By Ali Siemens (Staff Writer) – Email
Valentine’s Day happens once a year. We all know it’s coming, we see the red and pink hearts everywhere. Some dread it and some love it. Everyone has heard about how Valentine’s Day is a Hallmark holiday, consumerist focused, and a blatant money grab. I’m not taking that approach; V-day is a well-known excuse for florist’s sales increase and restaurant price hikes.
My issue with Valentine’s Day is how single people are looked at as lepers. “Ohhhh, you’re single?” Insert look of pity. Why are the single people even brought into it? We didn’t do anything except avoid getting roped into the holiday (yeah – I’m reppin’ the status: single).
I hate Valentine’s Day because people think single people just sit at home and cry themselves to sleep buried in a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked ice cream and vodka. The holiday isn’t even focused around love, romance, and roses anymore; it’s targeted towards making single people feel like shit for being single and lonely.
Quick! Go find someone to be in a three month relationship with so you can celebrate Valentine’s Day! I’m not interested in your pitch, Love.
I don’t think the people in relationships should feel sorry for their single friends anymore. If anything, the single people should be forming support groups for their friends in relationships. When Valentine’s Day comes around, I don’t really do much. I acknowledge the holiday, I eat the chocolates my Dad bought me, and I carry on with my day. But, to all the people in relationships: I am truly sorry that you have to deal with Valentine’s Day.
The stress is unbelievable. Men are expected to come up with an elaborate date night filled with dinner, flowers, chocolate, a stupid stuffed animal, and rose petals on the bed for when the evening comes to an end. Women are out getting brazillians, buying new clothes, and anticipating Prince Charming’s arrival. That just seems like an annoying hassle! All for a day that doesn’t even mark anything. What if you’ve only been dating a month? You are still expected to step up and make this romantic evening happen.
If Valentine’s Day was really about love, it wouldn’t be directed towards making people feel like crap for not being “in love.” This ambiguous term that is supposed to be applicable in everyone’s relationship ends up creating a superficial holiday full of superficial supporters.
There are always the same issues; you waited too long to make reservations, you can’t afford flowers, you have nothing to wear on your date, you have homework, and, worse, you have to shave your legs! The list goes on. At least at Christmas time you get to watch Uncle Ted get drunk and listen to him tell inappropriate stories about your Mom as a teenager.
Valentine’s Day does everything it sets out not to do. The holiday is supposed to be about love and all the other warm and fuzzy stuff, but all it ever does is make people feel inadequate, whether they are single or hitched.
