Red hat purchase triggers birth of sisterhood society

by Helen BaleI firmly believe that life is meant to be enjoyed, not endured. Thus I was delighted recently to hear of a women?s organization devoted entirely to frivolity and genuine enthusiasm for whatever comes along.It?s called the Red Hat Society, with women over 50 defying traditional limitations of décor and demeanor by flaunting red hats and purple dresses. (Those under 50 can wear pink hats and lavender dresses. It?s the bizarre combination that counts.)I was introduced to this organization (some call it dis-organization) last Thursday when exactly 100 women from the area gathered for a luncheon and fashion show at Lou LaBonte?s restaurant.If you recall how amazed I was a few weeks ago to discover the number of recipes for raisin pie, you?ll appreciate my awe at noting that not one of those 100 red hats was a duplicate and that all of the outfits were impressive! As a matter of fact, many were haute couture. And everyone was having fun, greeting old friends and making new ones.How did all this get started? Credit a California woman, of course.A few years ago Sue Ellen Cooper of Fullerton was visiting a friend in Tucson and on impulse bought a bright red fedora in a thrift shop. Why not? It was cheap and, in her opinion, quite dashing. (The same reason for most purchases at thrift shops and yard sales.)Some time later she read the poem ?Warning? by Jenny Joseph, which begins, ?When I am an old woman?? and mentions wearing a red hat and purple attire. Inspired by the verse, she decided to give a vintage red hat and a copy of the poem to her friend Linda Murphy as a birthday gift, expecting the combination would be a unique and frivolous decoration for her home. And when Linda was so delighted with the gift, Sue repeated the combination as gifts to one friend after another.Inevitably it occurred to these friends that they were becoming a sort of ?Red Hat Society? and perhaps they should all go out to tea together ? in full regalia!Since the author of the poem threatens to ?wear purple and a red hat which doesn?t go?? they decided that each would find a purple dress to complete the image.The tea was a smashing success.Soon each of them thought of another woman or two to include and they bought more red hats. Believing that the success of the idea depended on small groups to develop close and personal relationships, they encouraged interested women to form their own chapters. One of the original group passed the idea to a friend in Florida, and the first ?sibling? group was formed.The idea has spread; there have even been two Red Hat Society conventions ? entire hotels filled with women of a certain age wearing red hats and purple outfits and having the time of their life. The first was in Chicago in 2002 and the second in Nashville this year.Leaders quip about world domination. While most of the current chapters are in the United States and Canada, there are also a few in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico ? and no one plans to stop there.Ladies interested in joining the movement may join an existing chapter (there are nine in Auburn, two in Meadow Vista and one in Newcastle) or start a new one. To find a chapter, which is accepting new members, you may search the Internet for Red Hat Society. To register as a new official chapter, the fee is $35 per year, with complete instructions on the Internet.Names for each group may be as giddy as you wish. Locally there are Aruba?s Be-Attitudes, Fried RED Tomatoes, God?s Royal Ladies, Gold Country LOL?ies, Marie?s Fancies, Red Plumes in the Sunset, The Red Hat Floozies, The Red Hot Sizzlers, The Red Tornadoes, Scarlet O?Hatters of Meadow Vista, The Purple Woman and the Red Hat Chili Peppers.The founder of each chapter usually gets a title ? Queen mother, Queen Bee, Empress, etc.The sky?s the limit on activities. Meet for coffee, take a trip, attend a play.Just do it together ? and have fun!Editor Emeritus Helen Bale appears Mondays in the Journal.