Let me start off by saying that I have been in a wonderful relationship with great guy for almost two years, so this isn’t the typical “I’m single therefore I hate Valentine’s Day” article. Oh no, this is all about why, for even those in love, this day is a terrible holiday that just needs to go away. I’m about to go on a rant because Monday is/was Valentine’s Day and, if you can’t already tell, I despise this holiday. I haven’t always, but recently in my life I have decided that not only is it a pointless and incredibly lame holiday, it is actually insulting to both the single people, and to those blissfully in love. I’m not single and I’m not bitter from some past horrible Valentine’s experience, so I don’t really have any reason to hate on Valentine’s Day right? Wrong! For those who are fabulously single, I completely understand why you might dislike this so called “day of love,” but as a girl in a committed relationship I think I detest it even more than if I were single. Not surprisingly, the boyfriend agrees. This day is an obvious dis to those without a significant other, but it also makes a mockery of all of those with one. Please indulge me and let me give you a few more details as to why I find this day so incredibly insufferable.
As a single girl, and even as a single guy, Valentine’s day can be a horrid day where love is rubbed in your face, and so you may choose to either hide yourself away all day (though unfortunately you haven’t been able to escape the commercials promoting V-day for the past month and a half), or you may be like my little sister and decide to rent sappy love movies and go out to dinner with your other single girlfriends making it a day to celebrate being single. Either way you shouldn’t be made to feel obligated to even acknowledge this day, but today’s society will not let you forget about it. In fact, the holiday has become so commercialized (just like every other holiday) that it really has lost all of its meaning. I remember seeing Valentine’s décor and gifts in the stores immediately after the holiday break. Again, just like every holiday, the stores shove the merchandise down your throat months before the actual day. This, along with the never ceasing commercials, is why I cannot tolerate the day we call Valentine’s Day.
As I was writing in my journal the other night, I had the television on in the background and this commercial came on that made me want to punch something. This wasn’t that jewelry commercial where the thunderstorm at the cabin makes the girl wrap herself in her man’s arms and he says “Don’t worry, I’m here,” opens a jewelry box and states “I always will be.” No, that one makes me sick to my stomach more than it makes upsets me. This commercial I’m referring to opened with the statement, “Valentine’s Day is not for saying “I love you”. It’s for saying “I love us”. Okay, that’s sweet and everything, but isn’t that “day” actually called YOUR ANNIVERSARY!?! Furthermore, at the end of this commercial, after I’d watched about 30 seconds of couples experiencing those sweet little every day happenings accentuated with the typical card giving that Valentine’s Day promotes, this commercial ended with another punch to my face telling me that “Valentine’s Day is for taking the time to say “I love us”.
Why does all of this mushy, gushy, lovey, dovey, stuff make me so mad? Because it’s fake and it’s a forced obligation that’s why! Valentine’s Day shoves commitment in the face of those without a significant other, but even worse, it tries to make those in a relationship feel that if they don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day in some way, then their relationship is not special. This is ironic because you would think that if your relationship really was special, then you wouldn’t want to be like everyone else and plan a special event around a fake holiday that Hallmark has turned into a giant profit. Valentine’s Day isn’t the day to take the time to tell your special someone how much you love them, or how much you “love us”. EVERY DAY is the day to tell or show that person how special they are to you.