Inspired by the Jenny Joseph poem that begins: "when I am an old woman I shall wear purple/with a red hat that doesn't suit me," Sue Ellen Cooper bought herself a red hat. Soon it became her signature gift for friends turning 50. In 2000, Cooper and her friends formed the Red hat Society, whose only rule is no rules-it's simply a play group encouraging woman over 50 to have fun, support each other, and find kindrid spirits.