Love Actually, Valentine’s Day, The Notebook; all of these movies are the typical thing to binge on February 14th. Celebrating the romantic love that fills so many lives around us through film is such a wonderful thing, but movies like these can make single people feel very alone on the 14th. In my opinion, Sex and the City is the way to go on Valentine’s Day. Instead of being reminded of the romantic love that we lack, we single women can be reminded through this show of the platonic love we carry in our friendships with other women.
Sex and the City follows Carrie Bradshaw and her 3 best friends, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha, as they deal with the dating world in New York City. The show is a reminder to single women that being 30-something and also single doesn’t represent a lack of something; it instead represents the independence and good standards that women hold. The show also represents the way that female friendships can make up for a lack of romantic love. In my opinion, platonic love is just as fulfilling and rewarding as romantic, sometimes even more.
What should you Watch?
My favorite Sex and the City episode recommendation is Season 2, Episode 1: “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” The episode follows Carrie after she recently broke up with someone. Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda head out to a Yankees game for the day, where Carrie ends up meeting one of the new players. He asks her out, and on their first date, she runs into her ex-boyfriend. An emotional conversation with “The New Yankee” occurs, and Carrie rejects him. Afterwards, she heads to a restaurant where the audience believes she is going to see her ex-boyfriend, but instead she meets up with Miranda. Rather than seeking reassurance in her previous toxic relationship, Carrie finds comfort in her friend. It is a sweet, heartfelt, and fun episode that completely encapsulates the essence of Sex and the City and the importance of female friendships in every woman’s life.
As a movie lover, there are so many Valentine’s Day movies that I love. Anything that celebrates love, whether it’s romantic or platonic love, is something to be appreciated. However, being single on Valentine’s Day brings a lot of unsettling emotions, especially as a single woman. The way I get around these disturbing feelings is by changing the narrative of Valentine’s Day in my mind. Instead of celebrating romantic love on Valentine’s Day, I love to celebrate platonic love, especially the platonic love found in female friendships.Â
The month of February brings a lot of emotions to light, especially for single women. As a single woman, participation in Valentine’s Day is difficult because the day seems to be a reminder of the romantic hole in my life that is filled for so many other people. Being single on Valentine’s Day is a hard pill to swallow, but changing your mindset about it is all you need to be able to enjoy the day without a significant other. For so long, I thought of the holiday as something I had to avoid to make myself feel better, but now I am more than excited for it every year. Celebrating the platonic love I have in my life instead of harping on the lack of romantic love in my life has changed Valentine’s Day for the better. “Galentines” is the way to go! Celebrating all the women in my life who have brought me so much joy and light is something I want to do every day.
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