Kate Williams

I've always considered myself to look like a rather plain-and-exhausted bluestocking, so it's rather odd to read Tweets commenting on my appearance.

British Historian

In historical contexts, 'bluestocking' referred to women breaking gender norms by engaging in intellectual pursuits.

'Bluestocking' can sound outdated and possibly disrespectful; use it cautiously in modern contexts.

The term may allude to the 18th-century Bluestocking Society, a group for intellectual women.