Yes (A.M.)

Valentine’s Day: a corporate holiday filled with unduly sweet chocolates and cheesy greeting cards. While the holiday may promote love to those around us, it highlights the wrong morals in a relationship and often leaves single people feeling bad about themselves. 

While Valentine’s Day may benefit those in a relationship, it can also make single people feel upset about the fact that they have no partner to celebrate with. According to the Washington Post, more than half of those in the U.S. do not have a partner; thus, seeing couples gifting one another teddy bears and chocolates most definitely dampens others moods during this depressing holiday. 

Regarding those in relationships, Valentine’s Day can create a competitive environment between other couples. The holiday puts pressure on those in a relationship to buy the most expensive or perfect gift they can find to show their affection; while these materialistic gifts can please the receiver, it promotes an unhealthy way of showing love to another person. The holiday moreover encourages the use of  materialistic items to show affection, which ultimately benefits large corporations that profit from the holiday. 

Aside from the materialistic scheme Valentine’s Day promotes, the holiday empowers gender stereotypes in a relationship. The holiday traditionally puts pressure on men to buy gifts and organize dinner reservations for their partner. In a progressive world where gender does not affect relationships, Valentine’s Day should not enforce the outdated relationship stereotype of a “dominant” and “bread making” man and a “submissive” woman.

Overall, Valentine’s Day creates the idea that one should show that love and affection in any relationship solely on this holiday. A healthy relationship between individuals should take more than a teddy bear or a box of chocolates on Valentine’s Day. Those in a relationship — in regards to friends, family or a significant other — should celebrate their love every day, not just on one day in February. 

While Valentine’s Day promotes itself as a fun holiday where individuals can express their love for each other, it can also degrade the relationships of others and cause stress for those not in a relationship. Love surrounds us on a daily basis, and people should celebrate that. 

No (A.G.)

Society embraces Valentine’s Day as a unique event in which individuals can demonstrate their love for those around them, ranging from family to friends to significant others. A day filled with positive energy bursting with love can make one feel a very special, warm way, differing from any other day of the year.

Whether in a relationship or not, the people in one’s community or inner circle emanate adoration for one another, causing upliftment of each and every individual. Valentine’s Day provides the world with a day whose sole purpose is to express their love for others in a variety of ways.

Some people give into the materialistic side of the day, splurging on little sweets or gifts for loved ones, yet the feeling of receiving and giving a gift can further expand on the joy that an individual receives on Feb. 14.

While love remains as the overarching theme on Valentine’s Day, there are countless ways that love is shared and spread. A person in a relationship with a significant other experiences a completely different holiday than a single person, but, regardless, each day embodies love. 

For those in a relationship, Valentine’s Day allows each partner to demonstrate their love for one another in numerous ways. These not only include expensive dinner dates and gifts like jewelry or clothing, but also small gestures, such as a card or text to reassure their partner of their unconditional love. While some couples may choose to indulge in the elaborate gifts for each other, this is not a vital part of the holiday. 

Apart from spending Valentine’s Day with a significant other, the holiday embraces the love that people share, from friends to families. Every year, many girls choose to partake in a “Galentine’s Day,” in which they solely spend the holiday with their best friends, spreading love and bliss amongst each other. Little trays of “Valentine’s Day” desserts and picnics allow best friends to spend the day with one another, still feeling the type of love one would with their significant others.

Universally, Valentine’s Day is recognized as a holiday in which one can feel the love around them and spread this love with others. Having one’s significant other, friends and family around on this day all provide the same positive emotions, indicating how the holiday can provide a sense of all-inclusive happiness.