Since elementary school, we would decorate shoeboxes with pink construction paper hearts and sneak around the classroom, leaving the same Hello Kitty Valentine card in each of our classmates’ equally gaudy boxes, we have all celebrated Valentine’s Day. This holiday that has evolved from red candy heart lollipops and fourth-grade drama over shallow “romances” to awkward dates with our hookup to “maybe more?” and crying into our box of deep dish pizza while watching Friends with your best friend while she tells you what an asshole he is for dumping you just before this holiday after all you have been through together (read: a single semester and 4 adult sleepovers). So, why have we been putting ourselves through this circus of confusion and mixed signals all this time? Is the pain and confusion of this seemingly commercial holiday necessary? Some students think not.
Courtesy: Forever
“I’m in a relationship and hate Valentine’s Day. Why do we need a [expletive] day for love? EVERY DAY SHOULD BE FILLED WITH LOVE,” Kurt, a Management major at FSU states passionately. And perhaps he is getting onto something. Why do we designate this seemingly random date for love, a date no one can seem to pinpoint in history as significant? There is not even a single “St. Valentine” to which the holiday can be traced back during this time, but over twelve, not including Pope Valentine of A.D. 827. You can even choose a Valentine’s Day that works for you! You could cozy up with your beau to the idea of Mister Saint Valentine of Raetia on January 7th, or even the famously steamy St. Valentine of Viterbo on November 3rd!
While you may think dates don’t matter and that there should just be a time where we are all more aware of how much our loved ones mean to us, think about how the media portrays this holiday. Have you ever actually seen a Valentine’s Day commercial other than “show her how much you love her and buy our stuff!”? Brittany, a sophomore at TCC, seems to believe that the money is where the heart really lies on this day. “I mean, not only is it not even a real holiday, but it’s just turned into this marathon of gifts and cards and dates! Why should my boyfriend have to spend all of his money on me on this random day, we both know we love each other. It just feels weird.” She is half of just one of the many couples this year who don’t feel like jumping through hoops to “out-love” their partner on this day with cash. Perhaps college kids, and even others, don’t need to make sure their romantic Valentine’s Day is filled with red roses ($22), a dinner at The Melting Pot ($99 with the “Lover’s Special”), a Kay’s Jeweler’s 14K silver chain necklace ($189), and an angry set of parents wondering why their Visa is being charged at some place called “Jessie’s Love Box” at 2:30 in the morning (absolutely priceless).
If you’re single or strapped for cash, you aren’t alone in that familiar dread of Valentine’s Day. Many people are now realizing that money certainly can’t and won’t buy them love, nor should it. After all, why should you need a date to remind you that you have to show all of the people in your life that you love them? All days should be filled with love, not just February 14th.