Girl math TikTok trend: Ulta, Fenty, Five Below and other brands

The trends are taking hold at a time when social media, and TikTok in particular, is a key instigator of packaged goods buys, especially for Gen Z. A recent study from performance marketing agency Tinuiti found that social media contributes to more of such purchases than TV for the cohort.

But marketers need to get it right. The danger lies in offending customers by falling into a sexist trap that condescends to tell women they are bad at math. According to Cindy Gallop, a gender equality advocate, consultant and CEO of IfWeRanTheWorld, the way to do this is to be “original, creative and empathetic,” and acknowledge that #girlmath is a joke.

“The fatal thing for a brand to do would be to take this literally and talk down to consumers,” she wrote in an email. “I see too many brands fail to respect consumers, especially when those consumers are female.”