One of social media’s most popular, and long-running trends, has been the “Girl” hashtag. TikTok users are showing off their #girldinner as they live their #hotgirlsummer, and brands such as Popeyes have jumped on the trend. The hashtags have expanded to include more adjectives, from #cleangirl to #strawberrygirl.
Now, in an economy in which price is factoring into merchandise haul videos and retailers are hard-pressed to tout their deals and discounts, the use of Girl Math—#girlMath—is on an upswing.
The trend began with videos in which women depict how they are spending their money, including how they justify and rationalize buying items (whether on sale or not on sale) and consider cost-per-wear metrics ahead of purchases.
More recent posts from marketers showcase value. “The girl math all checks out to us. If your shopping haul was all deals, does it even count as real money?” read a late August TikTok post from discount retail chain Five Below.