Ah, Valentine’s Day... Every girl’s favorite holiday, right? Wrong.
Don’t get me wrong... Valentine’s Day is fun, and romantic, and exciting because it’s the one day you can be as cheesy as you want, and nobody makes fun of you. Your boyfriend can buy you chocolates and flowers (probably roses because those are the only flowers boys can identify) and say sweet things like, “The stars are almost as beautiful as you," and your heart flutters.
Valentine’s Day is when you can truly express your appreciation for the guy you love, and let him know how thankful you are for him and vice-versa.
However, what is Valentine’s Day like for those of us whose love lives are not so exciting? Honestly, it sucks.
Valentine’s Day is so lovely and sweet for those who have someone to share it with, but for those of us who don’t, the experience is vastly different. We are BOMBARDED with images of couples in love, of gifts given and received, and every Walmart we walk into has a giant freaking stuffed bear with a heart in its hand and the words, “I love you” written on it, flanked by aisles of chocolates and gift sets, cards, and more stuffed animals.
We see picture after picture, advertisement after advertisement, of the various ways we ought to spend our Valentine’s Day. Yet, you’ll notice not one of these pictures or displays showcases a person by himself/herself or with friends but, rather, always with a significant other.
We feel inadequate and lonely as if we are failures in the eyes of society for the sole reason we don’t have a boyfriend to cuddle up with on Valentine’s Day. Do not let the hearts, and the flowers, and the ridiculously overpriced stuffed teddy bears make you feel as though you aren’t lovely and precious.
Nothing is wrong with you, and you not having a "bae" to spend the holiday with does not mean you aren’t every bit as beautiful and fun as the girls who do.
You don’t need a boy (a man, even) to have fun on Valentine’s Day. Being single means you don’t have to share your heart-shaped pizza, put make-up on, fix your hair, or spend an hour deciding what you should wear.
Valentine’s Day, Shmaletine’s Day.
Get a group of girlfriends who spend the day by themselves, and go out. Eat heart shaped waffles or a platter of chicken minis, put on your PJs and watch Me Before You or have a Friends marathon, go roller skating, go out and party, give each other cheesy couples’ gifts. Whatever you do, just have fun.
Don’t spend the whole day thinking about all the things you could do if you had a boyfriend. Instead, spend it thinking about all the things you will do with your friends (or even by yourself, if that’s what you want to do). You can be your own best friend. You can go out with your best friends. You can do whatever you want because Valentine’s Day is just another day.
Your Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to suck just because you’re single. Forget boys, forget relationships, and forget everything stressing you out or making you feel small. Go out and live big, laugh loudly, and love the people around you who are in the same position as you.
Even if you aren’t in a relationship, you are by no means alone; you have your girls to boost you, your family to love you, and your dog to give you kisses.
Honestly, what more could you need?
