For me, it felt like Galentine’s Day came out of nowhere. Within the past few years, I remember hearing more about the holiday and even found my friends and I celebrating it. When I first heard about it, I thought maybe it was just something that only older girls and women do, so it makes sense as to why I only started hearing about it when I was in my late teens. But in reality, the idea of the holiday was started just 10 years ago, according to Cosmopolitan.
For those of you who don’t know what this day is, Parks and Recreation character Leslie Knope describes it best in season two episode sixteen saying, “Every February 13, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home, and we just come and kick it, breakfast-style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus frittatas.” That’s right, NBC’s very own show Parks and Recreation gave birth to what we now know and love as Galentine’s Day, according to The Atlantic. From that episode blossomed the holiday that women now celebrate as Galentine’s Day.
What makes Galentine’s Day so different is that it is a holiday truly dependent on those who chose to participate. For Leslie Knope and her friends, it’s grabbing brunch and spending time with the important girls in your life. For me and my girl-friends, it is just a day to let the girls in your life know how much they mean to you. You can go all out or just take a moment to appreciate the girls in your life. This holiday promotes exactly what Knope says, “Ladies celebrating ladies.” Honestly, this holiday was a long time coming. We have holidays like Valentine’s Day and various types of anniversaries spent with our significant other, but this is the first day to be spent specifically celebrating some of the most special people in your life, your girl-friends. The holiday emphasizes the importance of the bonds that are created through your best girl friendships and it is crazy to think that something that can be so powerful came from a television show.
To me, the most fascinating part of all of this is how the holiday itself sheds light on how much weight media, tv shows and the whole entertainment world truly have. What started as an episode of a television show has now turned into a holiday. When I say holiday, I don’t say it as in it’s a nationally recognized day, but it is something people know about and participate in. If you google “Galentine’s day,” over 2 million results will come up. Everyone is getting in on the fun, and even CNN has an article on “Galentine’s Day gifts under $50 your best friends will love.” Brands such as Target and Too faced have taken this as an opportunity to offer various sales-themed items according to The Atlantic. All of this is thanks to Leslie Knope!
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest!