As someone who’s currently single and has hardly ever tried to find romance, Valentine’s Day has never been a paramount holiday for me. It was more or less just another day, and I never understood what made the day so significant. So, I used this paper as an opportunity to investigate, hoping that by hearing different perspectives I could educate myself and develop a more thoughtful view of Valentine’s Day.
At the very start of my investigation, I hopped onto Instagram and asked some friends in relationships about how they felt about Valentine’s Day. Surprisingly, I got more critical answers than I was expecting, with one response most notably asking, “Why should I wait until February to get my partner a gift? It’s all kind of dumb.” I took this opinion to heart because I somewhat agreed with it. Why do you need a designated day to show love when that should be happening naturally? I was dumbfounded by receiving so many negative responses from the people who were supposed to be the lifeblood of the holiday, and it seriously made me question the validity of it.
On the contrary, some of my subjects in relationships were more
forgiving. One of the most memorable responses that I received was, “I think Valentine’s Day is a wonderful day where people can be cute and show their partner a side that they usually can’t show because of embarrassment or public standards.”
This answer was heartwarming, and I could understand where they were coming from. Even though I have never experienced something like that, I can relate to the idea of holding back appreciation until a socially ‘acceptable’ time. For example, I’m often too scared to ask for gifts until it’s right around Christmas Time. The couples who were pro Valentine’s Day definitely made my stance harder to find. As the pros and the cons of the holiday clashed, I was unable to determine exactly where I stood.
Since I was struggling to find a place to land, I decided to use my last resort. I got back on Instagram and went to people not in relationships to see what they thought about the day from an “outsider” perspective. The answers I received were both exactly what I expected and completely unexpected at the same time. Some people talked about how the day reminded them of their loneliness. Others said they simply didn’t care about the holiday.
However, the most notable opinion came from a friend who spoke about how inclusive Valentine’s Day can really be. “I don’t like Valentine’s Day very much on its own because people try to close it off to couples so much. Spending Valentine’s Day with my friends is my favorite thing to do.”
This was probably the most influential take I heard, because I never considered it before. Why should Valentine’s Day be limited to just couples? That idea felt revolutionary, and ended up shaping my final opinion on the holiday.
So, to conclude my investigation, I reflected on my original stance on Valentine’s Day, which was nuanced. I then considered the most memorable opinions from all sides of the argument: couples who like it, couples who dislike it, singles who resent it, singles who are indifferent, and singles who embrace it. All of the perspectives came together to form my final stance. I discovered that I do not support Valentine’s Day as a romantic holiday, and I see it as a cheap tradition that can sometimes act as a scapegoat for failing relationships. I believe love should be shown consistently, and not scheduled. However, I fully support using Valentine’s Day as a celebration once a year of friendships and family, using it as an excuse to appreciate the people who matter most. Out with Valentine’s Day, in with Palentine’s Day and Galentine’s Day!
