I can't speak from personal experience, but it's pretty obvious how different the culture of Valentine's Day has become. Whether you think it's stupid or sweet, and whether you're single or wifed up, the tradition of Valentine's Day for us is different than it was for our parents. 

Yes, we've been branded as "the hookup generation," unromantic in every way and motivated purely by alcohol, money and sex. So when it comes to Valentine's Day, the excitement of having a secret admirer, or being asked on a real Valentine's date if you're not in a relationship would be unheard of. But those kinds of things existed in another time. Those cute gestures a girl dreams of a man, not a boy, doing for her used to come true. 

Don't you remember in first or second grade, passing out Valentine's to everyone in class, and maybe leaving an extra one for your crush. Girls would get giddy and boys would get all red and flustered. I had more romantic Valentine's when I was under the age of 10 than I have when I started dating boys in high school. Which has been a big whopping 0. Conveniently, my so-called "relationships" always ended a few months before Valentine's Day. 

I've talked about it before and I'll say it again, we're afraid. Guys our age are scared to make that move like they were brave enough to make when they were 7 or 8 years old because it's scarier now that they can really get hurt and rejected, and that their friends might make fun at them. But why is it embarrassing to want to do something nice and romantic for a girl? It speaks to a person's character if they are comfortable enough with themselves to take pride in wanting to be a man. If a man is so brave, why can't he be brave enough to show a woman? I'm not asking for every man to get a dozen roses and cook a candlelit dinner for two at his fraternity annex, or get a romance package and a hotel room, but a little effort goes a long way. 

Now, the girls aren't off the hook either. Girls' attitudes towards Valentine's Day may have never changed, I'm not sure, but the going out and getting plastered is definitely a new-age phenomenon. Being single on Valentine's Day sucks. I've been there, we all have. All the heart shaped, well... everything: candies, chocolates, balloons, pillows... it can be a bit excessive. And by a bit, I mean way too excessive. But just because you're single doesn't mean you should mope around and be bitter all day. This year, you have the gift of "50 Shades of Grey" coming out on Valentine's weekend, so grab some friends and go see it! At the very least, instead of getting belligerently intoxicated to distract from the, "I'm so single," mentality, go out and do something fun with your friends that keeps you laughing instead of screaming and/or crying.

With that being said, I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day whether you've got yourself a "bae" or "nah." And at the end of the day, you should love yourself first, so what's the harm in getting yourself a little Valentine's treat?