Spending £20 on a top might feel like too much at the time, but if you wear it at least 20 times, then it’s actually just £1 per wear, right?
‘Girl math’ was the term coined by TikTok over a year ago, but unlike most trends, the concept has managed to remain relevant. It refers to the idea of defending potentially irresponsible purchases, using a 'logical' argument. One way of doing this is working out the cost per wear of an item. For example, spending £20 on a top might feel like too much at the time, but if you wear it at least 20 times, then it’s actually just £1 per wear, right?
Whist there is nothing wrong with investing in good quality clothing items which will last for years, and certainly get worn enough to justify their cost, the issue comes from overestimating the amount of times that you are going to wear something.
I am 100% guilty of this. There have been so many times that I’ve bought something, swearing that I’ll get tons of use out of it, only to have it sit in my wardrobe, unworn after the first few times. From everything to costumes, formal dresses, or that one jumper that I really thought I needed, I’ve bought countless items that were, admittedly, a waste of money.
Wasting money is not the only issue here, however. The impact of the fast fashion industry has become a much more prominent issue in the past few years, with an estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste created each year. Constantly buying new clothes is making this problem so much worse.
I think that if you really are going to wear an item loads, then there is no issue in spending money on it. The boots I bought last winter have been worn almost constantly since, and I know that they were definitely worth the cost. But before you click pay, or head to the till, it's important to double check with yourself that you really will wear it enough times to make it worth buying.