Article on What If Granny Wants to Gamble? Balancing Autonomy and Vulnerability in the Golden Years

Mary F. Redford recently published an article entitled, What If Granny Wants to Gamble? Balancing Autonomy and Vulnerability in the Golden Years, ACTEC Law Journal (Spring/Summer 2020). Provided below is the introduction to the Article. 

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me

And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves

And dating sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter. 

In the late 1990s, the words of this poem inspired a global social organization known as the “Red Hat Society.” Women in the Red Hat Society “victoriously celebrate turning 50 and entering into the next phase of their lives.” Their signature outfit consists of a purple ensemble with a red hat (that doesn’t match). The women in this Society “embrac[e] a renewed outlook on life filled with fun and friendship, fulfilling lifelong dreams.”

The poet, Jenny Joseph, in dressing her “old woman” in the rich but mismatched palette of red and purple, highlights accurately the conflicting perceptions that our society holds today about older women in America.