The ‘girl math’ meme, which satirises the mental gymnastics that Gen Z women deploy to rationalise buying an item that is expensive or unnecessary, has become prolific on social media.
In its current form, the term originated on a podcast in July 2023 where it was first used by three radio hosts from New Zealand.
The term instantly resonated with girls and young women, gaining huge traction on social media, where girls posted TikToks sharing the contorted (but comedic) logic they apply to justify ‘out-of-pocket’ purchases.
So, what are the rules of ‘girl math’?
Five pound freebies: Any item under £5 is free – as are purchases made with cash.
Delayed gratification: Purchases that you cash in on months later, like a spa weekend or concert tickets, are free.
Delivery fee-dodging: Adding an extra item to your basket to avoid the Amazon delivery fee saves you money.
Profiteering: Returning an item of clothing to the store is equivalent to ‘making money’.
Dining for less: Ordering takeout for dinner is free because you didn’t buy lunch out at work today.
These rules capture a way of thinking that has long-been employed by spenders to alleviate buyers’ remorse.
The difference now, however, is that the meme characterises girl-kind in their entirety as impulsive and unserious when it comes to money. It implies that, despite our best efforts, young women’s failure to get a grip on their finances has forced us to settle for a rose-tinted, girl-coded version of money management.
Although this is done through a humorous lens, unsurprisingly, this narrative has inspired backlash in some feminist circles.
These critics suggest that the ‘girl math’ meme threatens an insidious rowing back of female financial empowerment by encouraging women to apologise for their spending, or worse still, to make actively risky financial decisions, through the guise of light-hearted social media content. In reality, they argue, it reinforces the archaic stereotype of women as spendthrifts.
But this critique misses the point of ‘girl math’.
Firstly, ‘girl math’ is a self-satirising concept, and women are perfectly capable of, and more importantly allowed to, make fun of themselves.
And whilst much of the content is highly funny, it is also highly relatable. The ‘girl math’ gag therefore serves a separate (though not secondary) function to entertainment: it provides a space of safety and solidarity for women to share the psychological realities of their spending habits in an era where financial uncertainty is pervasive for many young people.
The value of this should not be underestimated, nor should the value of some of the economic principles, that for all its silliness, underpin ‘girl math’.
First and foremost, the ‘girl math’ philosophy is premised on the idea that saving in one area of your life allows you to invest more in others - this is not controversial; prioritisation of spending is personal finance #101.
But when you start to unpick the favourite ‘girl math’ equations, you can see that many are classic examples of behavioural economics:
Long-term value projection: This often manifests as ‘cost-per-wear’; if you wear a £200 dress 10 times, it only costs you £20.
Sunk costs: These are costs you have already paid or committed to; for example, visits to your boujie gym are free because you have already shelled out for the membership.
Prospective costs: The idea of saving money on future purchases by buying something that is cheaper today; for example, buying a luxury winter coat for half the price in summer.
Like all math, there is room for error. But often, ‘girl math’ calculations are in line with practical considerations.
Claiming a free cappuccino on your subscription to your favourite coffee shop is clearly not ‘free’ in the literal sense. However, it is smart forward planning if you know you have a tendency to indulge in takeaway coffee, as is purchasing a discounted pair of boots that have been on your wish list for months and you were going to buy anyway.
And whilst the suggestion that receiving a refund is equivalent to ‘making money’ is perhaps slightly bold, returning an item to reclaim money you were willing to part with, is fundamentally good practice.
My final line of defence against ‘girl math’ critics is that female content creators were also the originators of ‘boy math’, the adjacent meme for men.
‘Boy math’ mocks (the sometimes far more outrageous) leaps made by some men to justify big-picture positions on finance, including the expectation that women should be housewives but also pay bills.
As with ‘girl math’, ‘boy math’ is deliberately facetious, making clear the point that no-one is exempt from ridicule when it comes to trying to square our personal finances.
So, before you write-off ‘girl math’ as silly skit, give the girlies some credit for providing some comic relief, and a healthy dose of financial perspective, during tough economic times.