It’s hard to hate Valentine’s Day. As most of us have felt the rush of love, we easily empathize with lovey-dovey couples, shy guys buying flowers for their loved ones, girls with dreamy eyes, or the ever present red hearts that we know from our first cartoons. But there are aspects of Valentine’s Day that always get to you, no matter how deeply in love or romantic you are. Here are the things that I hate about this particular forced celebration of love.
1. Deep Down, it’s all about the Sales, not Love!
The scope of Valentine’s Day is to get people to buy presents. Candy, flowers, stuffed bears, clothes, jewelry, perfume, books, everything can be wrapped up in bright colors with red heart accents and given to those we love. Of course, the implied message is that if you don’t make a big deal out of Valentine’s, you just don’t love your partner enough!
What’s even worse is that any anti-valentine movement has the same drive – shop till you drop! Now, why exactly would I want to buy an “I hate Valentine’s Day!” t-shirt when I refuse to buy the Be My Valentine card? Can’t we just ignore the whole consumerism of the holiday?
2. It Urges People to Spread the Love, One Day Every Year
Love is there all year round. Those smart enough not to take it for granted celebrate it every day. Why would I want to stress more a very fake Valentine’s Day than our anniversary? Why would I say “I love you” on February 14th more often than in any other day? Why are commercials, photos and cards trying to prove it’s better to get someone a gift when they expect it and not surprise them instead?
3. Valentine’s Day Tries to Make Us all Show Love in the Same Way
Valentine’s is not just about showing you love someone, it’s about showing it in a certain way! You need to buy the candy, get the same old cheesy card, get a bright red heart and ask someone to be your Valentine… And the always grand gestures! Why does it matter if you flew across the world on Valentine’s if you couldn’t make proper time for a phone call in the past three months?
4. It Is Literally Everywhere!
All the store, all the restaurants and clubs and cafes, all the TV series have a Valentine’s special, all the TV shows and news sites and blogs have to just mention it, plus there are the special events and movies and music! I am fairly convinced that even if you climbed on the top of a mountain, you’d still bump into some form of Valentine’s celebration! A hot air balloon shaped like a heart, a plane writing a marriage proposal… the possibilities are unlimited. The only way to avoid Valentine’s Day entirely is to sleep it off. Hibernate from late January till March and you should be safe!
5. Valentine’s Day Kills the Mood of Those Who are Alone
Being single and not dating on Valentine’s sucks. Being dumped around Valentine’s sucks even more. Being generally lonely gets worse around this day. Dealing with a messy love life is generally hard enough without all the love gibberish thrown at people, why should anyone have to feel miserable so that brands could get their income fix from gullible romantics?
Over to you! Why do you hate Valentine’s Day and what do you love about it?