Red Hat Soceity

[sabrinaedwards]

Recently, I was at a casino where a Red Hat Soceity was present. I'm telling you us CDers could look better than most of these ladies. Anyway, after being there I purchased a red hat and purple top and was thinking how about a Red Hat Soceity for gender compromised people. What do you think?
Love, Sabrina

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Sabrina, My :love:wife was a Red Hat Lady for years, Some times I would wear her outfits just for fun.:hugs:

I once asked her if they had any red hat Crossdressers in the group , She just gave me that backward eye roll.:daydreaming:

[ReineD]

Recently, I was at a casino where a Red Hat Soceity was present. I'm telling you us CDers could look better than most of these ladies.

I'm so sorry that you feel that way.

I was at an antique store some years ago when about 5-6 ladies in red hats came in. I thought they were great! Yes, they were older (late 60s to 80s), but the mischief in their eyes and their willingness to express a 'wild side' years after we normally relegate older women to nursing home rocking chairs endeared them to me and I thought they were utterly beautiful. It didn't matter that they had gray hair, wrinkles, and loose dresses to accommodate aging bodies, or that some were wearing sneakers and others loose tops over their jeans to cover an aging woman's stomach. They were kind, happy, and most important, engaged in life and open-minded towards everyone who crossed their path. And all while wearing wild red hats! :)

http://manitobachaptersredhat.webs.com/photos/100_2884.jpg

(This links to large image (209 kb) for those of you with low internet speeds ... image is of several ladies of the Red Hat Society. Or you could see the smaller image on the webpage, but the webpage itself is larger to load at 466 kb: http://manitobachaptersredhat.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=153805111)

[Dana44]

Why not, heck we could get a red hat Crossdresser group together. And we could also meet at a casino in Vegas. Preferably not on diva trans day. It would be a cool thing. A good bunch of over the top crossdressers meeting.

[flatlander_48]

I would vote for National Coming Out Day...

DeeAnn

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Reine, They sure do know how to have fun, I have been to a few events where the husbands were invited.:hugs:

[Sara Jessica]

OK, you go first. We'll be the judge.

[Gladys]

I would love to meet a bunch of these women while cross dressed. I bet we would have a lot of fun talking.

[Jenniferathome]

Recently, I was at a casino where a Red Hat Soceity was present. I'm telling you us CDers could look better than most of these ladies. ...

Wow. Such an odd thing to write. Do members of every group have to be good looking in your world? What groups do you belong to? Can you post a group photo? I'd like to know what really good looking people look like.

[Pat]

I had never heard of the Red Hat Society before. They sound cool! Nice to know they're out there.

[Princess Chantal]

I'm so sorry that you feel that way.

I was at an antique store some years ago when about 5-6 ladies in red hats came in. I thought they were great! Yes, they were older (late 60s to 80s), but the mischief in their eyes and their willingness to express a 'wild side' years after we normally relegate older women to nursing home rocking chairs endeared them to me and I thought they were utterly beautiful. It didn't matter that they had gray hair, wrinkles, and loose dresses to accommodate aging bodies, or that some were wearing sneakers and others loose tops over their jeans to cover an aging woman's stomach. They were kind, happy, and most important, engaged in life and open-minded towards everyone who crossed their path. And all while wearing wild red hats! :)

http://manitobachaptersredhat.webs.com/photos/100_2884.jpg

(This links to large image (209 kb) for those of you with low internet speeds ... image is of several ladies of the Red Hat Society. Or you could see the smaller image on the webpage, but the webpage itself is larger to load at 466 kb: http://manitobachaptersredhat.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=153805111)
Oh my gosh I recognize some of those red hat ladies during one of my Prairie Dog Train ride. I think they came into Winnipeg by a bus from Brandon. For their age, they were quite energetic for being on the bus for the 2 1/2 hour bus ride and were very friendly chatters

[Victoria Demeanor]

Hi sabrina,
I'm going to guess that you just misspoke and didn't really mean any disrespect. I have seen and interacted with this group and they are some very wonderful women and OMG a blast. I am pretty sure that they would welcome you in if you asked and dressed appropriately. I'm kind of glad you brought this thread up as I hadn't thought of it before, but yes I would love to hang out with these ladies sometime and now I have a new item on my bucket list.
Now as to your actual question, I'm not sure. there are a few CD organisations that are kind of the same. sorry can not think of there names at the moment. for the most part it is our acceptance in society, but hey may be one day there will be a CD chapter of the Red Hat Society.

[Eryn]

...I'm telling you us CDers could look better than most of these ladies....

Now, there is a line that I bet you wish you could take back! :doh:

I know a few Red Hatters and I've even read a book about the founding and goals of the RHS:

249010

The idea of it is that women over 50 tend to be rather invisible and are expected to always be doing things for other people. The RHS is there to give them a reason to do something for themselves, namely have fun!

