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What is 'fancy grandma'? Hoda and Jenna explain the 'Golden Girls'-inspired aesthetic

Meet the sequin-filled alternative to TikTok’s "coastal grandmother" trend.

Move over, coastal grandmother: There’s a new senior citizen-themed TikTok trend in town, and it apparently draws inspiration from the classic sitcom "The Golden Girls."

The coastal grandmother trend has been making waves the past few months and is characterized by its relaxed, breezy, neutral-toned look, right out of a Nancy Meyers film. The vibe is so popular that it has now inspired an alternative trend called “fancy grandma.”

On Monday, Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager discussed the look and realized the description matches the styles that the stars of "The Golden Girls" often sported.

"Fancy grandmas can be any age and they're eccentric, they love to accessorize with scarves and elaborate earrings and their houses are full of colorful tchotchkes," Jenna described.

“Oh, so it’s like the Golden Girls,” Hoda remarked.

Per InStyle's write-up of the aesthetic, the "fancy grandma" look is marked by bright colors, shiny fabrics (including sequins, naturally), cardigans, statement coats and a practical shoe. Essentially, the fancy grandma look says, "Life is too short for boring clothes — and uncomfortable shoes."

THE GOLDEN GIRLS
The ladies who inspired it all on "The Golden Girls."ABC via Getty Images

Jenna explained that fancy grandmas also love snacks. With that, Jenna had an epiphany about a potential fancy grandma in her life.

"Wait, are you a fancy (grandma)?" Jenna asked, turning to Hoda. "But you're not, you don't dress like a fancy (grandma)."

Hoda interjected, "I don’t have snacks and I don't have anything fancy in my house. I have it in my dressing room."

Jenna couldn't believe her ears and took the opportunity to egg her co-host on a bit about her snacking habit. “You do too have snacks, are you kidding?" she said. “We’ve gotten into fights about the fact how you eat in bed your snacks."

Finally, after some back-and-forth, Hoda conceded. “Alright, OK, miss prosecutor, I eat snacks,” Hoda joked.

Hoda insists that she doesn't follow the fancy grandma trend, but Jenna isn't so sure.
Hoda insists that she doesn't follow the fancy grandma trend, but Jenna isn't so sure.TODAY, Getty Images

Even though Hoda said she doesn't identify as a "fancy grandma," Jenna argued that she does exhibit many of the signature characteristics of the trend — including her "tchotchke" collection.

“And you do have tchotchkes, too. Remember when I cleaned out your office?" Jenna said, referring to the time Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, founders of the home organizing company the Home Edit, helped make over Hoda's office.

But Hoda still wasn't sold. "That's just stuff that gets left there," she said. "That's called a tchotchke," Jenna interjected.

"But I don't do it on purpose. I just don't have anywhere to put it," Hoda explained.

For Jenna, that's the ultimate proof: "I don't think these grandmas do it on purpose either," Jenna said.