How it All Began
The Red Hat Society traces its roots to 1998, when Sue
Ellen Cooper gave a friend a red hat along with a copy of
Jenny Joseph's poem called Warning: When I Am an Old
Woman I Shall Wear Purple. It begins: ''When I am an old
woman, I shall wear purple / With a red hat which doesn't
go, and doesn't suit me. / And I shall spend my pension on
brandy and summer gloves.''
Cooper found that other friends wanted red hats, too, and
soon they were going out, having fun and attracting attention
from others who wanted to join.
The groups proliferated, and today the Fullerton,
California-based Red Hat Society counts more than
800,000 members - mostly woman older than 50 - and
36,000 chapters in the United States, with scores in the
Columbus area.
Sue Ellen Cooper thought she would enter her golden years
quietly, working on her garden and cooking. Instead, the
former graphic designer accidentally started a rapidly
growing social network for older women that has caught the
eye of businesses eager to tap the buying power of an age
group long neglected by marketers and advertisers.
Cooper, 60, who has dubbed herself the Exalted Queen
Mother of the Red Hat Society, said she still thinks of her
flock as a play group for adults.
"I have worked for my kids' school, my church, raised money
for the local children's center, and of course we love to do
those things. But someone has got to give these women
permission to take a whole day or a weekend and just goof
off,'' she said.
The Red Hat Society traces its roots to 1998, when Sue
Ellen Cooper gave a friend a red hat along with a copy of
Jenny Joseph's poem called Warning: When I Am an Old
Woman I Shall Wear Purple. It begins: ''When I am an old
woman, I shall wear purple / With a red hat which doesn't
go, and doesn't suit me. / And I shall spend my pension on
brandy and summer gloves.''
Cooper found that other friends wanted red hats, too, and
soon they were going out, having fun and attracting attention
from others who wanted to join.
The groups proliferated, and today the Fullerton,
California-based Red Hat Society counts more than
800,000 members - mostly woman older than 50 - and
36,000 chapters in the United States, with scores in the
Columbus area.
Sue Ellen Cooper thought she would enter her golden years
quietly, working on her garden and cooking. Instead, the
former graphic designer accidentally started a rapidly
growing social network for older women that has caught the
eye of businesses eager to tap the buying power of an age
group long neglected by marketers and advertisers.
Cooper, 60, who has dubbed herself the Exalted Queen
Mother of the Red Hat Society, said she still thinks of her
flock as a play group for adults.
"I have worked for my kids' school, my church, raised money
for the local children's center, and of course we love to do
those things. But someone has got to give these women
permission to take a whole day or a weekend and just goof
off,'' she said.
Gadabout Gals
Chapter of the Red Hat Society
Chapter of the Red Hat Society
| Queen Mum Beth |
| Dedicated to Fun, Friendship and Frivolity |
Ode to the Red Hat Society" by Sue Ellen Cooper A poet put it very well. She said when she was older, She wouldn't be so meek and mild. She threatened to get bolder. She'd put a red hat on her head, and purple on her shoulder. She'd make her life a warmer place, her golden years much golder. We read that poem, all of us, and grasped what she is saying. We do not need to sit and knit, although we all are graying. We think about what we can do. Our plans we have been laying. Instead of working all the time, we'll be out somewhere playing. We take her colors to our hearts, and then we all go shopping For purples clothes and hats of red, with giant brims a-flopping. We're tired of working all the time, and staying home and mopping. We order pies and chocolate fudge, and rich desserts with topping. We crown ourselves as duchesses and countesses and queens. We prove that playing dress-up isn't just for Halloween. We drape ourselves in jewels, feathers, boas, and sateen. We see ourselves on television and in magazines. We laugh, we cry, we hug a lot. We keep each other strong. When one of us goes out for fun, the rest all go along. We gad about, we lunch and munch, in one big happy throng. We've found the place where we fit in, the place we all belong. |
