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In reply to the discussion: Women with long hair approaching 60? A no-no? [View all]csziggy
(34,135 posts)At least not upright middle class women. They had to confirm to a narrow range of behaviors, act and look 'just so'.
Breaking out of those confines was an act of defiance. That's why I mentioned the year this poem was first published - 1961. The 1960s freed women - and all people - from those restricted roles, if they chose to take hold of their freedom. Unfortunately, some did not and some want to return to those roles and let themselves be defined and restricted by others.
For 1961, "Warning" was a radical statement for a 'respectable' British woman to make. Old women were supposed to fade away, maintaining their respectability, and not act like children or dress in bright outfits that did not fit the colors that fashion dictated. A red hat with a purple outfit was an act of rebellion!
And yes, this is where the Red Hat Society got its start.