ick January 27, 2005
Is anyone else as put-off and actually, sort of creeped out by this whole Red Hat Society thing as I am?
katie allison granju
I don’t want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don’t want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don’t want to do that.
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Yes, it is very creepy and what’s worse I know a woman my age (33) who can’t wait until she’s old enough to join. Groan.
Yes! I was just talking with my mom about this yesterday. She’s 56. She doesn’t have any plans to join but said she knows lots of women who are in it and enjoy it a lot. The idea that women must don a red hat or purple boa merely to have a “legitimate reason” to socialize with other women is really irritating to me. My mom pointed out, though, that those women didn’t grow up in the same time period that I did (her point being that it’s okay for them to feel like they need an excuse?). Anyway, yes, the Red Hat thing creeps me out too and I’m glad someone else noticed how weird it is!
Oh, c’mon!
I find it a little silly, and I have no plans to join when I hit my golden years, but I wouldn’t say it’s “creepy.” I mean, it’s not like they engage in rituals involving animals or children, and it’s not like they’re Promise Keepers. They’re just some women-of-a-certain-age getting together to enjoy life as they see fit–they feel like they are reclaiming some part of their lives they had left behind.
You can imagine they probably married young, raised a bunch of kids and did everything for everyone else, and now they feel like it’s their turn to have fun (as they define it).
Anyway, the NYTimes Magazine had an article about them yesterday.
Red hats and purple clothes to drink tea together is not for me, but I do understand that when people feel marginalized, they join others to feel a sense of inclusion by dressing a different way to signify they belong. The New York Times magazine article compared the Red Hat society to the punks wearing safely pins to feel a since of inclusion into the group of disfranchised. It is not uncommon for women over 50 to start feeling marginalized in our youth obsessed culture. The red hats and purple clothes make them feel as if they belong. I will keep my black urban city clothes.
Okay - I’ll fess up - I’m a beginner knitter AND I’m in the Red Hat Society (although I keep missing meetings). You gave me pause as to why I joined. My story is way different that the one pictured in one of the other comments - I married young - divorced - married again at 32 (our 21st anniversary is tomorrow). We have no children. I’ve worked all my life - RN, Accountant, business owner, and soon to be accountant again (whole different story). Anyway, I joined Red Hat to just have fun, outside of work. These are a group of ladies who are generally boomers, only a couple are outside boomer age. No creepy, just fun. And I’ve always loved the colors - red and purple.
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