By: Sarah Green
I’m not particularly a Google person (I grew up using Bing), but I felt drawn towards the search
engine for a quick question. Between my searches for news on the Netflix Avatar the Last
Airbender remake and how to say “thank you” in Potawatomi, I typed “Valentine’s Day is a.”
The results included, “hallmark holiday,” “corporate scheme,” and “useless holiday.” Since
freshman year of high school, I have heard time after time that Valentine’s Day is the worst
holiday to ever exist. Regardless of my sad, sad singleness, I still remain rather excited for the
holiday (mainly because chocolate and romcoms exist). However, in the past few years, social
media, news outlets, etc. have bombarded hate toward this seemingly innocent holiday. Come
travel with me in the murky waters of media’s “not-so-romantic tunnel of love.”
engine for a quick question. Between my searches for news on the Netflix Avatar the Last
Airbender remake and how to say “thank you” in Potawatomi, I typed “Valentine’s Day is a.”
The results included, “hallmark holiday,” “corporate scheme,” and “useless holiday.” Since
freshman year of high school, I have heard time after time that Valentine’s Day is the worst
holiday to ever exist. Regardless of my sad, sad singleness, I still remain rather excited for the
holiday (mainly because chocolate and romcoms exist). However, in the past few years, social
media, news outlets, etc. have bombarded hate toward this seemingly innocent holiday. Come
travel with me in the murky waters of media’s “not-so-romantic tunnel of love.”
So, which car should we board on the hate train? Facebook? Instagram? I found the most content
on X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok. (Note: this is not an attack on any one person; rather, it is
simply an observation of a “trend” on social media). People’s burning hatred for the holiday
supposedly stems from three reasons.
The first is due to “corporate greed.” Some assert that Valentine’s Day is just a holiday created
by businesses to sell chocolate, flowers, decorations, etc. This appears to be a reasonable
assessment. Flowers tend to cost more during Valentine’s Day and I certainly remember stores
bathed in pink hearts and red ribbons during February (and early January, but that is a whole
other story). Nevertheless, Valentine’s Day originally celebrated the life of Saint Valentine, who
supposedly married couples to keep husbands out of war. He was martyred during a persecution
of Christians. This debunks its corporate origins. Since the day has historical value, despite its
exploitation, how is it any different from other widely celebrated national holidays, such as
Christmas, Independence Day, Easter, etc.
The second reason is that Valentine’s Day traditions are worthless. Social media users argue that
people should be spoiling and loving their partner all year round, not just one day to “prove”
themselves. It’s another fair point. However, just because a day exists to celebrate your
relationship does not stop you from spending time with your partner for the rest of the year. Yes,
Valentine’s Day should not be the only day to spoil your partner, but you do not have to refuse to
celebrate it just to prove a point.
In a similar vein, some believe that Valentine’s Day is especially scamming men. According to
various users, the traditions associated with Valentine’s Day are very feminine, such as roses.
They also point out that in a heteronormative relationship, it is typically the man that buys gifts.
Clearly, this is a brash generalization. Ironically, my own experience is completely different: my
mother typically made more effort in Valentine’s celebrations than my father did. In addition,
Valentine’s Day can be celebrated any way you want. If that looks like playing Dark Souls until
3:00 a.m. to you (this would be my brother’s ideal Valentine’s), then it is.
So, what is the real reason social media detests this holiday? From my own perception, I believe
it stems from social media’s push to create some sort of change. Do not get me wrong, social
change can be amazing, such as decreasing racial discrimination. In fact, there are still so many
pressing issues humanity is facing: climate change, biodiversity crisis, cultural disappearance,
etc. With this in mind, should we really be focusing on a holiday nobody is forcing you to
celebrate? I actually find it very humorous if you search “Valentine’s Day is a scam” on X, you
will find tweet after verbatim tweet; they say the exact same thing, occasionally with a
“really” or various cuss words. Social media is so desperate to find something to complain about
to get a checkmark of advocating for “dismantling the system” and rejecting “corporate greed.”
Ironically, businesses listened to the endless campaigns against Valentine’s Day and the pressure
to be in a couple. They remarketed completely. Almost every single day, I hear a chocolate’s
advertisement talking about the perfect “Galentine’s day.”
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and is free to express it. But when people write
history books about the first fifty years of the 21st century, do we really want the destruction of
Valentine’s Day there? I personally believe that we can write a much better story on our page.
