This article is about the women's society. For the Linux distribution, see Red Hat Linux.

The Red Hat Society is an international women's organization founded in 1998 by Sue Ellen Cooper of Fullerton, California. It is not a sorority or a voluntary service club. There are no initiations, no rules, no bylaws.

Its aim is purely social interaction, and to encourage fun, silliness, creativity and friendship in middle age and beyond.

The society takes its name from the opening lines of the poem Warning by Jenny Joseph, which starts:

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

With a red hat that doesn't go and doesn't suit me.

The founder of a local chapter is usually referred to as the "Queen Mum". Members are called "Red Hatters". Full members must be over fifty years old. They wear red hats and purple dresses. Women under age 50 may also join, but they are referred to as junior postulants or "Pink Hatters". They must wear pink hats and lavender dresses to the society's events until they reach their fiftieth birthdays.

Both Red and Pink Hatters often tend to wear very elaborately decorated hats, and attention getting fashion accessories such as a feather boa. The club's events vary depending on the chapter, but one of the more favored pastimes amongst most Red Hatters is attending or giving a tea party.

The organization has published two books: Red Hat Society: Fun and Friendship at 50 and Red Hat Society's Laugh Lines: Stories of Inspiration and Hattitude. They also publish a bi-monthly magazine: Red Hat Lifestyle. Regional gatherings called "Funventions" are held several times a year, along with official national Red Hat events.

The official Red Hat Society day is April 25 each year.

External link

• Official website

• The Purple Hat Society A similar women's group based in Canada has no affiliation with the official Red Hat Society.