What does girl math mean?
Girl math is a TikTok trend poking fun at how women justify their spending. It’s meant to lightheartedly highlight the internal calculations that women make when it comes to money, time, and getting themselves a little treat. Girl math doesn’t always have to do with money—it can also refer to the complex mental calculations that women have to make on a daily basis, like when to wash their hair. It’s important to note that the financially questionable “bad math” associated with girl math is typically harmless, and the whole point of the joke is that women are self-aware of how silly they sound. In one of the most classic “girl math” memes, for example, returning an item worth $50 and then spending $100 means you only spent $50. But nobody actually thinks that that makes mathematical sense; it’s just a joke used to justify harmless spending habits. If you get it, you get it, and if you don’t, you don’t!
Girl Math Examples
If you pay with cash, it’s free. In a day and age where most people use credit or debit cards almost exclusively, finding a stray $10 bill in your wallet may as well be free money, according to girl math. Since you’re not watching the money drop from your bank account when you buy something with that cash, it’s basically free. Similarly, if something is under $5, it’s basically free, even if you buy multiples of that thing.
Something bought in advance is free. For example, if you buy concert tickets, flights, or other big expenses months in advance, it’s basically free. By the time the event comes around, the payment has already been forgotten about. That’s girl math! Similarly, preloading an account or gift card with money makes any future purchases free. For example, if you put $20 on your Starbucks account today, the venti cold brew you buy with it next week is free.
Buying something on sale means you’re making a profit. Even if it’s something you don’t need. Let’s say you find a nice jacket on sale for $45 from $65. With girl math in mind, you’ve really made $20 from that purchase! Same with “buy one get one half off” sales—if you’re already buying something and opt out of the half-off option, you’d basically be losing money.
Spending more money online shopping to get free shipping. If your online total is $50 but you get free shipping at $75, girl math advises that you spend another $25 rather than spend $7.99 on shipping. After all, you could get a whole ‘nother item rather than paying for shipping and getting no “freebies!”
Clothes and accessories are basically free if you wear them enough. Girl math uses a handy equation that divides the price of something by the number of times you’ll wear it. For example, if you buy a $200 purse and wear it 20 times, it’s really only $10 (a steal!). And if you use it 50 times, it’s only $4, which is basically free.
Making coffee at home means you can order a pricey dinner. This girl math philosophy applies to any moment you show tremendous financial restraint—which means you get to splurge extra later. Since you resisted the urge to swing by your favorite overpriced coffee establishment today, you naturally get to drop extra money on a nice bottle of wine or fancy dinner tomorrow.
Timing your shampoo day to line up with weekend plans. For example, if you washed it this morning but are going dancing tonight and then have brunch with the girls tomorrow and cardio right after, when do you wash your hair so it's neither too washed nor too greasy? Sounds like a word problem straight out of an algebra textbook! Similarly, girl math can also apply to the time calculated to get ready for an event. Girl math dictates that you have to work backward from the time of the event: e.g., your dinner reservation is at 8 pm, so you need to leave the house at 7:30, get dressed at 6:45, start putting on make-up at 6, blow dry and style your hair at 5, and take a shower at 4.
You didn’t really wear an outfit if no one important saw it. If no one saw your fit check, did it even really happen? The same rule applies if you didn’t get a cute pic in your cute outfit. So it doesn’t count as outfit repeating when you wear it again!
Origins of “Girl Math”
Girl math originated on the podcast “Fletch, Vaughan & Hayley.” On an episode aired in summer 2023, the three hosts of the New Zealand podcast applied the now-infamous “girl math” to justify spending a large amount of money on tickets to see Taylor Swift perform—including flights to and accommodation in Sydney, Australia. The video went viral on TikTok and has been viewed more than 1.7 million times. Users in the comment section quickly jumped on board the “girl math” bandwagon, justifying the major purchase with comments like “She’s saving money on her water gas and electricity by not using it for 4 days” and “It’s a 44 song setlist so don’t forget that’s by 4 nights is 176 songs so even by the total that’s $30 per live song, that’s a bargain.” The “girl math” trend was further popularized by TikTok creator Sam James, who made a now-viral TikTok video giving the first concrete definition of “girl math.”
