The Plumerix Chronicles – March 2026 Edition

March has always been one of my favorite months not because of the weather because it feels like a slow unfurling. The world begins to come alive again. Buds dare to open, days stretch a little longer, and suddenly we remember that color exists.

This year, as the world blooms around us, I find myself thinking about the women whose stories made it possible for us to bloom, too.

March is Women’s History Month, but I’ve always preferred the term HerStory not because it’s clever, but because it reminds us that so much of women’s history was never documented. For centuries, our contributions were tucked into footnotes, whispered between family members, or passed down through stories at the kitchen table. Women kept communities alive, held families together, created art, sparked movements, and carried wisdom…but often remained unnamed.

And yet here we stand today, a Society of thousands of sisters around the world, blooming boldly in red and lavender. That is HerStory.

When I attend chapter events, I don’t just see hats and bling. I see living history, women who are writing their stories with every choice to live joyfully, defiantly, and creatively. Women who choose laughter instead of limitation, who reinvent themselves again and again.

This year’s theme feels especially meaningful because 2026 is full of national anniversaries and RHS alike. And anniversaries always make me reflect on how far we’ve come.

When the Declaration of Independence was signed 250 years ago, women had no voting rights, limited autonomy, and almost no authorship in the documents that shaped the new nation. Strong women in history who shaped the world and paved the path for us to follow. Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt, Grace Hopper, Harriett Beecher Stowe, Mary Kies, Patsy Mink, Sacagawea, Malala Yousafzai, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Aretha Franklin, Katharine Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Cleopatra, Lakshmibai the Rani of Jhansi, Joan of Arc, and so many more.  (See https://redhatsociety.com/women-in-history/ for more details on these women.) As a result, today, here we are leading chapters, running companies, traveling freely, and celebrating the joy of being visible, vibrant, and valued.

We are the bloom after centuries of silence.

But HerStory isn’t only about the women in history books it’s about the women sitting beside us at brunch. The quiet ones. The funny ones. The wise ones. The ones who show up even on hard days. If we wrote down the stories of every member of the Red Hat Society, we would fill an entire library with.

Stories of resilience. Stories of reinvention. Stories of loss and healing. Stories of outrageous fun.

Stories of starting over at 50, or 60, or 80. Stories of women who refuse to fade.

Sometimes, when I enter a room filled with Hatters, I imagine what future generations would think if they saw us. Would they see a playful group in colorful hats? Yes. But they would also see something more profound: a community of women reclaiming joy, visibility, and sisterhood.

They would see revolution in full bloom.

HerStory is not something that happened, IT IS HAPPENING NOW. Every time a new member joins, every time a chapter hosts an event, every time a pair of sisters laugh until they cry, every time someone says, “I feel like myself again,” HerStory expands.

This month let’s honor the women who came before but also the women who stand beside us. Let’s celebrate the pioneers and the pranksters, the dreamers and the doers, the introverts and extroverts, the Pink Hatters blossoming into RED.

Let’s celebrate you, because your story matters.

As the daffodils open and the world turns green again, I invite you to bloom boldly. Share your stories. Ask other women about theirs. Recognize the brilliance of the women in your chapter. And most importantly, keep living the kind of life you’ll someday be proud to retell.

HerStory is happening right now.

And together, we are writing the most joyful chapter yet.

With love,

Michelle Lee,
Queen Plumerix President of the Red Hat Society
We are Stronger Together