[Viral photos] Elderly couple models unclaimed clothes in their laundromat

elderly couple laundromat viral

By Fatima Virrey , Parent Herald Jul 28, 08:43 pm

Elderly couple Hsu Sho-Er and Chang Wan Jia own a laundromat in Taiwan. They are both in their 80s and have been in the business long enough to accumulate several unclaimed clothes in their laundromat.

The elderly couple and their grandson Reef Chang thought of a way to encourage customers to pick-up their unclaimed clothes.

The couple modeled the clothes, and their photos were uploaded on Instagram.

The photos quickly became viral with thousands of likes. Since the Instagram account of the couple was put up, they have already gained more than 500,000 followers.

View this post on Instagram

抽獎啦！一點來自孫子的感謝小禮物 It's GIVEAWAY time! Here’s small gifts prepared by the grandson 先說方法：只要你在下面留言一句想對萬吉和秀娥說的話，或者想對你自己阿公阿嬤說的話，就可以有抽獎的資格！不需要你去tag誰（當然如果你要推薦給你朋友也很棒！） How to get it: Leave a short message below. It could be anything you would like to say to Wan-Ji & Sho-Er, or anything you would like to say to your own grandparents. No need to tag anyone! (But it’d be great if you really want to. Please feel free to tag and share.) 在滿1萬followers的時候，我已經非常開心，所以自掏腰包做了30個小禮物，想送給喜歡萬吉秀娥和我們「萬秀的洗衣店」的朋友，歡迎大家加入「萬秀的洗衣店」，但沒想到等到做好的時候，人數居然已經23萬，可是我卻還是只有30個小禮物... 這是一個刺繡的貼布章，圖案來自我們家的洗衣機和我們衣物包裝袋上的中文字，我沒學過設計，可能畫的不是那麼好（苦笑），但這可以黏或者縫在你的任何一件舊衣服、舊包包，希望傳達一個概念：「讓大家也能夠透過一點小變化，就讓舊衣服產生新生命！」當然，也成為我們「萬秀的洗衣店」的世界特派員工！但很抱歉只做了30個，假如留言的人數超過幾千人，或許我會考慮在我能負擔的範圍內多做一些。來吧！留下你想給萬吉秀娥的話，或者你想分享你對於你爺爺奶奶的話吧！ At the beginning, I was so happy when the account had reached 10k followers. So, I’d been trying to express my gratitude by preparing some small gifts to our friends, to those who like ’Wan-Ji‘, ‘Sho-Er', and our 'Wan-Sho Laundry'. And when I finally managed to get those gifts from the manufacturer, the followers had already hit 230k, which was way more than I’d expected! But, there’re only 30 small gifts to give away. This is a badge patch. The design is inspired by our old washing machine and the words on our laundry bag. It’s written 'Wan-Sho Laundry' in Chinese. I'm not a designer, so it's probably not a pretty design (embarrassed laugh). This can be glued or sewn onto any of your old clothes or bags. I would like to share the idea that “By a little change, we can give old clothes a new life'. With this patch, everyone can be a spreader of the spirit of 'Wan-Sho Laundry' all around the world! Again, there are only 30 gifts in total. If more there’s more than a thousand comments, I’d love to do one more giveaway if I can afford it. Here we go! Leave a message for Wan-Ji & Sho-Er, or write a message to your own grandparents! #萬秀洗衣店 #萬秀的洗衣店 #wantshowasyoung #grandparents - - _ #mixandmatch #clothes #ootd #instafashion #style #fashion #couple #夫婦 #80代 #grandma #grandpa #femmefuture #classyvision #vintage #古着 #コーディネート #love #laundry #outfit A post shared by 萬秀的洗衣店｜WANT SHOW as young (@wantshowasyoung) on Jul 25, 2020 at 5:54am PDT

The idea of viral photos

In the photos posted on Instagram, the grandson explained why they thought of modeling the unclaimed clothes. It was not just to remind customers who leave their laundry at the couple's laundromat; it was something creative, as well. The posts say, "Grandson just can't bear to see them overwhelmed with bore every day."

