Girl Math *eye roll*

[Heylylaa]

AIBU to be sick of expressions like "girl math"?

Google says the definition of Girl Math is "a term used to describe the financial rationalizations that some women use to justify spending money. It's a fun, unserious way of justifying purchases that might not be essential". However, that's not the context I hear it used in.

People I know basically say as a way to insult a womans intelligence if something isn't adding up. Basically you're a woman and you're thick.

For example on a Facebook page where someone declared they were 100 days since the start of something, a commenter queried how that could be as they were 83 days a couple of days ago. A different person comments "girl math".

I don't know if I'm being irrational to hate this phrase so much?

At least four posts saying it's an American term as though that's relevant to the OP?

It's slang that is widely used online... The Internet does not belong to America. Borders don't really apply anymore for slang and haven't done for at least 25 years?? You regularly see viral phenomenon dismissed as American and I find it absolutely bizarre, is it a generational thing? Do you not understand that people don't need a passport to use reddit or YouTube? One person, in any country posts something on the internet and within in an hour it's an international bit of slang.

Is this why people go mad when they see someone use an Americanism on MN, do they think that an American has crossed without their paperwork to some sort of online version of British soil? Like an Internet embassy.

She didnt ask the men to explain. Why would she, she designed and wrote it. The men took it upon themselves to explain it to her in a because they thought that as a woman she couldn't possibly understand which is condescending. Therefore the example given to you was textbook mansplaining.

Are rosemarbel and randomchap not using the exact same definition?

I’m a girl (woman). I am an award winning accountant with a medal of achievement in my chosen field, and a degree in Maths, and I hate that I sort of identify and get the girl math thing.

I’m absolutely known for saying if I buy it with cash it’s free (because in my head if it’s not in my bank account it’s extra money), or if I return and buy something it only cost me the extra.

But it’s because I budget closely using my bank balance, and once money has left my bank it has been liberated from the budgeting and so it can be spent freely.

So I hate that it’s sexist and dismissive of girl’s STEM abilities… but I wholeheartedly identify with it, despite being a “girl” with a talent for STEM!

Ah OK - got it. I read "used to have the men explain" as "used to get the men to explain" as in "used to have the men make the tea" or "I'll have my son collect you from the shop"....it's a slight language nuance, although now I read it back it's not very good grammar.
Do you know what I mean though? Someone might say "Oh, I'll have my Gran knit you one of those".

She saying the word “mansplaining” is used to take the piss out of men who explain things in a patronising manner to women who know more than them. Thats the same as the definition you looked up.

I know - I've got it now. I read that the woman was asking the men to explain. It's OK, I think we're all thinking the same thing.

I've only ever heard other women use the phrase "girl math" and almost always in an ironic way. Therefore it's not something I feel it's a priority to police.

Reminds me of a certain generation of women who get absolutely furious when other, younger women refer to their group of friends as "the girls" because they're infantilising themselves and that is the number one feminist priority in the 21st century.

Awful, but if you have to use it, at least use MATHS

@funinthesun19 I thought mansplaining was taking the piss out of men, who think that women know nothing, and patronise them by explaining to them things they probably already know.

This.
I can just about cope with girl maths, but unless you live outside the UK, please don’t say girl math.

The Google definition IS what it means; a light-hearted way of justifying spending. Eg, Girl Math is ordering an extra item online to qualify for free shipping. Nothing to do with lack of intelligence and everything to do with women not wanting to pay a fiver for nothing, when they can pay a fiver for something.

This is it. Mansplaining is taking the mick out of the men, not the women.

I have only heard as a way to justify non essentials.

This £100 dress is really only £10 as I will wear it 10 times.

It f*s me off big time, particularly as I have a DD on track for a first class degree in Maths at Oxford University. She could outwit the idiots who say this kind of thing in a nanosecond.

This thread is a mess. People who aren't using phrases correctly getting offended by them (see mansplaining!).

For example on a Facebook page where someone declared they were 100 days since the start of something, a commenter queried how that could be as they were 83 days a couple of days ago. A different person comments "girl math".

Hard to say without context, but I'd take this more as a jokey comment from the third person. For example say it's 100 days into a running 10k plan or something (I know it's not) and the original person has retrospectively added on 15 days to how long they've been running 5ks, because they went a quick jog those days. It's because achievements are hard, and it's not unheard of for people to exaggerate for a quick dopamine fix. That would be an example of 'girl math', sort of. Not a particularly good example or funny comment, but not insulting and it doesn't sound like person C was trying to say that women can't do maths.

But... it really doesn't mean that girls/women are bad at math(s). It's a stupid comment, same as if someone at work is going on holiday and someone else gives it the 'take me in your suitcase!'. Or your neighbour is cleaning their car - 'can you do mine next, har har'. Marginally funnier than those because it's a fresh trend, but it likely will become a cliche.

My DD and her friends say girl math. They're doing maths and further maths at Alevel. It's a joke. Wouldn't take it too seriously.

That's how you interpret it, fine. I don't.

I’ve never heard of the expression man maths. And to be honest I don’t care, women are already the butt of enough jokes.

I actually hate women using this about themselves too. It’s disparaging and we actually don’t need to justify spending on own fucking money on whatever we want.

Im glad I’m not the only one who hates it.

It's like 'blonde' jokes 30 years ago. All so light hearted and just silly fun yet profoundly misogynistic.

I don't like the use of girl in women over 18 in general

Yeah, this.

And can we have a 'youth-splaining' term to cover people under 25 who explain why these things 'reeeeallly aren't misogynistic, you just haven't understood how we use it on tiktok' to anyone over 30?

I can see where I wasn't clear enough. Poor use of language on my part.

Agreed. Internet terminology and the trends in language and pop culture that stem from social media, transcend nationality.

But I've noticed American-directed xenophobia is pretty rife here, so it's not really surprising.