outfit. I even grew up sewing my own clothes. Confidence comes from within, but if you’re wearing something you love, it makes a big difference. I’ve never felt less-than or unworthy because of my size or shape, and neither should any of us.
Explain what LTK is and how did you start yours?
LTK is a platform owned by Meta where people shop the styles shown by content creators, and creators post links to their favorite things. Creators earn a percentage from the items purchased. Being a content creator is a lot of work, so if I was going to do a blog I wanted to monetize it. I was already an LTK shopper so I knew about affiliate links. I model outfits and through the LTK app, people find links to purchase everything that I’m wearing. It’s a platform for running your own online shop.
What makes Sweet Fringe Benefits popular with your followers?
When I first joined Instagram, I noticed there weren’t many midlife influencers who were midsize, which is 12/14, L/XL. Brands need influencers of different sizes showing their clothing, and in order for social media to be real, we need to see all kinds of people. My demographic is 80% women over age 45. There’s a need for women this age to see themselves represented. Also I try to be honest about the difficult feelings that come with this stage in life. There is hard reflection and sadness even in the midst of a sweet fringe benefit. Writing the posts is therapeutic for me and women comment or message me that they’re feeling the same way. The other day a follower messaged me and said, “You make me feel like I’m not so alone.” That is my main reason for doing this. @Sweetfringebenefits
