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Origins of the Red Hat Society
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple / With a red hat that doesn't go and doesn't suit me
The Red Hat Society is a social organization (or as they like to say, "dis-organization") for flamboyant women of a certain age. The Society was founded in 1998 by Sue Ellen Cooper of Fullerton, California. Today she serves as the organization's Exalted Queen Mother. Reportedly there are about 1.5 million registered members -- they call themselves Hatters -- in over forty thousand chapters in the United States and thirty other countries.
The Society's expressed goal is to encourage fun, silliness, creativity, and friendship in middle age and beyond; to look forward to aging, rather than dreading it. The Society is not a service club. They do nothing to support causes or other organizations. Hatters feel that they have done for others all their life and now it's time to have time for themselves. There are no initiations or fundraising projects. Women 50 and over wear red hats and purple attire to all RHS functions. In fact, they are required to. A woman under age 50 may also become a member, but she wears a pink hat and lavender attire to the Society's events until reaching her fiftieth birthday. Some Hatters feel that courage and freedom naturally flow from belonging to the Red Hat Society. For some, merely putting on the colors is liberating. (Which is odd if you think about it, since you are required to wear them! --C.) Hats are often quite lavishly decorated and accompanied by fashion accessories such as feather boas or jewelry in the RHS signature colors. The Society's events vary depending on the chapter, but tea parties are a favorite.
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RHS publications
The organization has published four books:
Red Hat Society merchandise There is a line of official RHS merchandise sold through their online store, but many more unofficial (and only peripherally related) goods are offered on eBay: |
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