Valentine's Day can be romantic and sweet, but can also prey on the human desire to be secure. By commercializing the idea of love, Valentine’s Day can cause you to spend money frivolously, water down true romance and enable hookup culture.
Americans spend an average $10.7 billion on jewelry, flowers, and candy each year for Valentine’s Day. And on Feb. 15., it all goes to the discount shelves.
Buying gifts for your special someone is not a bad thing; but you can be romantic without the chocolate hearts, diamond jewelry or five-star dinner reservations. This holiday is promoted everywhere because it’s a money-making opportunity. Big, commercial companies don’t care about your love — they care about their profits.
Whether you’re a socialist or a sentimentalist, you can enjoy Valentine’s Day in a way that doesn’t require the endorsement of an industry that preys on your romantic endeavors. Stay in, cook dinner, have quality time, go on a drive, watch a movie, give them a handmade gift or nothing at all.
This “celebration” of romance can actually water down what real romance looks like. People treat Valentine’s Day as an end-all-be-all; but if you love someone, you should love them every day. If you really want a special day to celebrate your relationship, every couple has an anniversary. Celebrate every month, every day if you want.
Valentine’s Day is irrelevant and is often more about appearance. It has an agenda of extravagance. True love is not about how much money you spend or how good you look on the night of Feb. 14.
Romance is constantly happening, but this holiday sensationalizes it for the worse. Don’t let it stress you out because you don’t have a hundred-dollar evening in the works. Don’t let it get you down because you haven’t found that special someone yet. Real love always finds its way into our lives, but not on the timeline of an insignificant and superficial holiday.
There is a stigma around being alone on Valentine’s Day; however, it's no different than being single on any other day. Even still, countless people are sad and desperate on this culturally constructed day of romance.
The Valentine’s Day hookup is a classic trope. People are obsessed with the idea of being with someone on this holiday, so they make decisions they otherwise would not make. They would rather be with a stranger than alone on a day that’s supposed to be about true love. This is hypocritical.
Valentine's Day doesn't have to mean anything to you if you don’t want it to. It’s not embarrassing to be alone.
If you want to watch a romance movie on Feb. 14, do it. If you want to watch an action or mystery movie, do it. If you’re single, have a self-care evening and then stock up on some cheap candy the next day. Hang out with your friends. Do something fun. If you have a partner, spend time with them but don’t feel pressure to follow the commercial world’s instructions. You can have a big, romantic evening; but you don’t have to.
Rejecting commercial Valentine’s Day can be extremely freeing. It advocates for a more authentic versions of love or a more healthy relationship with your singleness; and it might even keep a few extra dollars in your pocket this year.
The opinions expressed in columns and letters represent the views and opinions of their individual authors.
These opinions do not necessarily reflect the Auburn University student body, faculty, administration or Board of Trustees.
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Sami Grace Donnelly, junior in English literature, began writing for the Plainsman in the Fall of 2021. She has served as a columnist, the Opinion Editor and is now a writer abroad during her exchange program in Spain.
