Good afternoon, or morning for the US! Enjoy this late edition of Fem Friday.

Here is a richly illustrated article on the origins of the insult “fishwife”:

English merchants were “horrified” that Dutch fishwives were “speaking their minds and running businesses” says Buis. Even worse, fishwives were going door to door with their wares and calling out to would-be customers. And who likes a loud, mobile, entrepreneurial lady?

Spoiler: for sure not the English.

http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/just-like-feminist-fishwife-was-supposed-to-be-an-insult

Staying with the nautical theme, OF COURSE there is a Wikipedia list of women pirates. It is admirably detailed, started before 200BC and running up to the present day. I was less than sure about the section heading “Female interaction with pirates in the 18th Century”, but it too is broadly about entrepreneurial women, running alehouses for pirates and fencing stolen goods! So that’s okay.

many women dressed as men during the Golden Age of Piracy, in an effort to take advantage of the many rights, privileges, and freedoms that were exclusive to men.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_piracy

Happy Friday,

Alex.