“Girl Math” Is No Joke for Your Finances
Have you ever paid for a ridiculously expensive drink in cash and therefore it was “free”? Or spent an extra 30 bucks just to get “free” shipping? Or avoided looking at your credit card statement because if you don’t see a spending problem, it will probably go away on its own? Welcome to the mental gymnastics of “girl math.”
Like most viral memes these days, “girl math” has some nuance to it. On the one hand, this is stupid and understandable; sometimes buying something on sale feels like the equivalent of contributing to your 401(k) plan. On the other hand, it is an overly gendered term that reinforces problematic stereotypes that equate women with consumption. Here’s what you need to know about “female math” and why I think there are no victimless memes.
What is “girl math”?
According to KnowYourMeme , the trend began in August when a video from @samjamessssss became a natural extension of a “girls’ dinner.” In case you missed the trend, ” girl dinner ” was used to describe the (sometimes bizarre) selection of snacks that women eat in lieu of a full dinner.
You could argue that “girls’ dinner” was a liberating step away from the expectation that women should always be perfect domestic creatures. You could also argue that girls’ dinners tend to perpetuate disordered eating habits and simply create added pressure to perform femininity in a memorable way. Essentially, the girls’ dinner was a whole different can of worms. (A literal can of worms: a perfect example of a girls’ dinner party.)
Like girls’ dinner, “girls’ math” should be sassy and understandable. We’ve all made financially unsound decisions that we justify with irrational leaps of logic. Cash is free money! When I buy something on sale, I make a profit! I “earned” this coffee because I left the house to go buy it! Just like that girls’ dinner was code for “not a real dinner,” it seems that women’s math is code for “not real math.”
Having directly witnessed the spread of this meme, I saw that women’s mathematics was created by girls for girls. After all, for women’s math to be fun, everyone involved needs to know which financial rule is being broken. It cannot be said that women are actually stupid; It’s tongue-in-cheek. Soon after this, “boys’ mathematics” appeared , also created by girls . But where girls’ math satirized irresponsible spending, boys’ math tended to ridicule excessive frugality. And it is in these gender lines that my problems lie. If you portray financial irresponsibility as a “girly” activity, it turns out that women’s mathematics is a superficial pastime with harmful consequences.
The problem with “girl math”
As a stand-up comedian and personal finance writer, I consider myself an authority on “women’s math.” On a more personal note, I am no stranger to using this questionable logic on myself. I recently got my direct deposit back on my apartment: forget the fact that it was my money in the first place – it felt like direct profit.
Now I’m going to lean more on my comedy brain than my personal financial brain. Girly Math is a modern repackaging of the ” women shop ” mentality. In other words, it perpetuates one of comedy’s most hackish and regressive stereotypes: “Women are like this and men are like that.” Girly math is fun until you take two seconds to figure out why the word “girl” is even there.
Every time I put a meme under a microscope, I’m told, “It’s not that deep.” I disagree. What we find funny reflects what we believe to be true. Personally, I used girly math to laugh at my financially unsound decisions; in this case, “girl math” feels like a self-aware inside joke, a way to laugh at yourself along with all the other girls who get it. On the other hand, someone else might laugh because “girl math” confirms what they have long believed: women are bad with money! Laughing out loud!
Why Women’s Math Sucks for Your Finances (And What You Can Do About It)
We’ve previously shared how many sources like to exaggerate the impact small purchases like your morning iced coffee will have on your long-term finances. At the same time, it’s very easy to fall into the trap of spending more money because you’ve accepted this behavior as your new normal . From the high price of a creeping lifestyle to unintentional damage to your credit rating, the costs of so-called lady math can add up quickly.
So, if woman’s math is hurting your wallet, you can take steps to regain control of your spending . This doesn’t mean you need to go into scarcity mode ; allow yourself to spend money on priorities and things you truly enjoy. Buying expensive clothes doesn’t have to be justified by “girl math” if you can afford real math .
The idea of “cutting costs” is abstract and difficult to achieve. It’s like saying you want to “learn to cook” without even choosing a recipe or buying any ingredients. Instead, you need specific, achievable goals to guide your spending. A simple tip to help you avoid unnecessary purchases is to write down the things you want to buy before you buy them. By reading through the items on this “shopping list,” you can make a more informed decision about what you really need.
It all comes down to making sure you only spend on things you enjoy. After all, we all have a money story, and it’s never as simple as ” I’m bad with money .” To learn more, check out these steps to start healing your relationship with money. When you don’t spend money on things you don’t like, you’re much better at making important financial decisions. Allow yourself to indulge your desires, especially if these indulgences will improve your overall relationship with money—regardless of your gender.