I'm sensing an attitude, and I think you missed the point of my "little story". Of course a woman can wear a hat or whatever at Mass. It is the strictness of the past rule of HAVING to that I now think was ridiculous.
Since you never developed the habit, you may not know that that's the way it was at one time.
Sorry I mentioned it; enough said.
Based upon some of your other posts I think you perhaps pay a bit too much attention to what you sense or feel. Truly, I was not baiting you but was curious as to what your story had to do with a thread about purgatory or Mass for that matter. But it sounds as though you were hurt or feel betrayed by the Catholic Church. My experiences have not always been good but for the last 10 years I have been very fortunate to be in a great parish with devout priests and a pastor that actually insists on teaching the congregation their Catholic faith.