Regarding bluestockings…

It’s always been rough being an intelligent woman in most parts of the world. We were even burned at the stake as witches for a couple hundred years! Which is probably why those small groups of not just tolerated but revered educated women–courtesans and geisha, for example–fascinate me so.

The fight’s not over yet, unfortunately. Interesting how those labels meaning “strong woman”–bluestocking, feminist–have come to have such negative connotations. Be strong! There’s nothing wrong or embarrassing about “admitting” to being either. At their most basic level, all they really mean is “a woman who dares to be as educated as a man” and “a woman who dares to believe women and men should have equal rights.” I proudly proclaim myself to be both.