Achlys Cisneros

A student service with Valentine’s Day cards walks into the classroom, everyone wonders if they’ll receive one. This past Valentine’s Day seemed a lot different than cliches in movies. The holiday seemed more about social status and expectations rather than actually a holiday about love. In classrooms people commented on whether or not someone was wearing red — the color that indicated they are in a relationship  — and some students  were shamed for being single. 

Many were overall sad on that day and  went home crying. There was real judgment on the people who were single on Valentine’s Day, the showing off the gifts and flowers made some  upset. 

Valentine’s Day was made to symbolize love and is a day to show affection. For the people who don’t feel loved, it is even worse than any other holiday because they feel lonely. Valentine’s Day can either be a joyful day or a miserable day, it all depends on how loved you feel. The particular reason for this is that there is a lot of pressure from marketing and stores and social media to have a significant other on Valentine’s Day. This mainly affects those who give into peer pressure and care about what others think about them, even though they don’t have a significant other or a “soulmate”. 

Valentine’s Day is a great concept but with many sensitive young individuals, it becomes a burden and  social scare. Without Valentine’s Day there would be less unwanted proposals and more happy single folks. Some people just don’t benefit from the holiday as others do. It’s the difference between dating and not dating, not a difference between having or not having love. The love holiday doesn’t need to be as hurtful as it is.

Serena Erickson

Valentine’s day. Arguably the worst holiday in existence. Granted, it’s cute for couples to take each other on dates, buy flowers, spend quality time together and whatnot, but, I think that couples should cherish each other frequently instead of just once a year. They don’t need to go all out and buy stuff that’s worth over 20 dollars. However, they should still show some sort of appreciation and love for their partner, whether it’s buying flowers or picking them from their own garden, writing cute notes, spending time with each other by watching a movie/ TV show, baking together or going on walks. Valentine’s day is just a day for couples to expect to receive store bought flowers, teddy bears, balloons and other gifts. 

Also, it leaves out people who are single. Sure it could be enough to celebrate it with your family and friends platonically, and some people prefer to spend it that way, but for many, it’s no fun to watch everyone get to be loved romantically while you get to sit in your room alone. I would assume most people would prefer to spend it with their significant other and join in on the most common way that the holiday is spent. With the colors of red, pink and white everywhere and hearts that say “Will you be my valentine?” It can be an oppressive reminder to some that their love life is not very fun or interesting and all around makes them feel bad about themselves, or can cause them to just constantly feel some sort of emptiness during all of February. 

Valentine’s day has also been known to harm some relationships because of the fact that the event is celebrated in public. Others may mistakenly believe that people who are also in relationships are far more in love than they actually are—meaning that some of the gifts are actually insincere and for show. So at the end of the day, you should consistently reassure your significant other that you love them, not just on Valentine’s day. Again, the way you express gratitude for them doesn’t need to be crazy and excessive, but it can if you’d like. You can still appreciate small things that can say a thousand words and emotions.