By Carly Guise Junior Editor-in-Chief I hate Valentine’s Day. It’s the absolute worst. There, I said it. It’s not that I’m anti-romance or anti-love or anything. Love is great. Love makes the world go ‘round, or whatever the saying is. Love makes people happy and, the way I see it, the more people that we have happy in this world, the better off we’ll be. I am anti-Valentine’s Day because I am against the idea that you have to treat your significant other special because Hallmark says you have to. If you truly care about someone, every day should be Valentine’s Day, but it shouldn’t have to be so costly. The hundreds of dollars that a card company pressures you to spend on extravagant dinners, on the flowers that’ll die in a week, and the gifts that’ll just go in the back of the closet anyway--it’s ridiculous. There are so many other ways for you to express your love that don’t require chocolate hearts and giant stuffed animals that only come in obnoxiously bright pinks.
Approximately 19.7 billion-- yes, with a ‘b’--dollars was spent by Americans on Valentine’s Day last year. Breaking it down even further, it’s an average of $147 for every person who celebrated the holiday, but men had a tendency to spend more, while women tended to spend less, bringing me to my next point. Valentine’s Day is a holiday catered to women. You never see giant red signs covered in hearts advertising for half off a toolbox or a new grill. It’s always the department stores with the big, heart-centered sales, be it for clothes, candy, or jewelry. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans last year spent almost $4.5 billion of the $19.7 billion on jewelry alone. And, while it’s entirely plausible that there are men that received jewelry as a gift, we all know that traditional gender roles tend to lean towards women in this cases such as this. I mean, every Kay Jewelers commercial I’ve ever seen features the man searching desperately for the perfect gift to give to the girl. And of course, when he gives it to her, she loves it and “every kiss begins with Kay” rings out as they--you guessed it--kiss. Maybe I would be okay with Valentine’s Day if it didn’t have so many of these ideals. Someone’s love for you is not measured by how much they spend on you. It is not determined by the restaurants that they take you to, or whether or not they get you a flashy ring for a day that has been transformed into a capitalistic hole of greed. If you’re truly into someone, don’t wait to tell them on a dreary February day. Be spontaneous, tell them whenever and wherever. Surprise them. Call them and tell them just because. Text them. You don’t need Valentine’s Day. You don’t need it to feel special, you don’t need it to validate your relationship. So yeah, I hate Valentine’s Day. It’s a stupid, unnecessary holiday that pretty much requires spending large amounts of money, and I’m not down for it. Celebrate Valentine’s Day? I’d rather not.
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