18 Comments
Feb 9Liked by Anita Bhagwandas

Thanks for this article! Can 100% relate. The guilt after a purchase or eating something delicious. Spoils all the joy. 🙄

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Feb 9Liked by Anita Bhagwandas

The term Girl Math (perhaps unintentionally) perpetuates an old stereotype that women are not good at mathematics or even basic arithmetic. This is a touchy subject with me, because I experienced a lot of hateful comments as a child for liking math and science.

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Feb 9Liked by Anita Bhagwandas

Oh girl, I needed to read this!! Why do our choices be it food, weight, or even money seem to be always wrapped around some sort of guilt/shame trip? And then the bargaining we do to justify said decisions...my God, please stop the maddness!!

It's okay to want what we want. It's okay to eat what we want. Who are we trying to please? Who is really keeping score and why?

Self love comes from within not from a measuring stick.

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Feb 10Liked by Anita Bhagwandas

Oh my god i’ve been thinking about this lately (about all the life i’ve waited doing “fat maths”) and that guilt and the adding up!!! Perfectly articulated

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Feb 12Liked by Anita Bhagwandas

I want every single woman in my family to read this. The way they had to fight to justify buying themselves a damn coffee pot was sickening.

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Feb 12Liked by Anita Bhagwandas

I'm with you on the fat maths, but I do feel like we should justify our excessive shopping habits to Mother Earth and the Global South

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Feb 12Liked by Anita Bhagwandas

I could definitely relate with the mental maths when dealing with food. I went on a few cycles of unhealthy dieting that made my relationship with food horrible.

Thankfully I now have a loving partner who ensures that we are both healthy by not only making sure eat healthy and at reasonable times, but also encouraging me to participate in physical activities with him.

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Feb 14Liked by Anita Bhagwandas

I'm not sure girl maths is caused by the singular big Patriarchy, though. "Woke" people know, better than anyone, the dangers of consumerism - for the planet, for the definitely super ethical global industrial pipeline, and for our own mental and financial health.

The problem with girl maths is that it exists at all (I can't help but feel like the trend took off because it, even ironically, validates that consumerist urge). We should feel okay with buying something occasionally because stuff is nice, while being okay with the fact that perhaps that isn't the best thing for the world.

Also, I have the total opposite reaction to food & exercise. I feel like exercise buys me the right to eat copious amounts, rather than the food cancelling out my exercise?

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Real ngl

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Thanks for writing. I didn't realize how much I do the same thing- Fat math around food. I do it thoughtlessly, even yesterday at galentines dinner. Chalking up my dinner to not eating that much during the day. Wow. Another thing ingrained by family trauma and the P. Well said and thanks for tuning on a light bulb.

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