The RHS prides itself on not having much organization or rules, but there is one axiom that stands above all. It's for women and women only. They'll bend the rules to allow women under 50 (They wear pink and lavender, not red and purple) but there might be a larger issue raised if a "gender challenged" RH group tried to impinge upon GG RH activities.

[char GG]

The Red Hat Society is not a "beauty" society. I would think that don't care how they look as long as they are having fun. The ones that I know would definitely talk to and have fun with CDers - that is again the point --they have fun! Hopefully they won't judge you as you have judged them.

Go ahead, start your own RHS or join them - they may enjoy having you around.

Oh, and by the way, do you think all CDers look great? How do you think you will look when you are 80? How do the CDers look that are lurking around in the corners or in their closets because they are afraid someone will "make" them?

[JenniferR771]

Fun group. My mother was an enthusiastic Red Hat member until she had to go into the nursing home.
And...we ran into a group of Red Hatters in Saugatuck, Michigan during one of our group cd shopping trips a few years back. It was during the Fall TG Weekend. They were fun--and so nice to us--as we met out on the sidewalk in front of the many specialty shops along the waterfront. Some of the girls got pictures and hugs with the Red Hat girls.

[sabrinaedwards]

Mea Culpa! I was not trying to be disrespectful to these wonderful ladies. I can now see how my post could be read in a negative way.
Love, Sabrina

[AbigailJordan]

I think a better idea would be to start a "Pink Hat Society" or similar.. (chose pink arbitrarily), as a compliment and complement to the RHS. a group for over 50's CD's who want to get out and enjoy life in the same way.

[Alice Torn]

I was dong some window cleaning at a restaurant, had a red stocking cap, and asked them if i could join them! My hat was red!

[Kate Simmons]

Why would it have to be red hats and purple tops? Why not any other colors?I think daring to be different and an individual speaks for itself and a person does not need to belong to a "society" which kinds of defeats the purpose of being an individual in my opinion, unless, of course, one considers safety in numbers. Even so if being part of a CDing "Red Hat Society" makes you happy, I say go for it. :battingeyelashes::)

[flatlander_48]

The only obvious unifying factor are the colors. What you choose to wear, and how, is all up to individual preference. In the photo above, they are not all dressed the same.

People create and join groups for a multitude of reasons that are too numerous to mention here. Just because one chooses not to be associated with any group is, once again, individual preference; no more, no less.

DeeAnn

[Eryn]

(chose pink arbitrarily)

Already taken by the red-hatters who are under 50. They wear pink and lavender. I think of the pink-hatters to be like "prospects" in a 1%er gang! :)

Perhaps we might try coral and turquoise.

I don't think that RHers would take offense to us creating a similar group, as long as we avoid the impression that we are trying to parody them.

[ReineD]

Here's another picture of the ladies. I hope I have their energy and joie de vivre when I am their age!

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/453465/images/r-RED-HAT-SOCIETY-600x275.jpg

I think their colors are purple and red, but I imagine that since many are on fixed incomes, it's fine if a member gets as close as she can within her financial means. I don't think they take themselves too seriously. The ladies that I saw were dressed in pinks and lavenders with red hats of course, but they weren't at an official "red hat" event.

They choose their outlandish colors to stand out, as a way to invalidate society's tendency to ignore older ladies. When I was a little girl, I remember my mother (who would be their age if she was alive) telling me that purple and red didn't go together (I disagreed of course), but this was a belief held by many women of her generation. So the Red Hat ladies are bucking the system! :D

Their aim is to stand up and be noticed, whereas most CDers goals (at least the members who post frequently in this forum) are to blend in. Are you sure that y'all want to form a club like the Red Hat Society? :)

[Barbara Black]

I didn't know much about the RHs, but those wonderful pictures made me giggle, from their enthusiastic looks.

[MissTee]

I love the red hat ladies! I jokingly "crashed" one of their gatherings once and the group and I ended up having a delightful time. They are all over 50 (like me) and are simply trying to show one can still enjoy life in the golden years. I think that is very admirable.

Really, why should we care what they look like? Besides, given that we are what WE are, I find your comment about them rather shallow.

[Eryn]

...I think their colors are purple and red...

That's correct. Standard attire is red hats and purple clothing. In a Red Hatter's birth month she reverses the colors, purple hat and red clothing. So, if you see a red hat group with someone wearing the reversed colors please wish them a happy birthday!

The whole thing started with the founder simply buying an outlandish red hat in a thrift store for a friend who was feeling down. That led to the purchase of more outlandish regalia and wearing it for fun events. Like many great ideas, it had a simple origin.

[Persephone]

Their aim is to stand up and be noticed, whereas most CDers goals (at least the members who post frequently in this forum) are to blend in. Are you sure that y'all want to form a club like the Red Hat Society? :)

I think Reine is so right, how many here are ready to go somewhere in public in a huge hat and bright clothes? With every eye on the street or in the restaurant on you it is not likely that you are going to blend into the scenery!

Hugs,
Persephone.

