February fourteenth is the day to celebrate love for one’s partner. Appreciation for a spouse, girlfriend or boyfriend, this alone is very lovely. How could that possibly be one of the most hated holidays of the year? Valentine’s Day has transformed from being a beautiful day to being a big gross pink and red monster. This Valentine’s Day will be no different from the last. Expect Instagram and Facebook pictures from happy couples and even worse: more complaining from single people. I won’t be the first or the last to criticize Valentine’s Day, but I will tell you the harsh truth about this holiday in high school.
To begin, Valentine’s Day is now a completely commercial holiday today. The average annual Valentine’s spending is 13.19 billion dollars. Every drug store, mall, and chocolate shop will be suffocating me with red heart shaped junk that is really not necessary. These products are purchased and given as tokens of love, but they are nothing more than meaningless cliched presents. Today, Valentine’s Day is a materialistic holiday that celebrates our love… for consumerism.
In most relationships, it is obligatory to celebrate this holiday. Media gives the partner expectations of what “should” happen on a “perfect” Valentine’s Day. This leads to disappointment for those who, while they may be in a perfectly healthy relationship, do not have this “perfect night” as it is expected to give and receive extravagant gifts with one’s partner. It is forced. It is not spontaneous; it is basically mandatory. For example, a guy gives his girlfriend flowers on Valentine’s Day. The man has met his girlfriend’s “requirements”; she is satisfied. A man gives his girlfriend flowers on a random day of the year. The man has exceeded her expectations; she is surprised and he is appreciated. The point is, for those in relationships, there shouldn’t need to be a Valentine’s Day if a couple truly loves each other. Couples should treat their partners as if it’s Valentine’s Day everyday.
Yet, Valentine’s Day makes many young people go into a panic, trying to find a date in order to not feel alone on this night. This promotes the wrong idea for teenagers and young adults. An individual does not need a date or a relationship to be happy. In the past, women and men were often pushed into marriage at a very early age. This is a primitive idea that has been changing over the past few years, as people have realized finding love can take time. However, Valentine’s Day flushes that progress down the toilet. It reminds people who are single, that they are single. Being single isn’t a negative status, but because being in a relationship is made to seem so positive on this day, being single does seem negative.
Because Valentine’s Day puts being single in such a negative light, single people are prone to get really bitter. They talk about it in class, they tweet about it, and they waste my time. Yes, you are single. No, I do not want to hear you complain about it. If I get an invitation to your “Galentine’s single ladies party”, I will not go. If you don’t like the holiday, there is no reason to draw attention to your frustration. Complaining about a pointless holiday is more pointless than the holiday itself. I can guarantee that there will be an abundance of comments this year declaring that Valentine’s Day is “dumb,” which are not at all necessary.
In the end, it’s just one day to go through. I personally choose to ignore it (apart from writing this article), and I manage to get through the day just fine. However, if you choose to buy red roses or vent your aggression about the holiday, who am I to stop you. Have a commercial, forced, negative Valentine’s Day Sea Kings!