No matter your relationship status, Valentine’s Day is something everyone is forced to navigate the ins and outs of. Making reservations at restaurants, deciding the perfect gifts for your valentine, or trying to hide from the day all together, there is no escape from the nuances of a day meant to celebrate love. Understandably then, the day can be especially alienating for people not in a romantic relationship, and even for those who are in one, it feels almost wrong and discourteous to ditch your friends on the occasion. Love isn’t something only reserved for a romantic partner, and the friendships that uplift us and make us feel most ourselves also deserve to be celebrated for the love they involve.
So, finding a way to celebrate the love for our friends should and can be a part of everyone’s Valentine’s Day celebrations. And thanks to EmpowHer, a society focused on empowering women and those who feel comfortable in a woman-centred space, their Galentine’s Day Ball which occurred this past Saturday provided a space just for this. As well as attending the ball, I spoke to Evie and Elsa, the Social Events coordinators for EmpowHer in charge of organising the event through their own subcommittee, about the event and the message they were trying to put out.
At the top of their agenda was creating a comfortable and inclusive space: “We’re really trying to create a space of total ease, free from judgment, anxiety, or feeling out of place.” The Galentine’s Ball is all about celebrating female friendships, empowerment, and feeling supported by the women who impact our lives everyday. Elsa cited the Dolly Alderton quote “everything I know about love I learnt from my long-term friendships with women,” which I think speaks volumes to the fundamental importance of celebrating these relationships with an event such as the ball. Taking this specific time to celebrate friends will hopefully mean that “you’ll look back at pictures from the night later in your life, remembering the relationships you had (and will still probably have then!).” They were definitely successful at creating this positive, empowering energy, as everyone there that night made the whole experience feel incredibly welcoming. I’d never been to an event where everyone was so genuinely happy to see strangers and friends alike, and this made the environment of the ball incredible.
Along with celebrating those who help you feel empowered, Evie and Elsa were set on giving people the most genuinely fun night ever. They thought a lot about what makes and breaks St Andrews’ events and balls, and focused on creating an environment where people walk in and feel like they’re in a space just for them. I’m sure we’ve all been to big events in St Andrews where you feel like you have to be off-your-head-drunk to have a good time, but Galentine’s Ball was an event that was fundamentally there to give people the night out they’ve always wanted. Even if you didn’t want to drink, the subcommittee worked on procuring the kind of music “you scream-sing along to in your room, with your friends, the kind you always wished they’d play on nights out.” The night was truly a blast, with activities to do other than dancing, delicious food, and amazing music.
Overall, the ball and its message are fundamental to EmpowHer as a whole: “Empowher has created a space for friendships to grow so successfully, it’s really such a magic society,” says Elsa. Unlike a lot of social spaces, “there’s no cliquey-ness to this society – no exclusion, no awkward ‘who are you?’ vibes” which truly helps to bring everyone together and feel comfortable celebrating themselves and others. Being on the committee myself, I can speak from personal experience how amazing and welcoming the society truly is, but I can also say how many people have recounted how EmpowHer events make them feel part of a supportive, welcoming, and empowering community. The Galentine’s Ball was the perfect way to experience this community firsthand. Our friendships are one of the most important relationships we experience and ever will experience in our lives. They should not take the backburner on Valentine’s Day, and instead should be celebrated and shown all they love they deserve.
Although the Galentine’s Day Ball has now passed, I feel inspired to continue celebrating my friendships this Valentine’s Day and for many more to come. Make sure you take the time to think about those who empower you the most and celebrate your love for them in whatever way possible. Whether it’s taking your friends out for cocktails, hosting a cute brunch, or just going on a walk with them and telling them how much you appreciate them, celebrate your friendships this Valentine’s.