Girl Math Criticism and Negative Usage
Some people believe that “girl math” perpetuates sexist stereotypes. These individuals argue that girl math furthers the inaccurate idea that women are inherently bad at math and bad with money. Girl math may suggest that women are so confused when it comes to finances that they think spending money is really saving money. Many researchers and academics believe that the “girl math” trend will only increase the idea of women as “splurgers” or as financially incompetent. Other critics dislike the use of the word “girl,” which some people find infantilizing when used to describe grown adult women. Women already have a disproportionate unwillingness to engage with finances due to anxiety around this stereotyping—even though women repeatedly outscore men in standardized math testing and other studies. Conversely, some people feel that girl math is a way for women to combat sexist stereotypes about their financial incompetence. Supporters of “girl math” perceive it as a humorous and silly joke that allows them to reclaim concepts traditionally used against them—basically, they get to be in on the joke.
Some people used “girl math” to promote negative ideas about women. Select groups of male TikTok users, in particular, weaponized the “girl math” trend to validate sexist and erroneous stereotypes. These jokes, sometimes coined as “incel math,” typically involve misogynistic grievances or gender expectations around how women “should” (and fail to) behave. For example: “Girl math is going through a man's phone to catch him cheating but getting angry when he wants to do a DNA test to confirm paternity.” “Girl math is denying your boyfriend/husband sex because you are angry and still expecting him to remain faithful or monogamous.” “Girl math is being a strong, independent feminist but still feeling entitled to masculine guidance, provision, and protection.” “Girl math is f—ing 3 men and getting upset when any of them f—s someone else.”
“Boy Math” Response
Boy math pokes fun at male stereotypes and toxic masculinity. Rather than focusing on finances like girl math, boy math has more to do with generally illogical male behavior. This focus is likely due to “boy math” being invented as a response to sexist dismissals of the “girl math” trend.Here are some popular examples of “boy math” jokes and memes on social media: “Boy math is how 5’10” actually measures 6’.” “Boy math is all of us dudes thinking we can land a plane when we can barely parallel park.” “Boy math is not able to afford to take you out to dinner but is willing to pay astronomical Uber prices for you to come over.” “Boy math is wanting a traditional wife but calling you a gold digger when he has to provide.” “Boy math is claiming women aren't funny or creative but then we hop on every trend they start and whine when we don’t get it.”
Related Viral Slang Phrases
Girlboss The term “girlboss” applies to self-made women who run their own business or are their own boss. Originally coined by NastyGal creator Sophia Amoruso, the term was meant to empower women to create work environments free of patriarchal and racist hierarchies. However, “girlboss” has evolved into more of a joke or derogatory term in recent years. Gen Z uses “girlboss” as a joke to poke fun at their millennial elders, who bought into the idea of climbing some corporate ladder, which is generally seen as pointless by the younger generation. In more malicious ways, however, “girlboss” has also been weaponized against ambitious women who want to start their own companies and work their way to the top of the business world.
Girl dinner “Girl dinners” are meals made up of small snacks, appetizers, or any random foods that have been lying around in the fridge. These low-effort meals are often eaten on solo nights when cooking is the last thing you want to do. The original creator of “Girl Dinner,” TikTok user Olivia Maher (@liviemaher), shared her “girl dinner” of bread, cheese, grapes, and cornichons. However, viral “girl dinner” videos may feature any grouping of foods that take no effort to prepare: a slice of pizza with grapes, a bag of shredded cheese and strawberries, or ramen with a side of buttery popcorn.
Hot girl walks The original “hot girl walk” is defined as taking a moderately long outdoor walk while listening to an inspirational podcast or playlist. The term’s creator, whose name is Mia (@exactlyliketheothergirls on TikTok), instructs that you can only think of three things during the walk: what you’re grateful for, what your goals are, and how hot you are. The purpose of the “hot girl walk” is mainly to improve mental health and provide a simple, positive daily routine for those who adopt it.
Hot girl summer The term “hot girl summer” comes from Megan Thee Stallion’s 2019 song of the same name. After the track’s release, “Hot Girl Summer” quickly blew up on social media to mean that people were going into the summer with the mindset of feeling confident, being unapologetically themselves, and having a social summer going to parties and meeting new people.
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