Debbie speaks with Lyn Slater, a writer and activist and former social media influencer. She spent her mid-60s becoming an icon of fashion, racking up nearly 800,000 Instagram followers, representing huge brands like Ilia Beauty, Kate Spade, Moncler, and Visa (among many others), speaking on fashion panels, and in general living a very public life. Her memoir, “How to Be Old: Lessons in Living Boldly From the Accidental Icon" is just out.

But… and there’s a big BUT, Lyn has given up that identity and is now, at 70, a writer and hands-on grandmother. She has renounced social media and no longer offers fashion or style tips. In this episode she tells Debbie that she was unhappy at the peak of her influencer career, what she learned from her mother’s decline and death, and how we have to tell the truth about old age to young women. 
 

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Mentioned in this episode or useful:

• At 70, This Instagram Influencer Shows That It’s Never Too Late by Alix Strauss (The New York Times, Feb. 21, 2024)
• How to Be Old: Lessons in Living Boldly From the Accidental Icon by Lyn Slater (Plume, March 12, 2024)
• I’m 70 years old — why shouldn’t my clothes convey my sexuality, and sense of style? by Lyn Slater (excerpt from her new book; CNN, March 12, 2024)
• AccidentalIcon.com
• Lyn’s Substack newsletter
• London Writers' Salon

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• *Credits:**
• Host: Debbie Weil
• Producer: Far Out Media
• Music: Lakeside Path by Duck Lake