I’m pretty sure I chose the name ‘Smart Girls with ADHD’ before I decided to start this site. The name felt obvious. The site, not so much.
Okay, first of all, I went with 'smart girls' as Amy Poehler's Smart Girls site is incredible and inspirational. Their motto is Change the world by being yourself. Go check it out because the whole thing is great and I wish more things like that had been around when I was at school. The other reason is because of Nerdfighters. Again, an amazing youtube site that has changed my life since I began watching their videos in 2008. John and Hank Green's positivity around being smart is something I'm so glad exists. Please go check out both!
Yes, it’s totally un-British of me to call myself ‘smart’ - especially a ‘smart girl’. But that’s okay because I’m also American and a feminist, so we’re good.
The reason I chose this name is to reassure women (myself included) that it’s okay to have confidence in your own abilities, even at times when ADHD hinders our education or work. Telling other people that you’re dumb/not pretty/overweight is simply a way to reinforce the view they have of you. You are your own personal branding executive. (Unless, of course, you hired a personal branding executive, in which case, come on! Let them do their job!)
Giving yourself permission to talk about you in a negative way, just gives others the same permission.