Pink, red, and purple? Heart-shaped items? Valentine’s Day comes with a dreamy, soft aesthetic, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is nothing more than a Hallmark Holiday built on man’s lack of romantic effort. We, as women, and as a society, need to expect better and raise our standards. You deserve to be treated nicely every day of the year, not just on February 14th.
When I think about Valentine’s Day, my mind goes right to the stereotypical gifts women receive. Heart-shaped jewelry you probably won’t wear. Flowers you could be allergic to, hate, or will die in a matter of days. Giant stuffed animals that are WAY too expensive and take all of your bed space (hello- where is my dog going to lay?). And sh*tty boxes of chocolates- one caramel candy and fifteen fruit cream crappy ones, no thanks. Generally speaking, men will head to the store (probably HEB or Walmart) one to two days before Valentine’s Day to pick their supposedly beloved girlfriends up the most stereotypical gifts possible.
This isn’t to say these are ALWAYS bad gifts. If your significant other enjoys those things, you should definitely buy them! My roommate is all about giant teddy bears and roses, so when her boyfriend asked me if he should get her them, I said ABSOLUTELY, she’ll love that. However, if my boyfriend bought me a bouquet of flowers and some heart-shaped James Avery, I would not be impressed.
These cop-out gifts, in my opinion, are yet another example of ignoring your partner’s preferences and masking your lack of attentiveness with the guise of romance. Moreover, as women, we are taught to EXPECT these things that so many of us don’t enjoy, every single February 14th after years of watching the Hallmark channel, reading romance novels, and living through society’s expectations placed on girls.
Your partner should be attentive, loving, and passionate every day of the year. You should be doing nice things for one another regularly. Your only date night for the year shouldn’t be on Valentine’s just because your second-grade teacher told you it was a day meant for romance (does anyone else remember the valentines we had to bring into class).
If you enjoy the holiday and stereotypical gifts, that’s great! But if you are not the biggest fan, don’t settle for those things. Ultimately, you should always communicate with and value your partner every day, but especially on a day filled with so many big romantic expectations. Put thought into the things you share with others, and don’t buy gifts straight from some master list you see in cosmo.