If you haven’t heard of Galentine’s Day by now, I have two instructions for you: first, check the Instagram posts of nearly any girl at any hour from Feb. 13, and second, start planning your activities for next year.
Galentine’s Day is a pseudo-holiday coined by Leslie Knope, played by Amy Poehler on NBC comedy "Parks and Recreation." The day, which comes directly before Valentine’s Day, is dedicated to celebrating female friendships and the love that comes with them. While "Parks and Rec’s" schtick is based purely in situation comedy, the concept of Galentine’s Day began to catch on after the episode first aired in 2010. As of Feb. 13, 2016, there have been 58,544 posts on Instagram tagged with #galentinesday, and the number is only growing.
And honestly, I’m so thankful to see this happening.
Ever since I was young, I’ve been told to accept the stereotype that women are inevitably catty, insecure and will do anything to bring another woman down. Despite rarely, if ever, seeing these traits in my own friends and the women I surround myself with, it’s something that’s alarmingly natural to accept.
For example, when picking out which residence halls I wanted to apply to live in for my freshman year of college, I skipped right over the female-only dorm. I feared potential catfights, backstabbing and gossiping behind my back, but why? If anything, all I missed out on was more potential closets to borrow clothes from, a wider pool of people to binge-watch Netflix with and the university’s largest tampon and chocolate stash in case I ever ran out in my time of need.
Sure, maybe spending a year living with constant boy-smell and shouts of, “Bro!” around my co-ed hall added something to my freshman experience, and I love all of my male friends dearly, but the truth is, my female friendships have undoubtedly been one of the largest guiding forces in my life to who I am today.
I firmly believe that while you can have fulfilling and important friendships with people of all genders, women understand other women in a way that’s unlike any other. That bond is what has kept my mom and her best friend together for decades, despite living on opposite sides of the country, and that bond is what assures me that my own best friends from middle school will be in my wedding party.
Galentine’s Day goes beyond a funny trend from a scripted comedy; it’s a way to lift up the women in your life who have lifted you up for the other 364 days of the year.
Today's feminism catches a lot of flack about creating a society that's overly sensitive, heavily censored, and "no fun," but Galentine's Day is just one example of how the feminist trend does good for everyone involved. By breaking down stereotypes at the very source and openly expressing some girl love, you're changing the way that society looks at female friendships.
So celebrate any way you can; have a wine night, go out to lunch, eat a heart-shaped pizza (thanks, Papa Johns), or just take a minute to call your favorite girls. If you’re thinking of them, they’ll be thinking of you too.
