Misogynistic Math: Girl Math Debunked

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Cash is not real money. Anything that costs under five dollars is free. Buying something on sale is a form of saving. These are all examples of “girl math,” a recent trend that has been bouncing around TikTok and other social media platforms for the past few months. Women and girls all over the world have been sharing relatable spending habits or choices that don’t seem to have any mathematical sense. Another example of “girl math” is that going to a concert is “free” because the tickets were bought a long time ago, so the purchase never really happened. Although this trend can seem a little troublesome at first to someone who has never seen it before, many girls and women find the videos entertaining. In addition, Zoe Collard, a current senior at the School and co-president of Women’s Affinity Group (WAG), believes that “girl math” can create affinity between the female community. 

“I think that many girls initially saw this trend and connected with it,” she shared. “…[girl math] can have some positive effects and be something that girls can joke about.” Like Collard, many women, according to CBS, see the trend as just “having fun with money.” As long as a woman doesn’t have a budgeting problem, then “girl math” is not going to harm them. 

However, the viral trend does come with some issues. Collard thinks that “girl math” enforces gender stereotypes. “…[the trend] stereotypes women into one category and may cause people to unconsciously believe that girls think in a different way than other genders,” she stated. Similarly, “girl math” can make people feel like they live in a very gendered world, where men and women have vastly different approaches to money. In addition, according to CNN, some people find the use of the term “girl” belittling, especially when describing grown women. 

Likewise, Stella Hattendorf, a senior at the School and the other co-president of WAG, believes that the trend emits the idea that women’s decision-making revolves around makeup and clothes. “[Girl math] perpetuates this kind of harmful stereotype that women can’t think critically or make good decisions, and it instead suggests that all of our decisions are influenced by things like shopping or makeup,” she commented.

On the other hand, according to CNN, the trend could also be a “humorous reclamation” of stereotypes that suggest women aren’t as financially literate as men. The jokes about various spending habits can serve as a “subversion” of these sexist expectations rather than a reiteration. Similarly, the reclaiming of the term “girl” has resurfaced on many platforms of social media, with bows and the color pink reappearing as well. “Girl math” can just be women poking fun at those who enforce these sexist stereotypes.

As for the spending habits mentioned in videos of the trend, Collard shared that she does not think people take the habits as serious financial advice. Instead, she thinks that all people see the videos as relatable.

“I do think that everyone, regardless of gender, can relate to [girl math],” Collard shared. “We talked about in WAG once how it really just depends on personality and has nothing to do with gender.” The trend also represents how all people justify overspending or somewhat illogical financial habits. 

Looking into the future, it’s good to understand what effect “girl math” might have on younger generations. Hattendorf believes that children, especially girls, will be greatly affected by the trend.

 “I think young girls growing up on TikTok seeing the idea that recklessly spending money is just an inherent part of the female experience means that they will grow up both to be financially irresponsible and have decreased self-confidence when it comes to math and other STEM subjects,” she stated. Because young people look up to teenagers and adults, seeing “girl math” videos may influence their spending habits and self-esteem in certain subjects in the future. 

Overall, “girl math” has its issues, but it also has its benefits. Although people who know how to budget their money should not be harmed, it is still a good idea to not get too reliant on these “hacks.” After all, they are just fun and games.