September: Fall Hat Month

Baby Boomer’s Red Hat Attitude
Robin Hoselton

September is Fall Hat Month and the fourth week of September is designated National Fall Hat week.

During this month, people are supposed to put away their straw hats and begin wearing felt or fabric hats.

When I read this, I thought “Yeah, right. Who’s wearing hats these days? It’s been years since both men and women routinely wore hats as part of their everyday garb.”

But a quick scan of current fashions showed me how many people actually DO wear hats these days. Granted, times have changed in that we’ve become much less formal. Men don’t put on hats to go to work at the office and women don’t don chapeaus and gloves when they leave the house.

The Wonderful World of Covers

Nevertheless, a plethora (always wanted to use that word!) of hat styles exists. A small sample:

Films, such as Indiana Jones, have made some hat styles popular. The military of course retained its headgear; some religions require head coverings. Certain occupations and sports account for many, and the weather is a consideration in others.

Hat Socials

My discovery of the Red Hat Society captivated me. According to Wikipedia, the Red Hat Society is the largest women’s social group in the world. As of July 2009, there are nearly 40,000 registered members and almost 24,000 chapters in the United States. Plus they are in 25 other countries.

Can you imagine the power a group like that could wield?!

Just in case I’m not the only one behind the times, who doesn’t know what the RHS is? I’ll clue you in. An organization of women 50 and over who wear red hats with purple clothes just to be silly, have fun, and embrace graceful aging.

That’s it. No muss, no fuss.

It began when the founder, Sue Ellen Cooper, bought a red thrift store hat and gave it to a friend along with a copy of the poem, Warning by Jenny Joseph. The first two lines are:

“When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me.”

Although I like the idea of women getting together just for laughs and developing new friendships while eating lunch or attending a play or helping charities; I’m a loner—not a joiner—so I’ll smile at their goofy color combination from afar.

But, I have my eyes on a red hat and I don’t give a hoot what anyone thinks when this old Baby Boomer wears it to the supermarket!

Tagged fall hats, red hat society, sue ellen cooper