photo credit: Taylor Guzek
The month of February is universally known as the month of love, and for good reason. It’s the second month of the new year and the first seasonal holiday after the winter holidays. It’s seen as a “refresh” month and a way to celebrate love, which is why people can find almost every supermarket decked out in red, white and pink.
While the holiday may have started off as a holiday to celebrate Saint Valentine, it has long since become an almost toxic holiday. The societal norms and advertisement around this holiday imply that one needs to be in a romantic relationship to enjoy the holiday, leading to a cultural pressure that leaves people who are single feeling inadequate. This propaganda has also led to the idea that only romantic relationships can be celebrated on Valentine’s Day.
With the rise of social media, expectations for Valentine’s Day have also risen. Couples feel the need to post every aspect of their relationships and oftentimes portray an idealistic life that many individuals do not have. This starts the toxic social media comparison that makes individuals feel like they are not meeting certain standards regarding their relationships.
According to a 2024 survey cited by Forbes Magazine, Americans are expected to spend about $14.2 billion on their partners, emphasizing how the holiday has shifted away from love and to high expectations for gifts and grand gestures. Instead of celebrating everyone’s love, Valentine’s Day has now become a competition. What once used to be private gestures has now moved to grand public displays that serve as a comparison standard.
There’s a large importance placed on having romantic relationships during Valentine’s Day, that people tend to forget about the other relationships. For example, platonic friendships, self-love, and familial bonds are all important relationships that deserve to also be highlighted during the holiday of love. A popular way to celebrate platonic relationships right now is known as Galentines. Instead of celebrating just romantic relationships, we as an editorial board believe that there needs to be more importance placed on relationships that aren’t just romantic.
While platonic relationships aren’t the same as ‘being in love’ there are emotional gains that come from platonic relationships. These relationships provide you with emotional support in the form of a friend rather than a romantic partner. Having someone you enjoy spending time with, according to the National Library of Medicine, is one of the most rewarding human stimuli. According to an online mental health site, Cerebral, building platonic relationships can even lead to mental health benefits by providing emotional support, reducing stress, and building resilience.
Overall, we as an editorial board implore students to not only put importance on romantic relationships but also take time to appreciate the platonic relationships students have, whether that be with friends or family. Not all types of relationships need to be romantic, and we advise students to additionally remember that not all romantic gestures need to be publicized and set to a high standard. We as an editorial board want to remind students that at its core, Valentine’s Day is to celebrate all types of love.
