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but that's not the thong ladies' color Ventura County Star
There are red states and blue states. If you're a woman 50 or better, there also are red and blue states of mind. And it's got nothing to do with politics.
Jan Berry,longchamp pas cher 2014, 66, of Oxnard is She heads an 80 member chapter of the Red Hat Society, an international women's social network whose trademark is a red hat, often paired with a purple dress.
seen the Red Hatters, said Rajala, who declined to give her age except to say that she is retired. With no offense intended, she said, of them are in their 70s and 80s. I've been to their events. I'm just not there. Psychologically, I'm in a different space. >Dusty Isler, who also didn't give her age, feels the same way. The Port Hueneme woman balked when somebody suggested that she join the Red Hat Society. said, I'm not that old,' Isler said. think of them as older ladies. They don't mind looking funny. To me, that would be Halloween. >This summer, both Rajala and Isler discovered a perfect fit in the Blue Thong Society. They saw a blurb in The Star about a newly formed Camarillo chapter called the Pacific Blues and decided to go > atricia Cuthbertson, 47,cheap christian louboutin shoes, of Camarillo started the Camarillo chapter in May after she mentioned to her husband that she wanted to network with other women but did not feel that she was Red Hat material. He went online, found the Blue Thong Society and suggested that she start a chapter.
Cuthbertson liked what she read on the Web site, so she contacted the BTS with plans to start her own chapter. Soon, she got a phone call from one of the founders, Jackie Tushinsky.
was so jazzed because they really didn't have a chapter in Ventura County, she said.
About 15 of the 30 plus Pacific Blues members met this month at Ric's Restaurant in Camarillo to drink signature blue martinis and discuss upcoming events.
the new year! Cuthbertson toasted, hoisting her blue drink.
Cuthbertson wore a T shirt bearing the BTS slogan: frump. The sentiment, she said, is one of the reasons that she wanted to start a chapter.
like the idea of fighting frump,tn pas cher homme, Cuthbertson said. want to stay young forever. I don't want to age. >The idea contrasts with the Red Hatters, who celebrate their ages, coronating each woman with a red hat when she turns 50.
are embracing the age we are, the Red Hat Society's Berry said. don't care. We don't have to follow the rules anymore. >Hats versus thongs
The BTS and the RHS have differences, but also a lot of similarities.
Both are dedicated to providing women with a chance to relax and have fun together. Dues also are comparable: RHS dues are $39 a year; BTS dues are $30 annually. Both blend the generations by inviting members who are younger than 50; the BTS invites much younger women to join, as long as they're 21.
have to be old enough to drink,boutique longchamp, said Tushinsky, 52, of Cocoa Beach, Fla.
In the RHS,tn pas cher, members wear pink hats until they turn 50. BTS members can wear blue jewelry, clothing or thongs wherever and however a woman wants to fly her blue flag. don't care where you wear your blue thong, Cuthbertson said. can wear it on your feet; you can wear it on your backside. >Many of the women at the February meeting wore some article of blue clothing or jewelry. About four said they were wearing blue thong underwear.
The BTS was formed in April 2006 by Mary Jo Wallo of San Diego. It all began in March 2005, when Wallo turned 50. Among her birthday gifts were items from the RHS. When she was sitting around with a few friends having drinks a couple of days later, she talked about how she didn't feel that she would belong at an RHS gathering. One of her friends agreed.
said, Mary Jo, I can't see you in a red hat, but I can see you in a red thong!' Wallo said.
The wheels started turning immediately for Wallo, who has run her own investment and insurance firm for 23 years.
Wallo, Tushinsky and another longtime friend, Mary Ellen Wiegand, then 54, began meeting at Wallo's dining room table in April 2005. They realized that they needed a different color than red to distinguish themselves from the RHS, so they chose blue.
against red hats or purple dresses, Wallo said. just felt like I'd look better in blue. >Later, Wiegand and Tushinsky both moved to Florida and another friend named Kelly Golden, now 46, joined the founders' circle to help launch the Blue Thong Society. Now almost two years old,chaussures Louboutin pas cher, the BTS is about 6,000 members strong and is getting interest from national sponsors such as Blue Ice Vodka.
No offense is taken by the Red Hat Society, which is proud to be about fun, period. One line from the RHS theme song, which was written by a composer named Mike Harline, puts it this way: my life, I've done for you. Now it's my turn to do for me. >In contrast, BTS members don't feel that they're through giving back yet. They include community service in the mission statement. Each Blue Thong chapter is required to adopt a local charity for which the organization will do fundraising all year.
purpose of Blue Thong is twofold,christian louboutin outlet, Wallo said,michael jordan shoes, bring people together to reconnect and meet with other girlfriends and to create a platform for women to do good in their community. >The Pacific Blues have chosen Casa Pacifica,longchamp paris, a home for abused and neglected children. Tushinsky said many Blue Thongers are baby boomers,escarpins Louboutin, so the BTS bears a lot of the values this generation grew up with, such as rebellion and social action.
just really got back into that '60s thing of get out there and get involved in your community, Tushinsky said. '50s, '60s and '70s, that's when this whole country was in a major upheaval. You think about Vietnam. We had sit ins. Guys grew their hair long. Women went out and started working. We did that more than any other generation has done. >That's great, Berry said, but the Red Hatters' is different.
red and purple society are not fighters, Berry said. didn't fight for anything. We worked hard all our lives doing things for others and family. Now it's time for us to have fun and connect with other ladies. >On aging
Both Berry and Tushinsky agree that Red Hatters tend to skew a little older than Blue Thongers. Blue Thongers range in age from about 35 to 65,christian louboutin shoes, Tushinsky said.
Doing something as organized as gathering statistics on the average age of the Red Hatters might clash with their principle of being a But if Berry's members are an indication, the age range of Red Hatters is about 50 to 89.
car pool and pick up ladies who can't walk anymore, Berry said.
Many Blue Thongers are happy to admit their age,tn pas cher, but others won't because they plan to fight it every step of the way.????????
Hats and headpieces on top
Barack Obama re
he said.
'Big Rodeo' under way in Dallas Video cameras and cowboy hats were in order for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers when they arrived six days before they'll face off for the NFL championship. With dozens of fans chanting "Go Pack Go," the Packers witnessed Super Bowl frenzy for the first time in 13 years.
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