Flamboyantly 50! The Red Hat Society Phenomenon
Written: Aug 12 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Everything you wanted to know about Red Hatting, straight from the Founding Queen Mother.
Cons: Lots of silliness mixed in with the fellowship and friendship concepts.
The Bottom Line: If you're nearing 50, it's good to surround yourself with women who embrace life joyfully. Sue Ellen Cooper shows you wear to find them--and what to wear when you do!
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| frazzledspice's Full Review: Sue Ellen Cooper - The Red Hat Society: Fun And Fr... |
This review is part of a contribution to Bryan Carey's New Millenium Write-Off: 2000 Years, 2000 Reviews. Congratulations, Bryan, on writing 2000 well-researched, entertaining, and informative reviews in your almost seven years as a member of Epinions.
The year 2000 was the year in which I became old enough to be a Red Hat Lady. Of course, I didn't know about the Red Hat Society at the time. I knew that Baby Boomers wouldn't age exactly the way their parents would, and that we would do it with our own distinctive style, but never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be quite so flamboyant as this!
I became acquainted with the Red Hat Society when my teenage daughter was acting in a local community theater production. The Red Hatters would come and visit, decked out in their finest attire, and always looked as if they were having fun. One summer day in 2005, I decided to join them.
And one year after that, I decided to read Queen Mother Sue Ellen Cooper’s book-- The Red Hat Society: Fun and Friendship After Fifty--and figure out what exactly how all their unusual traditions developed.
Sue Ellen Cooper Redefines “Mature“ Fashion in 1997
It all started with a birthday gift. Sue Ellen Cooper presented her friend Linda Murphy with a jaunty red hat and a framed copy of Jenny Joseph’s poem: When I am fifty, I shall wear purple, With a red hat which doesn‘t go, and doesn‘t suit me. Soon all of Cooper’s friends looked forward to earning their red hats (now called “reduation.) In April, 1998, the friends met at a tearoom, dressed in purple and sporting red hats, for their first Red Hat Society meeting. They elected unconventional officers--Queen Mother, Vice Mother, Sergeant in Gloves and Hysterian.
A member’s daughter told her friend, editor of Romantic Homes, what her mom was up to, and the society was featured in the magazine’s July 2000 issue. “Growing Old Playfully” was a huge hit, and the society continued to garner more publicity. Florence Henderson covered one of their shopping and lunch trips for the Today Show. Red Hat Societies were formed throughout the United States and worldwide, and the group held its first national convention in 2002.
The Society’s goals are simple. They exist to enjoy life, connect and communicate with others in their age group, remain visible and active in society, and have fellowship with other women who have been through “the wars.” They don’t lend their name to or support any causes, although many Red Hatters participate in charitable volunteer work and support charitable causes individually. Red Hatting is for fun.
Mascots, Rituals, and All Around Goofiness
Ruby Red Hat, who resembles a mature Mae West, is the society mascot. She has lots of good advice for Red Hatters:
- Accept beauty and live in the here and now.
- Accentuate the positive.
- Nurture yourself.
- Indulge your sense of humor.
- Play.
- Dress up.
- Cultivate an openness to new things.
- Express creativity.
- Exercise compassion.
- Have courage.
I agree with the Red Hat philosophy, but admit that I’m not that devoted to the wardrobe. I have one red hat which I keep in the trunk of my car, with my Red Hat Society magnetic membership pin attached to it. If I attend a Red Hat event, I try to remember to wear something purple and pull the hat out of the trunk, dusting it off and sprucing it up a little.
On the other hand, I know Red Hatters who have their kitchens and homes and Christmas trees decorated in Red Hat style, and who have closets filled with purple clothes and red hats and shoes. You can join the club mostly for the fellowship, as I do, or dress in red hat style all the time.
Some of the club rituals are:
- celebrating birthdays by wearing purple hats and red clothing.
- singing the Red Hat Society theme song.
- playing the official instrument, the kazoo.
- doing the Red Hat wave, with red gloves, of course.
- having secret sisters for birthday and Christmas gifts.
Pink Hatting for the Younger Set
Younger women are welcome to join the Red Hat Society, as long as they wear pink hats and lavender clothing to club events. When they turn 50, the club celebrates with a “Reduation Ceremony.”
The book is full of stories and vignettes about how different clubs around the world have established traditions and customized their club to fit the interests of their membership.
There are stories about how members have supported one another through divorce, cancer, death of a spouse, and other tragedies.
There are Red Hat Society chapters in nursing homes. The residents have parties in the activity room, and order in pizza to make things a little more festive.
The book does a good job in informing new Red Hatters about exactly how some of the wild and wacky goings on in their club came about, and in promoting the Red Hat Society to non-members and prospective members.
It shows how quickly an idea can blossom and turn into an (Over 50) Pop Culture phenomenon.
The Red Hat Society has hit the big time, as their website shows:
http://www.redhatsociety.com/
Many stores and the society website carry Red Hat merchandise. The Society sponsors trips and conventions and a credit card. There is a Red Hat Society cookbook, Chicken Soup for the Red Hat Soul, and even a Broadway musical, Hats, scheduled to open in Denver in the fall.
Sue Ellen Cooper has started a trend that women throughout the world have embraced. When I see a group of Red Hatters in the mall, I always smile (even if my youngest daughter cringes....)
Nearing or over 50? Still undecided about all this? Read the book, and maybe some day we’ll “brush brims” at a Red Hat event.
Recommended:
Yes
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