February 14th: A date known as "Single's Awareness Day" but also known as Valentine's Day.
I'm not writing this article because I'm a bitter, single, college student. However, I am writing this because Valentine's Day is actually the worst. It's a commercialized holiday that is meant for men to grovel to their girlfriends because they forgot to do something special on their three month anniversary. People feel the need to get their significant other extravagant gifts like oversized teddy bears, bouquets of dozens of roses, and pink or red everything. Stores market Valentine's Day in as many ways as they can so no person can make it through a store without being reminded of the upcoming love fest.
Valentine's Day has become a day to buy overly-priced chocolates and a crap-ton of roses, proclaim your love to one another, and then go straight back to the "normal" phase of your relationship once the day has ended. There shouldn't be that giant gap in between that day. Raising expectations is what the holiday is about, and yet it's also about crushing expectations.
Girls who aren't taken are left depressed and wondering what is wrong with them. They are left to believe that they aren't attainable. Valentine's Day tears people down instead of building people up.
It isn't a GOOD holiday.
It's also become a time for people who aren't single to go out and do stupid and out of the ordinary things in order to fill the void left by the standard of this day. They drink, become reckless, and eventually are so emotionally hurt and shook.
Couples on Facebook over-post about how much they love one another. It's mushy and personally, I feel like you shouldn't use one day over any other to say that you truly love someone or tell them how you feel. That should be said every day, and at random--not on the day that is most expected to hear these words. If you love a person, tell them every day and do extravagant things for them whenever you can--don't save it up for anniversaries and Valentine's Day only.
For those who are single and go overboard on Single's Awareness Day...don't do it. You should be going out and enjoying your night with friends, or treating yourself to something because you can. You can love yourself too.
There are just too many expectations surrounding Valentine's Day from all fronts. It isn't a good holiday for anyone. But by all means, feel what you want to feel on the day of feelings.
