The Red Hat Society is a women's organization founded in 1998 by Sue
Ellen Cooper of Fullerton, California. It is not a sorority or a voluntary
service club. There are no initiations, no fundraising projects, no rules and
no bylaws.
Its aim is social interaction, and to encourage fun, silliness, creativity,
and friendship in middle age and beyond.
The society takes its name from the opening lines of the poem Warning
by Jenny Joseph, which starts:
-
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
-
With a red hat that doesn't go and doesn't suit me.
In April 2005 there are about one million
registered members in forty thousand chapters in the United States and
twenty-five countries. Their members are from all walks of life.
A founder or leader of a local chapter is usually referred to as the "Queen
Mum". Members are called "Red Hatters". Full members must be over fifty years
old. They wear red hats and purple dresses. Women under fifty may also join,
but they are referred to as junior postulants or "Pink Hatters". They must
wear pink hats and lavender dresses to the society's events until they reach
their fiftieth birthdays.
Both Red and Pink Hatters often tend to wear very elaborately decorated hats,
and attention getting fashion accessories such as a feather boa. The club's
events vary depending on the chapter, but one of the more favored pastimes
amongst most Red Hatters is attending or giving a tea party.
The organization has published two books: Red Hat Society: Fun and
Friendship at 50 and Red Hat Society's Laugh Lines: Stories of
Inspiration and Hattitude. They also publish a bi-monthly magazine: Red
Hat Lifestyle. Regional gatherings called "Funventions" are held several
times a year, along with official national Red Hat events.