Social media platforms are extremely fast-paced in nature. It just takes a few minutes for a new trend to take over these applications that end up spreading like wildfire. There are plenty of fun trends online that capture the attention of users and keep them engaged. The latest trend that has been doing the rounds on the internet recently is the “Girl Math” and “Boy Math” trend.

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What is “Girl Math?”

After the popular “Girl Dinner” trend that showcased minimal-effort meals, the “Girl Math” trend took off. Close to what the name suggests, the trend jokingly comments on how some women justify purchases with a lopsided logic or set of rules that makes sense to only them. According to KnowYourMeme, the trend originated in August with a video from @samjamessssss in which she explained this concept. 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.” Concert tickets bought in advance are also free (at least, by the time said concert rolls around) and purchases that are returned for a refund aren’t just free, but profitable, according to the carefully distorted Girl Math logic.

Content creator Ritvi Shah smartly utilised the “Girl Math” trend in her reel which was actually an ad for Plum Goodness. She wrote “Girl Math is pampering yourself & saying YOU DESERVE IT after every minor inconvenience.” – like wearing that new dress and doing skincare therapy, getting your nails done, salon blow-dry for the hair, and going festive shopping.

The Birth of “Boy Math”

Soon after the “girl math” meme trend became popular, it became gendered as the “boy math” trend also began trending. However, people were quick to notice how the ‘boy math’ trend was less about the peculiar spending habits of men but more about belittling women and their financial decisions. An X user @BowTieBernard put up a controversial post saying that “boy math” centers around buying items in bulk to save money in the long run, while mocking ‘girl math’ posts.

In response to the ‘boy math’ posts that had misogynistic undertones, many netizens took to highlighting issues like grooming, unfair division of domestic labour, and more. Again spearheaded by female creators, the meme focuses on the quirks and flaws of men, usually pointing out that they aren’t as logical as they like to believe.

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”.

boy math trend girl math

On a more lighthearted note, a X user commented about how many men lie about their height.

The trend aimed at commenting on how women and men spend money or calculate long-term profit and loss implications of their everyday decisions.