As February begins, the sea of pink and red hearts begins to take over every office in America. The words “love” and “Cupid” pop up everywhere you go. Step inside a Walgreens and you will be immediately alerted to the season with the chocolate hearts and pink cards found scattered on the shelves. Valentine’s Day is here yet again without any warning.
This causes panic for both the taken and single people of the world.
The men in relationships forget until right before Feb. 14 to buy their partner a gift and are on the scramble to consult their best friends for ideas. Meanwhile, their partners have had the perfect gift since before the New Year because she knows how much their significant other just loves Earth, Wind & Fire and that they’re coming to Madison in mid-March (hint, hint).
As for the single folk, we are preparing for the cascade of looks ranging from pity to despair from our grandmothers because, apparently, the word “single” is written across our foreheads when Valentine’s Day comes around.
It is a common misconception that Valentine’s Day is the single-worst day of the year for single women.
Speaking as a single, 20-year-old female and rom-com aficionado, why is it expected that Valentine’s Day will be terrible for me because I am single? I’m not writing this as a cynical and anti-love person: I love love. Truly. The point is, many of us single girls have been single for months before this holiday. Why should one day out of the entire year be any different?
It’s time to change the way people see single females on Valentine’s Day. Here are three things to do to help everyone enjoy this day that celebrates love.
“Who needs a man anyways?”
For those of us who are single, its not uncommon to hear our girlfriends who are in relationships tell us, “Who needs a man anyways?” Our response? Well, you’re in a relationship so clearly you need a man. Apart from that, please stop feeling sorry for talking to us about your plans or even avoiding the topic of discussing your dates with us altogether. As your single friend, we ought to be, and most of the time we are, happy that you get to celebrate with the person you love. But we are not consumed with an overwhelming jealousy — well, not all of us at least. We want to hear about how your man is taking you to Tutto’s, but don’t forget to bring us back some dessert. We’re your friends. We are meant to listen to you.
Galentine’s Day is not a pathetic substitute for Valentine’s Day.
At first, I thought Galentine’s Day — a recent phenomenon that mixes the words “Valentine’s Day” and “Gal” and is designed to be more focused on loving your girlfriends if you’re single — was a big joke. I was one of the doubters. However, Valentine’s day is about celebrating the ones you love. Even if you’re in a relationship, it can be a good time to show some love for your girls. Your best friends are some of the people you love the most, so show them you care about them too. It does not just have to be about your significant other on Valentine’s Day.
Wine and chocolates aren’t just for those in relationships.
In reality, us single girls are probably just going to be doing our normal routine on Valentine’s Day. If we’re feeling festive, maybe we’ll pop in a romantic comedy and spend the night watching with our best girlfriends. Wine and chocolates within reach. Just because you’re not in a relationship doesn’t mean you can’t spend time celebrating Valentine’s Day with your girlfriends. The need for belonging and socializing can be found in other ways than with just one significant other. There is more to our self-worth than what a guy makes it to be, and we can have our wine and chocolates too!
So, to all the single girls out there on Valentine’s Day — I mean Galentine’s Day — don’t keep yourself from celebrating. It’s your day too!
