You’ve probably seen former GSS Professor Lyn Slater, Ph.D., on social media. You may even follow her.
Also known as the “Accidental Icon,” Slater created a fashion persona that amassed a 700K+ following on Instagram and features in The New York Times and Harpers’s Bazaar. It also earned her several brand partnerships and, most recently, a book deal.
But Slater doesn’t want to be the Accidental Icon anymore. Now—in a more intentional move—she’s telling her own story and reflecting on the advocacy roots she honed during her 40+ years as a social worker.
Slater’s new memoir, How to Be Old: Lessons on Living Boldly from the Accidental Icon, outlines the last decade of her life—a whirlwind of ups and downs—while highlighting the reinvention and creativity that define her future. She recently discussed the book in a live virtual conversation with author Christine Platt titled “Activism and the Art of Reinvention.” The discussion was hosted by Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Service on March 6, 2024.
Advocacy Work and Self-Care
Slater began her career journey as a passionate advocate for children and families— specifically young women “being criminalized for their reactions to trauma.”
The systems in place were broken, Slater said, and as a young social worker, she took on some trauma of her own trying to navigate those systems with her clients. While Slater gained valuable expertise in child sexual abuse, she needed an outlet to detach from the stress.
“I loved this practice, but to sustain myself in it, I had to get outside of it and do something I now know was self-care,” she said. “I involved myself in creative experiences, taking classes in writing and theater. I would come back to my work rejuvenated.”
Later, this creativity would manifest through fashion during Slater’s 20 years as a Fordham GSS professor. Donning sleek attire for class and posting chic photos to her social media account @iconaccidental eventually led to acclaim and a huge following.
She retired from teaching in 2019, but looking back, Slater thinks influencing may not have been the best substitute for teaching.
“I lost my footing in the real world and became an inhabitant of the digital world,” she said.
Living online quickly became problematic for Slater’s mental health, she said. Partnerships became challenging, with brands giving orders on what to post and how. It took a lesson she learned as a young social worker to recapture her purpose.
“As a social worker, until you can advocate for yourself, you can’t advocate for clients,” she said. “This book was my way of saying, ‘I am going to be the narrator of my own life.’”
Turning Generational Conflict into Intergenerational Collaboration
The online sphere is flooded with generational conflict, fueled by algorithms that can encourage vitriolic polarization between Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, and the upcoming Gen Alpha. But Slater thinks intergenerational collaboration is the key to a sustainable future.
“Ageism goes in both directions,” Slater said. “But humility, respect, and knowing what you don’t know [are important]. I am an expert in the past, and young people are experts in the future. And anything new builds on the past and reconfigures it to be relevant for today.”
Slater and Platt noted their 20-year age difference as proof that great things come from intergenerational teams. While the two met on social media as influencers (Platt was known as the Afro-Minimalist on Instagram), their bond has grown over a mutual burnout from influencing. Platt was one of the first readers of How to Be Old. Now, they speak daily about issues on aging, especially the problematic ways it can be portrayed in the media.
“The media says you should pretend you’re going to be young forever,” Slater said. “Everything in life has good things, not-so-good things, and presents challenges…If you deny it, you miss the opportunity to appreciate every moment of life.”
How to Be Old
Slater said she is unsure where social media fits into her future. Should she change her Instagram handle to reflect a new mindset? Delete it completely?
Time will tell. But she thinks her years as the “Accidental Icon” should be remembered, not rejected.
“When I started social media, it was about connection. But when you get too big, you lose the best part, which is to engage a community in conversation,” she said. “Some people get rid of their past [when they make a change], but I am who I am because of all these events. They are all a part of my story.”
