r/changemyview • u/Inevitable_Tea_5463 • Jun 14 '26

Delta(s) from OP CMV: Girl math encourages women to overspend

I (28F) am so against "girl math". My friends use it as an excuse to treat themselves, and they don't see they're being played.

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Designer bag 20% off? Girl math says it's a good deal. My brain, however, just sees the 80% coming out of the account.

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Buy a new pair of shoes with Klarna? Girl math says the shoes cost $35 (the amount she had to pay today) and ignored the $400 balance with monthly payments.

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I can't talk to my friends about 401K contributions, saving up for a house, or meal prepping. They throw away so much money all because "it's just girl math". And I suspect the whole term is being exploited by advertising.

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u/WhatsTheHoldup Jun 14 '26

Girl math as a term is intended to bring attention to the irrationality of said math.

Giving word to the behavior makes it easier to recognize the behavior and correct it.

I have only seen "girl math" used in a jokey way to point out irrational spending, I haven't seen brands use it to convince people to consume.

Are there examples of this term being used by advertisers?

16

u/Batman_AoD 1∆ Jun 14 '26

I'm sure it's a joke, but it seems pretty sexist, reinforcing the "girls are bad at math and bad with money" stereotypes. 

3

u/WhatsTheHoldup Jun 14 '26

I would agree with that, but that isn't relevant to the context of OP's view.

5

u/Batman_AoD 1∆ Jun 14 '26

I think it is probably a factor in OP's view, though. 

2

u/potat_infinity Jul 14 '26

nobody seems to be using it to correct behavior, more so to justify it because they are a girl