Red Hat Society
Encyclopedia
The Red Hat Society is a social organization originally founded in 1998 for women age 50 and beyond, but now open to women of all ages. As of August 2010, there are over 40,000 chapters in the United States and 29 other countries.
. In 1997, Cooper gave a friend a 55th birthday gift consisting of a red bowler purchased at an antique store along with a copy of Jenny Joseph
's poem "Warning." The opening lines of the poem read:
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.
Cooper never set out to ignite an international phenomenon. However, after spreading by word of mouth, the Society first received national publicity in 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.
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 (or the Society's birthday month of April), a member might wear her colors in reverse, i.e., a purple or lavender hat and red or pink attire.
There are two ways of belonging to the Red Hat Society: as a Queen (usually leader of a local chapter; however, no Queen is required to lead a chapter) and as a Supporting Member. Membership dues are paid annually to the Red Hat Society.
, at the group's get-togethers. The Society's events vary depending on the chapter, but one of the most common pastimes among Red Hatters is attending or hosting a tea party. Other activities, freely chosen and planned by the individual chapters, include crafts, games, theater or cinema trips, music-making (often on kazoos), and various outings.
Chapters often work together to host large regional events, and Hatquarters hosts several official Red Hat Society events each year.
The official Red Hat Society day is April 25 each year.
In 2006, a musical
titled, Hats! The New Musical for the Rest of Your Life and inspired by the Red Hat Society, made its debut.
The organization has published several books:
, "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
, one of the characters is stranded on a cruise ship full of Red Hatters.
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."
History
The founder of the Society is artist Sue Ellen Cooper, who lives in Fullerton, Orange County, CaliforniaFullerton, California
Fullerton is a city located in northern Orange County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 135,161.It was founded in 1887 by George and Edward Amerige and named for George H. Fullerton, who secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway...
. In 1997, Cooper gave a friend a 55th birthday gift consisting of a red bowler purchased at an antique store along with a copy of Jenny Joseph
Jenny Joseph
-Life and career:She was born in Birmingham, and with a scholarship, studied English literature at St Hilda's College, Oxford .Her poems were first published when she was at university in the early 1950s...
's poem "Warning." The opening lines of the poem read:
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.
Cooper never set out to ignite an international phenomenon. However, after spreading by word of mouth, the Society first received national publicity in 2000 through the magazine Romantic Homes and a feature in The Orange County Register
The Orange County Register
The Orange County Register is a daily newspaper published in Santa Ana, California. The Register is the flagship publication of Freedom Communications, Inc., which publishes 28 daily newspapers, 23 weekly newspapers, Coast magazine, and several related Internet sites.The Register is notable for its...
. 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.
Organization
The Red Hat Society’s primary purpose is social interaction among women, and to encourage fun, friendship, freedom, fulfillment, and fitness. The goal is for members to bond as they travel through life together.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 (or the Society's birthday month of April), a member might wear her colors in reverse, i.e., a purple or lavender hat and red or pink attire.
There are two ways of belonging to the Red Hat Society: as a Queen (usually leader of a local chapter; however, no Queen is required to lead a chapter) and as a Supporting Member. Membership dues are paid annually to the Red Hat Society.
Activities
Both Red and Pink Hatters often wear very elaborately decorated hats and attention-getting fashion accessories, such as a feather boaFeather boa
A feather boa is a fashion accessory that is usually worn wrapped around the neck like a scarf.-Construction:A boa can be made of fur, but it is usually made instead from various types of feathers. Ostrich, marabou, chandelle, and turkey are the most common feathers used, although non-feather boas...
, at the group's get-togethers. The Society's events vary depending on the chapter, but one of the most common pastimes among Red Hatters is attending or hosting a tea party. Other activities, freely chosen and planned by the individual chapters, include crafts, games, theater or cinema trips, music-making (often on kazoos), and various outings.
Chapters often work together to host large regional events, and Hatquarters hosts several official Red Hat Society events each year.
The official Red Hat Society day is April 25 each year.
In 2006, a musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
titled, Hats! The New Musical for the Rest of Your Life and inspired by the Red Hat Society, made its debut.
The organization has published several books:
- Designer Scrapbooks the Red Hat Society Way
- Red Hat Society: Fun and Friendship after Fifty
- Red Hat Society's Laugh Lines: Stories of Inspiration and Hattitude
- Red Hats and the Women Who Wear Them
- Sassy, Classy, and Still Sparkling
- The Red Hat Society Cookbook and Eat Dessert First (both featuring recipes submitted by members.)
In popular culture
Homage is paid to the Red Hat Society in an episode of The SimpsonsThe Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, "The Last of the Red Hat Mamas
The Last of the Red Hat Mamas
The Last of the Red Hat Mamas is the seventh episode of the seventeenth season of The Simpsons. The episode originally aired on November 27, 2005. This episode was the second highest rated of the season with 11.5 million viewers.-Plot:...
", when Marge joins a group called the Cheery Red Tomatoes. In Brian Crane's comic strip Pickles
Pickles (comic strip)
Pickles is a daily and Sunday comic strip by Brian Crane focusing on a retired couple in their seventies, Earl and Opal Pickles. Inspired by Crane's in-laws, they find retirement life less than idyllic.The comic is set in Crane's hometown of Sparks, Nevada...
, the character Opal is a member of the Red Hat Society. In an episode of the show Still Standing
Still Standing (TV series)
Still Standing is an American sitcom television series. It debuted on CBS on September 30, 2002, and ended March 8, 2006. Lifetime obtained the United States syndication rights to the show in February 2005 and aired it until 2009...
, "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
Corner Gas
Corner Gas is a Canadian television sitcom created by Brent Butt. The series ran for six seasons from 2004 to 2009. Re-runs still air on CTV and The Comedy Network in Canada; it formerly aired on WGN America in the United States....
, 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
Rules of Engagement (TV series)
Rules of Engagement is a sitcom that debuted on CBS on February 5, 2007, as a midseason replacement, immediately following Two and a Half Men, in the time slot that was occupied by now-cancelled The New Adventures of Old Christine...
, one of the characters is stranded on a cruise ship full of Red Hatters.
In the comic strip Mother Goose and Grimm
Mother Goose and Grimm
Mother Goose and Grimm is an internationally syndicated comic strip by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Mike Peters. It was first syndicated in 1984 and is distributed by King Features Syndicate to more than 800 newspapers...
a Red Hatter is shown sitting with the College of Cardinals
College of Cardinals
The College of Cardinals is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church.A function of the college is to advise the pope about church matters when he summons them to an ordinary consistory. It also convenes on the death or abdication of a pope as a papal conclave to elect a successor...
. One of the cardinals informs her, "Madame, this is not that kind of red hat society."