When I first heard the term “girl math” online a couple of years ago, my first thought, as a mathematics student applying for Ph. D. programs, was “This is great! Maybe people are finally coming around to the idea of women being mathematicians!” Imagine my surprise, then, when I learned that rather than being a phrase to highlight women’s mathematical accomplishments, it was being used by women in order to justify buying a coffee or getting their nails done. “If I pay with cash, but my bank balance stays the same, it’s basically like it’s free! Girl math!” It’s used as a rationalization for the stereotype of women spending too much money on things that, for one reason or another, society thinks they don’t need. Rather than try to eloquently defend themselves, women have decided to make themselves the butt of the joke. Again.

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