What comes to mind when you read the word “polarizing”? Perhaps politics or social movements, and if you’re of a younger, less wise age, Valentine’s Day may also be a polarizing topic.
Oh, Valentine’s Day, a day dedicated to lovers, a day for people in love to celebrate that they are in love. For the simple fact of what Valentine’s Day is, most people who do not like the holiday are single, and most people who actually like and look forward to Valentine’s Day are not. Me, I am an exception. I do not look forward to Valentine’s Day, despite the fact that I am in a loving, committed relationship. I know some people might be eye-rolling and thinking “Wow look at her she’s in a relationship and is sh*tting on Valentine’s Day, what a b*tch.” But, in all seriousness, let’s walk through my logical reasons to not be excited for Valentine’s Day.
First of all, everything is overpriced. Capitalism created a market of everything red, pink, and heart-shaped for men every year to feel obligated to purchase for their partner. They profit off of your love, how does that make you feel? Yes of course it’s a nice gesture to buy flowers for someone you love, but going broke to do so, not nice for you or your partner. This brings me to my other point for disliking Valentine’s Day. We put on a pedestal the actions men should be taking on Valentine’s Day, women expect flowers, chocolates, gifts, and a lot more. Yeah, I like getting flowers and chocolates, but do you know what I like more than receiving flowers on Valentine’s Day because my boyfriend felt like he had to? Receiving flowers on any random day because my partner wanted to make me smile. To me, that’s celebrating love, not labeling a day for people to show love. Now, my main reason for disliking Valentine’s Day is the pressure it puts on couples, especially in this day and age of social media. Even a man who gets flowers for his partner on Valentine’s Day could be a monster, and a couple who can’t afford to go out to a fancy dinner is no less in love than the couple that goes to the Michelin star restaurant.
Basically, I just want to do what makes my partner and me enjoy our day together, and tell him I love him, just as I would do all other 364 days of the year.