View this post on Instagram

大家再稍等幾天！萬吉的手康復中想問一個問題，這裡是秀娥粉比較多，還是萬吉粉比較多呢？最近萬吉似乎發現秀娥粉比較多，就一直在拿以前照片出來，證明以前很帥，然後秀娥也不甘示弱，找了一堆年輕出去玩的照片萬吉上衣：主人已領取褲子：萬吉私服—洗衣服時穿的工作褲秀娥上衣：5年以上未取女白T 外套：2年以上未取Adidas 棒球外套褲子：阿嬤私服，年代自己都忘了溫馨提醒｜洗衣服請記得拿、認同請分享️ These old clothes have been abandoned by customers at the laundry for years. Owners of the laundry store, Wanji and Sho-Er who are over 80 years old. Grandson just can't bear to see them overwhelmed with bore everyday. So, ask them to reinterpret fashion, hoping to let everyone know that age is not a barrier to have fun in fashion and even old clothings can transformed into trendy outfits! A friendly reminder｜Don’t forget to pick up your laundry. #萬秀洗衣店 #Wantshow #wantshowasyoung #grandparents - _ #mixandmatch #clothes #craftsman #しょくにん #ootd #wiw #instafashion #style #fashion #couple #夫婦 #80代 #budapest #grandma #grandpa #dappei @dappei_tw #juksyootd @mixfitmag_snap #cool_ootd #plainme_snap #plainme_life #femmefuture #culturecartel @nataliadornellas #classyvision #vintage #古着 #コーディネート A post shared by 萬秀的洗衣店｜WANT SHOW as young (@wantshowasyoung) on Jul 14, 2020 at 9:04pm PDT

That is why the grandson asking his grandparents to reinterpret fashion. He also added that the elderly couple believes that there is no age barrier to fashion and even the old clothes can become trendy outfits.

View this post on Instagram

你看看，秀娥的臉真的很會擺！整理找到2件被遺忘的Adidas，所以今天嘗試兩個人年輕時也沒穿過的運動型態！也是店裡比較意外居然會被遺忘的年輕款式（？）結果萬吉秀娥還是輕鬆駕馭從櫃檯把阿公發呆的椅子拉出來讓他們坐著，結果秀娥自己擺了這樣的pose?! 萬吉上衣：主人已領取褲子：萬吉私服—洗衣服時穿的工作褲秀娥上衣：5年以上未取女白T 外套：2年以上未取Adidas 棒球外套褲子：阿嬤私服，年代自己都忘了溫馨提醒｜洗衣服請記得拿、認同請分享️ These old clothes have been abandoned by customers at the laundry for years. Owners of the laundry store, Wanji and Sho-Er who are over 80 years old. Grandson just can't bear to see them overwhelmed with bore everyday. So, ask them to reinterpret fashion, hoping to let everyone know that age is not a barrier to have fun in fashion and even old clothings can transformed into trendy outfits! A friendly reminder｜Don’t forget to pick up your laundry. #萬秀洗衣店 #Wantshow #wantshowasyoung #grandparents #mixandmatch #clothes #craftsman #しょくにん #ootd #wiw #instafashion #style #fashion #couple #夫婦 #80代 #budapest #grandma #grandpa #dappei @dappei_tw #juksyootd @mixfitmag_snap @uniqlo_ootd #converse @converse #cool_ootd #plainme_snap #plainme_life #ynet #femmefuture #culturecartel @nataliadornellas #classyvision #adidas A post shared by 萬秀的洗衣店｜WANT SHOW as young (@wantshowasyoung) on Jul 3, 2020 at 9:08pm PDT

People's reaction to the viral photos

People are entertained by the photos of the elderly couple. According to some of those who commented on their Instagram account, this is something that keeps people entertained even during the trying times.

(Photo : Screenshot from Instagram)
Comment on the elderly laundromat owners' photo

On the other hand, some followers are curious as to whether the unclaimed clothes have been claimed by their owners.

(Photo : Screenshot from Instagram)
Comment on the elderly laundromat owners' photo

Couple's reaction to the Internet's support

The laundromat owners are both clueless about Instagram a month ago. However, after being a viral sensation, they now love browsing through the comments section and read what the people are saying about them.

In an article published by CNN, the couple shared how the support came unexpectedly to them. According to Sho-Er, the thought that there are people who like them makes her feel that she had more grandchildren.