Quote Originally Posted by MacSimoin
Colin,

That is incorrect. I know of several women under the age of fifty who are 'Red Hatters', my fiance Wendi being a [former] member and also age 35. Her best friend (also age 35) still attends the meetings/outings.
Colin had it right. This is from their website:

Q. Are there any rules?

A. The spirit of the Red Hat Society forbids rules, per se. There are, however, some common-sense guidelines that we must insist upon:
You must be a woman of 50 or over (or you may be a Pink Hatter under 50), and you must attend functions in full regalia, (red hat, purple outfit for women 50 and over, or pink hat and lavender outfit for women under 50).
And, although we try not to concentrate on it too much, we do have some policies and legalese you need to agree to in order to become a member. (Probably no more than any other group out there and unfortunately necessary.) Click here for more information »
Ladies are strongly encouraged to follow these color guidelines, and to NOT wear purple/red until they have reached THE BIRTHDAY.