[ReineD]

Like many great ideas, it had a simple origin.

Well, then maybe it would be a good idea to form a group that would make TGs less invisible or rather, less marginalized or looked down upon in our culture. Something like what Jessica Who (do you remember her?) used to do - a good-natured way to tell the world that you are all here and you are all regular, law-abiding people who just want to be yourselves, just like everyone else. Jessica Who did it with humor. The Red Hat ladies are doing it with silly red hats and in-your-face purple dresses. I don't know what would be the best method for TGs to use, likely not outlandish costumes because this might be too close to Drag Queens in many people's eyes. It seems to me that the method would have to be divorced from a focus on women's clothes (like a signature bright color that everyone in the group would wear). You don't want to be seen like you are all the same, this emphasizes an "us" and "everyone else" meme that the community wants to combat.

I have an idea, but it's a stretch. It could be a group (with a group name, a logo, ads, posters, a website, in short an organization, something that would make the group visible without making any of you look like you're standing out unless you are wearing the name tag), something like "TGs for Humanity!". A group of TGs, all dressed the way you dress individually in your day-to-day lives, but with the common goal of doing things that benefit needy segments of our population. It could be food drives, and helping in homeless shelters, senior centers, helping people learn to read or get their GEDs, helping in hospitals, libraries, environmental organizations, helping with the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, etc.

I'm daydreaming now, but if there were thousands of TGs involved in things that people admire because the efforts benefits others, this would be bound to help change attitudes and demistify TGs. In the process the organization would pop up in the news, there would be spokespersons and their families who would likely be interviewed, that might help to educate the public about the diversity of the TG community. And it would not be in a reality show setting, since the group's focus would be on actually being out there helping to improve other people's lives in places that are not optimized for TV cameras. And no one would be doing this for money! It would be obvious that your motives are truly altruistic!

Is this too weird?

<edit> You would want to be identified as being part of the group when volunteering, obviously, and it would be a good idea to have some sort of insignia that would become recognizable (not a name tag ... that was a bad idea). Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) (http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_declares_nov._1_as_mothers_against_dr unk_driving_project_red_r/) have the red loop ribbon. It could be a similar thing, but NOT pink or rainbow and not a cutesy bow, since the point is to not emphasize the "wanna be pink and girly" or LGBT rainbow stereotypes that are controversial still in many parts of the country. Maybe purple, or orange, or green, in a symbol that brings to mind something more universal like an infinity loop or a trefoil knot or something. Something new and fresh, divorced from any existing prejudice.

[Persephone]

Reine,

Brilliant!!!

How about something simple like logo'ed t-shirts? Many groups that provide the sorts of services you named use t-shirts because they provide a uniform look while being inexpensive, comfortable, and relatively easy to clean.

Hugs,
Persephone.

[ReineD]

I'm a designer. So I hope you'll forgive my very opinionated designer opinions. lol. If you put everyone in Tshirts all the time, it sets the group apart from everyone else which is precisely what this particular community wants to avoid. They want to integrate. Yes, have the Tshirts, make it an option for the volunteers to wear them if they want to, offer them for sale to people who want to support the organization, have hats too if some people want to wear the hat but not the Tshirt, or both, but I would advise against making it some sort of uniform. If in any given small group of 5-6 individuals that are volunteering, say at a food drive, only one or two people are wearing the Tshirt or a hat while the rest are dressed in their day-to-day clothing (like you dress every day, or someone else might dress more androgynously or however they feel comfortable), the brand will still get across while communicating to the public that TGs are just that ... diverse just like everyone else. Right? People don't dress alike. But I would definitely have everyone wear the insignia that would be inscribed with the group name "TG for Humanity" (or something like it). THIS would be your brand, and it would be reflected on every print and digital media (pamphlet, news release, website) that the organization produces. I can even see designing a phone app to help mobilize and keep all the volunteers organized while synchronizing their efforts with the organizations they would be helping, who would also have the phone app. And I can see this happening all over the country.

It might take a year or two before it picks up enough steam to make a splash in the news, but that's OK. The primary goal is to be altruistic and step out of ourselves to help others. The rest will follow.

[Katey888]

I think Eryn may have subconsciously hit on the CD event girls mantra already:


That led to the purchase of more outlandish regalia and wearing it for fun events.

:facepalm:

... perhaps it's too late to reverse what is already in the public domain... :lol2:

And uniforms... :eek: hats, armbands, handbags... can't we just stick with feather boas (I have mine already but looks like the RH ladies have those too! :D) and blue eyeshadow...?

A little too much daydreaming going on over the weekend, methinks (as my weekday cynicism blossoms with my caffeine levels) - I think the group-natured CDers are already doing their thing with events, and the individualists will always likely be that...

Back to earth girls... Feet planted firmly on terracotta, Rodney... ;)

Katey x

[Amanda James]

If I could pass and the Red Hat Ladies would have me I would join right now , It looks like fun.