When being introduced in a group of my friends, I've began to hear the following, "This is Claire. She's the smart one." While this is undoubtedly a compliment, I've noticed that whenever this is stated, whoever I'm being introduced to quickly glances over me, as if who I am is already made up in their mind.
I don't mind being seen as 'the smart one.' I can't lie- I'm the girl who once left a frat party after 20 minutes so I could go back to the dorm and work on polyatomic ion flashcards. I'm the girl who turned down a trip to Amsterdam so I could work on getting my EMT license. I'm the girl who, in all sense of the word, could be seen as the "smart one." I tend to focus on my studying more than my socialization, and I thought that referring to me as the academic one wasn't exactly off the mark.
My issue with being labeled "the smart one," was that it told the person what I supposedly was, without giving them a chance to get to know me. As for my friends- it hurt that they didn't see themselves as being 'the smart one.' They all were smart, yet they were labeled as other things. In my mind, they couldn't be labeled as just one thing, and neither could I. In my mind, I was funny, adventurous, crazy, and, of course, the 'smart' one. But in the mind of the person I just met, I was limited to just being 'smart,' because that's what they had already been told to expect. They asked me academic questions- and were floored when I told them I wasn't actually great at math. They asked me what I was studying, as while that was a large part of who I was, that wasn't ALL that I was.
I did many things outside of school, but no one seemed to care when you were the 'smart one.' I was limited to having hobbies only in the field of my study. It didn't matter that I was always reading books, trying to make my way through the unabridged version of Moby Dick, the more important thing I was doing was learning how to properly insert an airway adjunct. Being the 'smart' one limited me significantly, and gave people a false perception of all that I had to offer.
So many people are being limited in the labels they are given by others: the 'cute' one, the 'funny' one, the 'flirty' one- and I know for a fact they are not just made up of one adjective. Another issue I had with just being the smart one is that I wasn't allowed to be seen as 'pretty' or 'crazy' or so many other things, and I was curious to see how people would react if I was introduced differently. Just once, I'd like to see how people would react if I was introduced as the 'funny' one, instead of the 'smart' one. How would people treat me? Would they ask me to help them with their anatomy homework? Or would they ask me to tell them a joke?
I'm okay with being seen as smart- I really am. What I'm not okay with is people generalizing me and judging me before they get to know me. So, yes- I do study a lot. (I wrote this article in my break between reading several chapters for my class) And yes- I do care about school. But being studious isn't everything I am, and I encourage people to not assume that it is, even if I'm introduced to you as being 'the smart one.' Be open to seeing me as funny, or interesting, or honestly- a little bit of a disaster at times. Because the reality is, I'm not JUST smart. I'm so much more- and to find this out, you just have to give me a chance.
