“Many of the thoughts people have about what being older means are negative stereotypes of disability, segregation and a retreat from life. Ironically aside from allowing me to generate income in a different way that is more entrepreneurial and meeting new people it is not that much different than it was before, as I have always been up to something new, so to speak. How has being an influencer and entrepreneur changed your life? I use the same approach as I do to any challenge: how can I respond in a creative and interesting way? Accidental Icon is my performance of aging. I am a pragmatist and a realist–you are aging from the moment you are born and it’s inevitable that that will continue. With so many women trying to turn back the clock, how have you been able to embrace aging so gracefully? Students from other parts of the University seem to be more excited and enamored about the internet part. It inspires them to be innovative in how they see doing the work of social welfare. They view me as innovative and creative as a social worker and professor because that is how I approach everything I do. My students really are more interested in who I am as a professional than as an influencer. How have your students reacted to you being an internet sensation? However, this last semester I decided to retire from academia and do this project full-time. My Dean was supportive as she understands the power of social media and technology to make change which is consistent with my field. It has been challenging and stressful in good and not so good ways as whatever I do, I do it full-on. How do you balance your rigorous schedule with your work as a clinical associate professor of social work at Fordham University? While there everyone kept saying I should start a blog as I had great style. This led me to take classes at a fashion school. I was interested in jewelry-making and learning to sew. This has led to many re-inventions both large and small. I have had a lifelong habit of following my curiousity. “I am a pragmatist and a realist–you are aging from the moment you are born and it’s inevitable that that will continue.” How did you become an Accidental Icon? I caught up with Lyn to chat about her iconic role as an influencer and living the life of an accidental entrepreneur. When many women are attempting to turn back time, Lyn has embraced aging with grace and panache.Ī native New Yorker raised in the suburbs, Lyn doesn’t just turn heads on the streets of New York, she stimulates minds in the classroom as a Professor of Social Work at Fordham University. The 66-year-old who has collaborated with mega brands such as Apple and Go Daddy is a super influencer with nearly 700K followers on Instagram. the Accidental Icon, has given a fresh new face to the idea of ageless beauty. We should still be taken seriously as a key market segment for the textile industry instead of feeling like we are becoming more and more invisible as we get old.Lyn Slater a.k.a. Yes, clothes should be the expression of who we are in our true essence, and therefore should allow us to express and embrace our complexity, moods, needs and more, depending on the day, the event or no reason at all!Īging doesn’t mean we should stop having fun and interest in how we want to look like or feel like in what we wear. Women (like me) who are not famous or celebrities but are smart, creative, fashion-forward, fit, thoughtful, engaged, related and most importantly clear and comfortable with who they are…” Lyn Slater about her blog : “I started Accidental Icon because I was having trouble finding a fashion blog or magazine that offered an urban, modern, intellectual aesthetic but also spoke to women who live what I call “interesting but ordinary lives” in cities. And because she thinks age isn’t a variable when you’re getting dressed ( what we can or are allowed to wear or not shouldn’t be defined by our age) she also launched the #AgeIsNotAVariable. Lyn is now a cultural influencer with 492K Instagram followers (me included!), a speaker and a model. Lyn Slater became famous after she was spotted by paparazzi near the Fashion Week Center at Lincoln Center, dressed and looking like a Fashion Icon with all the glam and style. Lyn Slater became an Accidental Icon at the Age of 64. These girls are on fire and don’t seem to let age, time or anything getting in the way of living their lives to the fullest! #Herself360 Our goal with this series is not to give you a scoop but more to give you great evidence on how age is just a number by citing women who age not only beautifully but are still going stronger and stronger as years go by.
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