hello my friend,
The last few months have been quiet and introspective, but I’m still researching and writing a book and finishing up a Workforce Development Grant that I’m still consulting with in my social work hat. It hit hard and caused a lot of thinking about myself and my approach to how I am aging. Global and national events make it difficult to think about what to wear, how to stay hopeful and optimistic, etc. It feels like skydiving without a parachute. I dress up much less and is now used for purposes other than posting on Instagram, but it’s like many people might criticize me for not letting me “let myself go.” I don’t mean ‘give up’ or ‘give up’. Before I lost my way and fell off the “influencer” cliff, I always dressed to express my identity, my cultural background and the era I lived in. ; same but different. I no longer wear black and white Yohji Yamamoto suits and shirts to conferences, but rather an oversized white shirt and comfy black trousers. It can startle people and wake them up.
I turned 69 in June, and it’s been a very different change than what I went through when I turned 60. A strange way that I am old and will continue to be. When I started Accidental Icon, I distanced myself from older people, claiming it was a “marketing ploy.” I accidentally skipped comments such as ‘Age is just an illusion’ or #Ageisnotavariable that age matters, the body is a changing, aversive social place and a lifetime experience based on who we are When I know 100%. Many seasons and somehow I had no realization that my body would change and shift as I got older. I didn’t feel the need to change, and even wanted to. To think about turning 70 is to incite a whole new way of being. It’s quieter and still invasive, but it’s about how we’re respecting the planet in our homes and gardens, how we’re starting to get involved in our local communities, our writing, our relationships, and yes, even our clothes. It’s appearing.
Unlike the ambitious project I started in 2014, my current project, How To Be Old, is both ambitious and realistic. I realized that it is not aging itself that should be resisted, but society that makes us think about aging. This is a project for all ages and all bodies and requires a great deal of moral imagination to be applied. Many of my followers focus on their local communities as a way to do activism, doing interesting and creative things that everyone here has always been involved with. We have to find a way to support and share this. At the beginning of the day, I was feeling low, even a little sad, and alone. She wore a coral dress, dug out orange and blue earrings she got while working in Japan, and wore orange lipstick from a trip to Paris with Hermès. Added a few perks, but not much. All of these objects were animated and active when I sat at the table with the others.
So that’s where I want to go these days. I am so sick of being on a platform that is owned by others, controlled by algorithms, and that divides my community. This is no time for generational conflicts and divided, specialized or siled communities. Between Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and this blog, I have over 1 million followers of hers. Most of them are creative and of different ages. What if we put all our imagination and creativity into envisioning new solutions and designs that empower and support us throughout our lifecycle? I also stopped posting and creating content for so many different platforms because it was too much work. That’s why I’m considering a membership-based platform under our control. I am following one of you so no ads or interruptions for others to follow. Membership is free or very minimal to help pay for the platform will be the place for Zoom chats, online classes, discussion groups, and interest-based conversations like the one we have here, and more and more on Instagram. I’m looking for something that also allows a visual component. Given the times we live in, we can also talk about where fashion and clothing are. The time has come for the wisdom, creativity and experience of older women to be harnessed and combined with the imagination of women younger than us. Someone suggested Mighty Networks. Also, please share your thoughts and answers. To the idea of a membership platform and what’s on it.
As always asking for your thoughts, let me know how you are after a while!
PS The kitchen is finally complete!