You’ve probably seen it all over Tiktok and Instagram: Girl Math, first coined by a New Zealand podcast, is a term currently used to describe the justifications women make around purchases.

By and large a catchier and more creative reworking of the age-old ‘cost per wear’ arithmetic, Girl Math excuses purchases of £500 plus hair tools and persuades us that it’s fine that Taylor Swift concert tickets now cost the same as a luxury minibreak. So far so fun? Maybe not. As someone who spent all of the 00’s and a fair amount of the 2010s in a state of COMPLETE fiscal irresponsibility it’s a trend that worries me.

Money mistakes I made in my twenties and early thirties in the name of over consumption – you might have Girl Math but we had Carrie Bradshaw- still plague me now in my 40s. With today’s added temptation of buy-now-pay-later and sky-high interest rates across the board, kidding ourselves that it’s cute or fun to be flippant with our finances now feels more dangerous than ever.

If Girl Math still isn’t quite adding up, allow me to give you a quick 101.

Say you buy a pair of shoes online, they’re not right and for once you get round to returning them (instead of letting them sit in the corner til it’s too late to get a refund and then selling them for a fiver on Vinted – just me?). You get £60 back into your account – that’s free money!

Or you buy concert tickets on a credit card for you and your friend, and she gives you cash, well that’s free money too and your Girl Math duty to spend it straight away.

A jacket for £250 that you’re definitely going to wear every single day for the rest of your life? Well that’s like 10p an outing!

For the advanced Girl Mathematicians amongst us, almost any cost can be put through the lens of a GM equation. From a haircut that’ll definitely lead to a promotion to an Uber for a date that’s sure to equate to becoming a DINK (double income, no kids) couple any day now, your overdraft might not agree with it but Girl Maths will.

Following the mathematical theme, here’s six reasons Girl Math(s) needs to get in the bin.

At first glance (or one hundred and first if your ‘For You’ page is anything like mine) it seems totally harmless. It’s a funny trend that has us all texting our friends ‘we do this!’. But dig a little deeper and in the year 2023 do we really need to be making excuses or rationalising what we as women buy with our money? Money that we earnt. In real jobs. That we are qualified for and good at. To negate buying things we want in this way feels horribly regressive and harks back to the days of women having to be frugal with the ‘housekeeping money’ to cream off enough for a new dress. Catherine Morgan, Financial Adviser, Money Psychology expert and author of ‘It’s not about the money’ agrees that it’s reinforcing gender stereotypes around women and finance.

‘When I saw the videos talking about Girl Math, I was glad that women are communicating about a subject that is still considered so taboo for so many. Given that 90% of our decisions around money do not come from a place of logic, I love how it opens up the topic of money not making mathematical sense.

‘However, there is a dark and rather concerning side. Women are already fighting against a backdrop of financial biases. This isn’t just about “girl math” or whatever new trend comes along. It’s about years and years of financial neglect and stereotypes that have seeped into our collective psyche,’ she explains, adding: ‘Girl Maths is really addressing the concept of mental accounting. A psychological angle on giving ourselves permission. Given that we want and need greater financial diversity, inclusion and equality, the most important (and under-talked) point here is that women feel they have to lean on these concepts to justify purchases because we are really attempting to justify our own internal guilt.’ Doesn’t seem quite so meme-able after hearing that…

So it’s our money to spend how we want. But what about when we don’t have it? Who hasn’t done the money juggle in their mind about whether you should put an amazing sale bargain on a credit card as you know it’ll be sold out by the time you get paid? Whereas the occasional stretch of your finances for something fun is part of life, as a regular habit it can be harmful.

Jacqueline Bayley, a wealth management consultant with Janine Edwards Wealth Management advises us to remember that the initial cost of something is still the cost (or even more if you’re paying interest on debt you incur to buy it). She explains: ‘We all need to be more mindful about our spending habits, the environmental impact, and prioritising our own financial wellbeing and happiness. Don’t get swept up buying things based on something costing you £1 per wear, or it owes me nothing – especially when it is not budgeted for, it is not essential and you have to go into debt to buy it. Really, you are living beyond your means. And the true cost of the item is way more than you originally justified to yourself.’

See also Girl Dinner (I couldn’t possibly eat a whole meal, like a man!) Girl Boss (I have an annoying inspirational quote in my email signature) and Hot Girl Walk (tbh I’ve got no idea how you can girl-ify putting one leg in front of the other, maybe it’s in a crab like fashion, like how riding side-saddle used to save our virtue?).

The debate of women vs girl is a whole other piece in itself so I’ll keep it brief, but I and a lot of other women I know have a problem with being called girl. Sure if you’re under 11/an amiable female golden retriever/prominent in the D and S community, girl is fine but otherwise no thanks. And don’t even get me started on girlie.

Not only are we likely to be paid less, but as women we are also likely to experience a gender wealth gap across all aspects of our financial lives, and this downplaying of the value of female financial intelligence is doing nothing to help.

‘I see it all the time in my work as a financial coach and wealth strategist’ explains money and investment expert, Vix Munro www.retirerichwithvix.com, adding: ‘This gap shows up in various ways, like women having more debt, less in savings and investments, smaller pension savings, fewer women in business ownership, and lower levels of financial literacy compared to men. Sometimes, women even inherit less than male members of their family. In addition, women are more vulnerable to economic hardships due to things like divorce, widowhood, or just plain living longer. Plus, societal expectations about gender roles can seriously limit women’s chances to build wealth.’

‘Financial Inequality is still wrongly, very much alive and kicking today and Girl Math is doing nothing to change this!’ says Lesley Thomas – Founder of ‘The Money Confidence Academy’, and for all the humour around the retaliatory ‘Boy Math’ (more of that later) it’s unlikely to cause our male counterparts as much harm.

She adds: ‘By perpetuating the stereotype that women are less capable or less interested in managing their finances, Girl Math is effectively undermining the fact that women can and should be financially independent. It actively encourages the idea that it is OK for women to be clueless about their finances, which only creates a situation where women could be more at risk of financial exploitation.’

As anyone who has ever been on a dating app will know, it’s boy math that’s the real issue any way. How else do you explain anything over 5’ 9’’ always adding up to six foot? And as for, ahem, more intimate measurements – well no cost per wear equation is going to excuse that. If you’re feeling down about Girl Math and its implications a quick search of #BoyMath will have you laughing (nearly) all the way to the bank….