If you’ve been scrolling through TikTok lately, you may have come across the “girl math” trend. Often intended as a joke, this trend involves women justifying purchases by using their poor math skills to work out the expense. Whilst this is meant as a light-hearted trend, there are some issues with it, including those outlined here.
It Perpetuates a Stereotype
There is a widespread belief that boys are naturally better at math than girls, even though there is no hard evidence for this. In fact, many young girls are put off math by witnessing and absorbing societal attitudes towards women and math. The girl math trend perpetuates the idea that women can’t handle numbers and guess their way through their financial decisions. This is unhelpful for everyone and increases the expectation that young girls won’t be naturally gifted at math.
It Encourages Unnecessary Spending
In the late ’90s and early 2000s, most films and TV shows about women featured at least one emotions-induced shopping spree. Whilst these depictions may have lessened since the 2008 crash (which made such frivolity seem unattainable to most), the girl math trend implies that unnecessary—and sometimes unaffordable—spending is OK if you can “girl math” your way out of it. Whilst how we spend our disposable income is up to each individual, with the cost of living crisis hitting many people hard this can be an irresponsible message, especially for younger women and teens.
Unequal Dynamics
The girl math trend implies, through its depictions of women maxing out their credit cards or justifying another designer purchase, that ultimately these women’s boyfriends can pick up the bills that matter, such as the mortgage or rent. Whilst this may be some people’s setup, it’s certainly not true for everyone—and it harks back to a more traditional (some would say restrictive) dynamic in which the man in the relationship focuses on the “serious” stuff, leaving his wife or girlfriend to indulge herself in mindless shopping.
