Girl Math and Girl Dinner Taking Generation Z by Storm

It appears the next wave of feminism and girl power has manifested in the form of Girl Math and Girl Dinner. To most, it may seem as though women have just put the word “girl” in front of words to help create an identity with these daily commonplace actions. However, if people look more closely, it has helped women feel seen when many have said that their habits are weird or peculiar. 

But what is Girl Dinner? What is Girl Math? The official definition of Girl Dinner by dictionary.com is “a meal typically consisting of snacks, side dishes and small portions (often randomly assembled) foods.” For Girl Math, the Yale Daily News defines it as “how girls rationalize spending money.”

These generalized definitions only skim the surface of these newly developing pop culture labels. Many women have taken these newly minted words and made them their own. Senior Sela Cornell defines how she experiences Girl Math on a daily. 

“It's essentially just like finding ways to cheat the system and being like, ‘Oh, I didn't actually pay for this,’” Cornell said. “Like that concert ticket I paid for three months ago. Now it's free because I paid for it three months ago. Or like, you know, I have a coupon for an app. And if I don't use that coupon, I lose money.”

In terms of Girl Dinner, she defines the new trend similarly. 

“I would describe it as like, a random collection of different food items that would perhaps not typically go together,” Cornell said. “Like if you're having a salad and a burger and a Diet Coke. That's not Girl Dinner. But if you're having like a singular Baby Bell cheese and like two grapes and a popsicle, that's girl dinner.”

Since the trend has taken shape on TikTok, which arose during the summer of 2023, Girl Dinner and Girl Math have significantly changed. Some have pointed out that the change may not be as positive as one may view this large amassing of women’s identity. 

Sophomore Fiona Hodges believes that although the initial intention for the trend was to help allow women to feel more seen in their eating habits, the trend has now made the once innocent Girl Dinner topic into a divisive issue. 

“I think Girl Dinner started as like makeshift meals,” Hodges said. “And now it's turned into how little I eat. Like I have a cracker for dinner. And that's not what Girl Dinner was. It was weird food combos and like that's what we count. But it wasn't supposed to be like a lot of competition. But that's what it's turned into online, I think.” 

Some are weary that both movements are perpetuating negative habits. Cornell points out that although some may have the money to spend to be able to keep up with the Girl Math lifestyle, others may not be able to. 

“It might be good for the economy, it's not gonna be good for people's bank accounts,” Cornell said. 

Any trend that develops on TikTok always changes with the increase of participation. One thing to point out is that everyone has a different definition of different aspects of their lives and applies differently. With that being said, some may take these trends and make it a negative, but others may take it as a positive. 

Some of the positives that have emerged thanks to this trend include allowing women to be seen when sometimes they don’t want to cook dinner. Or it will maybe rationalize those weird food combos everyone has that they think only they like. For Girl Math, it can help people understand the value of the purchases they make and help to equate how much a purchase is worth in the long run. Maybe someone really wants those boots that they have been eyeing for a while. With Girl Math, it allows them to be able to convince themselves that it is a good purchase because they know they will value the purchase much more and will get as much use out of them as possible. 

So whether experts and girls alike believe that the trend is positive or negative, it is still a new concept that is constantly evolving and being redefined every day. Right now, all anyone can do is ensure that they make sure no negative habits evolve from this new trend and enjoy the community it has created.