The Red Hat Society is a group of women who greet middle age with humor, amusement,
and energy. They enjoy acting silly and childlike while wearing red hats and
purple outfits. The women of the Red Hat Society have a fantastic time growing
old together by adding comedy and friendship to their life experiences. Tea
parties, birthday celebrations, Halloween events, cruises, and parades are
just a few of the events you'll find Red Hatters attending.
It all started when Sue Ellen Cooper, the founder and Exalted Queen Mother
of the Red Hat Society, saw a marvelous vintage red hat at a thrift store
and purchased it since it was cheap and dazzling. She later read the poem
"Warning" by Jenny Joseph which read, "When I am am old
woman I shall wear purple with a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't
suit me"
Sue Ellen decided to give her dear friend a swanky vintage red hat and a copy
of the poem for her birthday. The gift was such a hit that Sue Ellen decided to
give the same gift to each of her friends for their birthday. Once all of her
friends had their own unique red hats, they decided to add in the purple outfits
and have themselves a lovely tea party. The first tea party was held on April
25, 1998, and was such fun that their next tea party included 18 red hat wearing
women. Sue Ellen realized that 18 people didn't fit very well around a tea
party table, so she encouraged women to start their own Red Hat Chapters. The
first "sibling" group was born in Florida and now there are over 40,000
Red Hat Society Chapters worldwide.
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