How the ‘girl math’ trend became gendered after the introduction of ‘boy math’

The ‘girl math’ trend first became popular on TikTok in August.

$girl math boy math trend$

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One of the latest ongoing trends on social media right now is ‘girl math’ and ‘boy math’. As its name suggests, the trend comments on how women and men spend money or calculate long-term profit and loss implications of their everyday decisions.

Popular website Know Your Meme traces the origin of girl math to TikToker @samjamessssss. On August 2nd, 2023, TikToker Samjamessssss shared a video that explained the concept of “Girl Math”. She joked how some women justify purchases with a lopsided logic that makes sense to only them. She said, “Anything under five dollars feels free” and “If you return an item for $50 and then spend $100 on another item, it’s like only spending $50.”

This light-hearted video prompted other women to share how they justify their questionable spending habits. For instance, one person wrote, “Girl math: If i pay for it using actual cash, i basically didn’t spend anything or it was free because there’s no proof of spending.”

Girl math… making all her appointments on the weekdays during work hours on the clock so she doesn’t waste her days off.

— Cutty (@passport_cutty) September 27, 2023

Girl math is spending $8 at Starbucks every morning and then sleeping for dinner

— Arslan (@thega1nz) September 26, 2023

https://twitter.com/sthebee/status/1688863468491870208

My ultimate girl maths is no money is ever wasted when its spent on my birthday.

— Ozzy (@ozzyetomi) September 26, 2023

When Mariah Carey sued that billionaire boyfriend she had for wasting her time and won a multi-million dollar settlement, that's girl math.

— Morgan Jerkins (@MorganJerkins) September 24, 2023

It goes without saying that these ‘girl math’ posts were jokes. Soon after “girl math” became popular, an offshoot of the trend called ‘boy math’ also began trending.

However, many people noted that ‘boy math’ was less about the idiosyncratic spending habits of men but more about belittling women and their financial decisions.

For instance, on August 16th X user @BowTieBernard wrote that “boy math” centres around buying items in bulk to save money in the long run, while mocking ‘girl math’ posts.

Girl Math
– Under $5? It's free
– Returned a $50 item? Made $50
– Returned $50 and spent $100 afterwards? Spent $50
– Will never spend $500 on Amazon but will spend $100 five times

Boy Math
– Buys enough TP in bulk to last two years? Saved $20
– 30% off sale? Buy a year's…

— Bernard ♟ | YIMBY (@BowTiedBernard) August 16, 2023

In response to the ‘boy math’ posts that had misogynistic undertones, many netizens took over the ‘boy math’ trend and started highlighting issues like grooming, unfair division of domestic labour, and more.

boy math is if girl is 18 it doesn’t matter what age i am

— k𝖎ll𝖆 ♱ (@slut4uniii) September 26, 2023

Women were having fun with girl math and you people went to insert yourselves in it to mock them, now they are solving BODMAS on your heads. pic.twitter.com/k10ZwMwl0a

— YOU KNOW MY NAME, NO NEED TO KNOW YOURS (@SLYTAUREAN__) September 26, 2023

girl maths is that buying something using a refund is basically free, boy maths is saying that 5’9 is 5’11 with shoes on which is basically 6’0

— Liv (@_1ivvi) September 14, 2023

Boy math is expecting your girl to do 100% of the household chores and you pay 50% of the rent.

— Niccoya ☆ (@niccoyat) September 26, 2023

Boy math is getting married to a girl your daughters age and saying it’s because she’s mature for your age

— Thumbelina Realness 🍄 (@Lissette24twiny) September 26, 2023

Boy math is knowing how many times some football club you don't care about has won some league you also don't really care about but not knowing your child's age.

— Naome!♡ (@Nananakwe) September 26, 2023

Boy Math is a $2 trillion defense budget but cuts to social services like public education and childcare.

— Rohita Kadambi (@RohitaKadambi) September 26, 2023

Boy math is being afraid of gold diggers when you only have 3 pairs of socks to your name.

— inqilāb (@tastefullysaucy) September 26, 2023

Boy Math is 3 dudes in 1 room with 3 mics on 1 podcast pushing an idea that “Men are suppose to provide financially” but in the same breath confused as to “Why men always gotta pay for the date”

— The Head DEI In Charge (@Dreadful4Tymes) September 26, 2023

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An X user wrote, “Boy math is expecting your girl to do 100% of the household chores and you pay 50% of the rent.” Another person posted, “boy math is if girl is 18 it doesn’t matter what age i am”.

On a more lighthearted note, a X user commented about how many men lie about their height and wrote, “girl maths is that buying something using a refund is basically free, boy maths is saying that 5’9 is 5’11 with shoes on which is basically 6’0”.