Red Hat Society

The Red Hat Society (RHS) is a social organization founded in 1998 for women over 50. As of October 2006 there are about 1.5 million registered members in over forty thousand chapters in the United States and thirty other countries.

History
The Society was started in 1997 by Sue Ellen Cooper, who now serves as Exalted Queen Mother, gave a friend a red fedora and a copy of Jenny Joseph's poem, Warning. Cooper did this several times and the friends in turn did the same, eventually spreading out and forming what is now known as the Red Hat Society.

The Red Hat 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.

Organization
The Red Hat Society fondly refers to itself as a "dis-organization" with the aim of social interaction, and to encourage fun, silliness, creativity, and friendship in middle age and beyond. The Society is not a sorority or a voluntary service club. There are no initiations or fundraising projects.

A founder or leader of a local chapter is usually referred to as a "Queen". Members are called "Red Hatters". Members 50 and over wear red hats and purple attire to all functions. A woman under age fifty may also become a member, but she wears a pink hat and lavender attire to the Society's events until reaching her fiftieth birthday.

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 Society'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 four books: Red Hat Society: Fun and Friendship after 50 and Red Hat Society's Laugh Lines: Stories of Inspiration and Hattitude, Designer Scrapbooks the Red Hat Society Way (2005, Sterling), and The Red Hat Society Cookbook which features recipes submitted by members. Regional gatherings called "Funventions" are held several times a year, along with official Red Hat Society events.

The official Red Hat Society day is April 25 each year.

In 2006 the group successfully commissioned its own musical entitled, ''Hats! The New Musical for the Rest of Your Life''.

The Red Hat Society's Tenth Anniversary
In 2008 the society will celebrate its tenth birthday.

The Red Hat Society’s milestone signals the coming of age of not only the leading global network for “empowered, fun-loving, like-minded women”, but of a pivotal movement redefining traditional notions of aging for women.

“We have succeeded in changing the perception of women at midlife and beyond from marginalized and invisible to sought after and center-stage”, says founder Sue Ellen Cooper, who inadvertently sparked the movement when she gave her friend Linda Murphy a red hat for her 55th birthday. Before long, women were giving and wearing their own red hats, developing strong bonds and caring friendships. Now, with a newly-announced affiliation with AHA (or whomever) they are flexing their communal muscle to make a difference in their communities, as well.

The impact of the organization is felt not only socially, but economically. Red Hatters purchase a wide array of RHS-licensed products and services, both online, through direct mail catalogues and at the society’s flagship retail outlet in Fullerton, California. In addition, the society has arranged for discounts, perks and special experiences for members, including travel, sports, dining and much more. Members buy Red Hat Society-authored books, use Red Hat Society credit cards and attract the attention of a growing cadre of corporate sponsors.

Resplendent in their purple and red regalia, The Red Hat Society (RHS) literally kicks off its year-long birthday party January 25 in Las Vegas with a chorus line of thousands of members. The Las Vegas kick-off coincides with the debut of the Broadway-style musical “Hats!,” at Harrah’s.

Approaching 40,000 chapters worldwide, RHS members stay connected through local, national and international gatherings, a dedicated online community, quarterly newsletter and both formal and informal social networking.

In popular culture
The Red Hat Society is paid homage to in one episode of The Simpsons, "The Last of the Red Hat Mamas," wherein Marge joins a group called The Cheery Red Tomatoes. Also, in Brian Crane's comic strip Pickles, the character Opal is a member of The Red Hat Society. In the show Still Standing,, in the episode "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. Also, in the hit stage comedy "Peachtree Battle" the eccentric matriarch, Azalea Wieuca, is made an honorary red hat member.

Jimmy Clanton and his shows have become favorites of Red Hatters everywhere. In response, he has recorded a tribute called "Red Hat Woman" that DJ icon Jimmy Jay has called "THE song of 2008!". A fictional member of the Red Hat Society also makes an appearance in the forthcoming film "The Great Buck Howard," premiering at the Sundance Film Festival 2008. Members of the Red Hat Society expressed concern over their depiction in the film, saying that the actress was clearly under 50 despite her red hat, which was not nearly as ornate as they would have liked.