girl math

Coined by the New Zealand radio show Fletch, Vaughan & Hayley, whose segment "Girl Math" went viral on TikTok in August 2023. The segment features a caller who has made a large purchase, and the producers work together to use girl math to "prove" that the caller has actually made a bargain.^[1]

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girl math (uncountable)

1. (Internet slang, humorous) Logically and mathematically dubious reasoning said to be used by women to justify expensive purchases, which inevitably concludes that the purchase in question is "basically free" or even makes a profit.
   • 2023 August 10, Bridie Pearson-Jones, “Do YOU do 'girl math'? Woman explains anything under $5 is 'basically free' and sale purchases don't count – and people agree they do the same to justify their spending habits”, in Daily Mail‎, London: DMG Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-08-17:

     Samantha Jane, 28, from Toronto took to TikTok to share the concept of 'girl math' - which she says helps her to make financial decisions. She said girl math is a 'fun logic' and not a 'silly trend'.

   • 2023 August 14, Morgan Fargo, “What is girl math? Meet the TikTok trend justifying big purchases and 'little treat' spending”, in Cosmopolitan‎, New York, N.Y.: Hearst Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-08-20:

     The thing about girl math is that it makes sense – to me at least. Returning an item of clothing feels like I've made money. Paying back a friend with a forgotten £14 sitting on my Monzo feels like I'm quids in. The mental gymnastics required to justify 'little treat' purchases is something that comes easily to me and, because of that, girl math does also.

   • 2023 August 17, Monica Torres, “What Is 'Girl Math'? The Viral TikTok Trend, Explained”, in HuffPost‎, archived from the original on 2023-08-19:

     Some examples of girl math may not be as savvy. "Cash is not real money, so if I buy something with cash, it is free," one explainer video states. According to a 2023 paper in the Journal of the Association for Consumer Research that looked at over 118,000 real-world purchases, consumers prefer to pay in cash when they want to forget what they bought because "cards create a paper/electronic trail that aids memory retrieval."

   • 2023 August 19, Paige Hagy, “'Girl math,' the TikTok trend where young women justify their spending, isn't a lifestyle or a delusion—it's proof that Gen Z is starting to believe 'money isn't real'”, in Fortune‎, New York, N.Y.: Fortune Media Group Holdings, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 19 August 2023:

     Contrary to what girl math might suggest, women aren't the only ones dishing out big bucks. Men are statistically as likely to splurge as women, according to a Deloitte report from April. And when they do, they shell out the most money—almost 40% more globally and in the U.S.

2. (slang, by extension) A form of (possibly fallacious) logic specifically used by girls or women.
   • 2024 February 20, @robinlim3939, YouTube Shorts:

     Girl's math and Boy's math are different on another level