THE RED HAT SOCIETY: Fun and Friendship After Fifty

Cooper, the Red Hat Society's founding "Queen Mother," believes middle-aged women have gotten used to going unnoticed, and this book describes how she's trying to change that. The Red Hat movement began in the late 1990s, as Cooper, a California graphic artist, began hosting 50th (and other) birthday celebrations for a few friends. Inspired by the line in Jenny Joseph's poem "Warning" that vows, "When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple,/ With a red hat that doesn't go," Cooper presented each birthday girl with a red hat that jibed with her individual taste. The women loved the hats so much, they started wearing them to teas, slumber parties and even sporting events. Their gatherings attracted attention, and today, the society claims to have over 10,000 chapters across the country. And members have moved well beyond hats. These days, Cooper encourages Red Hatters to accessorize with "a fluffy red-feathered fan, or a pair of purple fishnet hose," since "it is a lot easier to act silly when you are dressed silly!" Why the need for such folly? Cooper recommends it as an antidote to the serious loss of self-esteem many aging women face as they deal with their children leaving home, caring for elderly parents, widowhood, health crises and altered body image. It's a zany approach, to be sure, and Cooper's ideas may sound ridiculous to women at the height of their careers or those in retirement who've found alternate ways to relieve stress and express creativity. Nevertheless, this feel-good handbook, complete with anecdotes from members, could find a welcoming audience. (Apr.)

Forecast: The third annual Red Hat Convention will be held in Dallas in April, which should drive book sales, aided by ads in Real Simple and People, radio giveaways and an author tour. FYI, Conari Press is publishing My Red Hat, a gift book for "women of a certain age," by Jill Larson Sundberg, in March ($12.95 96p ISBN 1-57324-963-7).