‘I shall wear purple with a red hat?’

By Janice M. Howard / Style Editor for the Southern Standard

There’s fun after 50? as evidenced by Darlene Williams, left, queen of the Red Hat Society’s Happy Hatters chapter, who is joined by Marilyn Wise and Sylvia Stepien.

Inspired by a popular poem by Jenny Joseph entitled “Warning,” which begins: “When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple with a red hat?,” the Red Hat Society is a women’s “disorganization” based on the concept that aging isn’t necessarily all bad.

The Red Hat Society was started as a group for women age 50 and above. It began as a result of a few women deciding to greet middle age with verve, humor and ?lan. The way they see it, “silliness is the comedy relief of life, and, since we’re all in it together, we might as well join red-gloved hands and go for the gusto together. Underneath the frivolity, we share a bond of affection, forged by common life experiences and a genuine enthusiasm for wherever life takes us next.”

The McMinnville chapter, tagging themselves Happy Hatters, has only been established three months and membership grows with each meeting as word about the group gets out.

“We’re just out to have a good time and laugh,” said Darlene Williams, the local organizer. “It’s like thinking we’re not going to grow old quietly!”

The standard question asked of the participants – “What do you do?” is followed by the standard answer – “Nothing.”

There are no dues, rules or by-laws usually connected to other organized units. The Red Hat ladies feel they’ve all been so dutiful and so busy for so long that they deserve a break. Each chapter structures itself according to the wishes and whims of its members, and the women choose for themselves as they see fit – such as where they’ll have lunch the next time.