The Red Hat Society is a international social organization originally founded
in 1998 in the United States for women age 50 and beyond, but now open to women
of all ages. Today, there are over 20,000 chapters in the United States and
over 30 other countries. History
In the fall of 1997, Sue Ellen Cooper, an artist from Fullerton, California,
purchased an old red fedora for $7.50 from a thrift shop during a trip to
Tucson, Arizona. When a good friend was nearing a 55th birthday, Cooper cast
about for an idea for an original gift. Inspired by a well-known Jenny Joseph
poem, Warning, which begins “When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple, with
a red hat which doesn't go and doesn't suit me. ” Cooper wanted to encourage
her friend to grow older in a playful manner. She gave her friend a red hat of
her own suggesting that she keep it as a reminder to grow older playfully and on
her terms. The symbolism behind the red hat had an
impact on women Cooper encountered. Those women responded by wearing their
own red hats and entering a new women’s movement that embraced a renewed outlook
on life filled with fun and friendship, fulfilling lifelong dreams.
Cooper repeated the gift on request several times, and eventually several of
the women bought purple outfits and held a tea party on April 25, 1998. The Red
Hat Society was born. After spreading by word of mouth, the
Society first received national publicity in the year 2000 through the
magazine Romantic Homes and a feature in The Orange County Register.
Cooper then established a "Hatquarters" to field the hundreds of e-mail requests
for help starting chapters. She now serves as "Exalted Queen Mother", and
has written two best-selling books about the Society, "The Red Hat Society:
Friendship and Fun After Fifty" published in April 2004 and "The Red Hat
Society's Laugh Lines: Stories of Inspiration and Hattitude" published in
April 2005. The Red Hat Society membership increased
through word of mouth, growing from two chapters in 1999 to over 70,000 members.
= Red Hatter of the year = In 2011, the RHS started a process of
nominating a members to be the "Red Hatter of the year". Nominees are made
up of inspiring women who deserve recognition for the impact they have
made in the lives of others. The Red Hatter of the year is the
highest national recognition given to a member who shows impact, dedication, and
involvement to her community and fellow members. Past winners have been:
2011 – Linda Theriot 2012 – Barb Lesiak
2013 – Mary Mimbs 2014 – Marilyn Cresci
Organization The Red Hat Society is a international
society of women that connects, supports and encourages women in their pursuit of
fun, friendship, freedom, fulfillment and fitness while supporting members in
the quest to get the most out of life. The Red Hat Society’s primary purpose is
social interaction and bonding among women. In the early part of their lives,
most women give their all to family, career, and community. And they enjoy
it. But, along the way, sometimes their existing bonds of friendship gradually
diminish. Membership in the Red Hat Society can be used for reconnecting old
friends, making new friends and rediscovering the joy of getting
together with other woman for the express purpose of having fun.
The society promotes periods of "recess" from the cares and duties of everyday
life in which members gather for no other purpose than to play.
The benefits of being a part of The Red Hat Society include interpersonal
connections and emotional support systems built among Sisters both online
and offline. Members of the society support one another in every life stage
from all corners of the globe. RHS members are reshaping the way women are
viewed in today's culture by promoting, not only fun and friendship, but freedom
from stereotypes and fulfillment of goals and dreams. The RHS sees physical
fitness as the foundation on which they base healthy, rewarding lives.
A founder or leader of a local chapter is usually referred to as a "Queen".
Members 50 and over are called "Red Hatters" and wear red hats and purple
attire to all functions. 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
50th birthday. She is referred to as a “Pink Hatter.” During her birthday
month, a member might wear her colors in reverse, i.e., a purple or lavender hat
and red or pink attire. = Joining the society =
Women who wish to join the society can do so by going to the Red Hat Society
website to sign up as a Queen or Member. The individual can then search for
chapters based on location or geography and then connect with local chapters by
using tools on the society website. Any woman may join the Red Hat Society as a
Queen of an individual chapter or as a supporting member of a local chapter.
There are supporting members who do not belong to any local chapter, but have
the ability to includes access to the RHS website, online communities, special
communications, and discounts. Activities
Both Red and Pink Hatters often wear very elaborately decorated hats and
attention-getting fashion accessories, such as a feather boa, at the group's
get-togethers. The Red Hat Society is dedicated to
encouragement of a positive life outlook through the sisterhood of a local
chapter. Members gather in large and small local chapters to have fun and
support one another, though some Hatters chose to remain individual members and
participate in activities as their schedule allows.
The Society's events vary depending on the chapter, but one of the most common
activities among Red Hatters include hosting a tea parties, playing games,
going to movies or theater events, traveling on excursions and to larger
RHS conventions. = Publications =
The organization has published several books:
2005. Designer Scrapbooks - the Red Hat Society Way. ISBN 978 1402720000
2006. Red Hats and the Women who Wear Them. ISBN 978 1579909949
2007. Eat Dessert First!: The Red Hat Society Dessert Cookbook. ISBN
978-1418568818 2008. The Red Hat Society?: Fun and
Friendship After Fifty. ISBN 9780446548748
2008. The Red Hat Society's Laugh Lines: Stories of Inspiration and Hattitude.
ISBN 978 0446549035 2008. Sassy, Classy, and Still
Sparkling: Celebrating Life After 50. ISBN 978 1404105201
Worldwide membership The Red Hat Society has spread to other
countries in the world. As of 2011, besides the thousands of chapters in the
U.S., there were local chapters of the Society in Argentina, Australia,
Austria, Canada, Ecuador, England, Finland, Germany, Greece, Guam, Ireland,
Italy, Japan, Luxemburg, Mexico, Namibia, The Netherlands, New Zealand,
Norway, Panama, Peru, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden, Taiwan, Trinidad and
Tobago, and Wales. In popular culture
In 2006, a musical titled Hats! The Musical made its debut.
The Red Hat Society is parodied in an episode of The Simpsons, "The Last of
the Red Hat Mamas", when Marge joins a group called the Cheery Red Tomatoes.
In Brian Crane's comic strip Pickles, the character Opal is a member of the
Red Hat Society. In an episode of the show Still
Standing, "Still Cruising," Bill's mother Louise is a member of the Red Hat
Society and tricks Judy, her daughter-in-law, into going on a Red Hat
Society cruise with her. In Corner Gas, a Canadian sitcom, one of
the main characters, Lacey Burrows, joins the "Purple Hat Society", a
reference to the Red Hat Society. In Rules of Engagement, Russell Dunbar
gets stranded on a cruise ship full of Red Hatters, when mistakenly assuming
the lady cruise is a singles cruise. In the comic strip Mother Goose and
Grimm a Red Hatter is shown sitting with the College of Cardinals. One of the
cardinals informs her, "Madame, this is not that kind of red hat society."
In episode 10, "Field of Streams," of The Cleveland Show Terry suggests to
Cleveland they, "Start a fight with those old ladies in red hats and purple
dresses at the mall." A weapon laced melee ensues. Later in the episode, a
giant group of ladies wearing red hats and purple dresses show up wielding
weapons and itching for a vengeance. The Cleveland Show again references the
Red Hat Society in episode 12, "Our Gang," when an elderly lady in a purple
dress and red hat interjects a comment from a crowd about buying candy for a
nickel. The official Red Hat Society day is
April 25 each year. External links
The Red Hat Society References