I have a theory. I believe that pop culture has helped to reinforce the stereotype of the “spendthrift” woman, or at least normalize it.
I will support my thesis with examples taken from Sex and the City (SATC)an iconic television series which began in 1998, then continue my analysis with the new trend Girl Matha concept popularized by social networks in 2023.
Carrie Bradshaw’s Bad Financial Habits
Carrie Bradshaw was the main heroine of SATC. She was a columnist for the New York Star, my counterpart, in a way, if you like. But our comparison ends there since Carrie was known for her bad financial habits.
According to my research, she earned around $5,000 per month, but spent almost double that. [1]. She had a shoe collection worth $40,000 [2]dressed in designer clothes, had credit cards stuffed to the point of having them cut up by a store clerk, and ordered takeout in abundance (she didn’t cook).
I remember the scene where Carrie went to the bank for a mortgage. To her surprise, she did not qualify, since she only had $1,657 in her account – her only assets. Finally, it was his friend Charlotte who lent him the money.
Financial slippages without consequences
What strikes me is how much the show glorifies Carrie’s luxurious spending while downplaying her financial slip-ups. In fact, they are simply inconsequential: she has no creditors chasing her, has never gone bankrupt and always manages to buy what she wants, whether with the financial help of her friends or his romantic conquests.
I loved SATCbut I believe that this type of series, although fictional, contributes to the narrative which depicts women as being “spendthrift”, in addition to contributing to the magical thinking that “everything will work out”.
THE “Girl Math” perpetuates the stereotype of the spendthrift woman
For some time now, we have seen videos circulating on social networks where women justify their non-essential expenses with irrational mathematical calculations, with the hashtag Girl Math. Basically, it’s to make their purchases psychologically cheaper.
Examples? A woman who claims to have paid for her latte in cash, so “it was free” according to her logic, since the amount did not come out of her account. Another who claims to have returned an item for $150, which equates to “additional income” of $150.
I believe this new trend also contributes to the narrative that women are inherently bad with money.
In fact, the Girl Math implies, directly or indirectly, that women do not know how to keep a budget, spend impulsively without counting and are bad at mathematics. Yet, I don’t believe these are “typically feminine” characteristics.
Let’s stop judging our spending
A quarter of a century separates SATC and the Girl Mathbut clearly, stereotypes persist.
We cannot, on the one hand, glorify (SATC) or turn into a joke (Girl Math) the stereotype of the spendthrift woman, then portray us, or even worse, outright blame us for being compulsive and irresponsible buyers.
This is why I created my Instagram page (@Elleinvestit). My mission is to remind women of the importance of investing, not to tell them to stop buying $7 lattes. You do you, girl.
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.[1] Stern, Carly, “Will the new Sex and the City reboot be REALISTIC about Carrie’s lavish lifestyle? How the writer’s high-end fashions and New York apartment would actually see her racking up $4K in DEBT per month”, dailymail.co.uk, February 25, 2021.
[2] $75,000 in today’s dollars.