Debatable: Is Valentine’s Day worth celebrating?

Valentine’s Day is looming and people either jump on the love bandwagon or participate in open revolt. In a bid to settle the issue once and for all, TMGR’s founders Anita and Fi will go head-to-head, womano-a-womano, on the hot topic: Is Valentine’s Day worth celebrating?

Anita says:

There are many haters when it comes to Valentine’s Day and surprisingly… I’m not one of them. Whilst I cringe at PDA, subtly laugh at awkward first dates, and dislike the billions of dollars Hallmark makes off each card, there are so many things I do like about this day, here are a few:

The Legend

Valentine’s Day dates back to fifth century in honour of Saint Valentine. Legend has it that in a time when young people were prohibited to marry, as men supposedly fought better when single, St Valentine performed marriages that were outlawed and then became imprisoned and sent to death by the Roman Empire. Therefore, the celebration of Feb 14 began with the selfless act of St. Valentine, risking his own life for love. Very romantic. This is the dude here:

A day of expression

Valentine’s Day can also provide and encourage the usually ‘unromantic’ or those struggling to express themselves with tools to show their loved ones how much they care. Overpriced flowers, teddy bears and chocolates are usually the popular choices, but we need to start somewhere, right?

I choo, choo, choose love!

via GIPHY

Valentine’s Day is what we want it to be. I avoid societal expectations and try to make it my own. Yes, we can celebrate the love of a partner, family, friendship etc… any day of the year (and we should make a concerted effort to do that). However, sometimes, Valentine’s Day is a good reminder to act on it. I don’t see Valentine’s Day as a day of love just between two people, I see it as a day of love in general. Whether it’s a reminder to love yourself, get in touch with people who have drifted or celebrate the love of life, then I am all for Valentine’s Day.

Fi says:

Aaaaand I am not for Valentine’s Day. Firstly, I believe a disclaimer is in order: My boyfriend broke up with me recently, so please take what I say with a grain of salt.. and a picture of this grumpy cat:

Choking on love

Ok, maybe you’ll need more than a grain, perhaps a truckload of salt. But I guess I wouldn’t mind Valentine’s Day so much if it wasn’t rammed down our throats. Once we get over the hype of the New Year, we are thrown headfirst into the lovefest of Feb 14 with cards, teddy bears and balloons blocking the entrance to the supermarket. Thank you Coles for reminding me that there will be no love for me this year. Now, remove these items from the entrance and I won’t have to sacrifice one of those little bears to our Queen of broken hearts: Adele. Sing it Adele!

via GIPHY

Great expectations

So, not only are we bombarded with romantic gifts we supposedly need to buy, but we also have to deal with the pressure of making plans. There is something very New Year’s Eve-ish about the whole thing. If you’re coupled up, you’re expected to have the most romantic night in the history of time and finish the night with a proposal or egg fertilisation.

And then there’s the gift giving. We JUST had Christmas and that’s hard enough as it is. Don’t cave in and buy flowers for quadruple their normal price. If you do, I’ll come vomit on them…and don’t think I won’t.

And if you’re single, are you just supposed to stay home alone with your various animals and wait for the V-Day chocolate to be marked down at the local shops? Outrageous! (But yes, I’ll buy those discount boxes of Roses any day of the week, thank you very much)

For the love of God, why?

I’m really not sure why we need a day that celebrates love and romance when approximately half (ok, I don’t know this, but it certainly feels like half) the world is single. What I do know is that there has been a definite increase in people choosing to live alone and be single by choice. What does this tell you? That society’s values and expectations are changing. We no longer need to live in a world made for two! I’m talking to you Valentine’s Day, scoot.

With all that said, next week I plan on going out with my girls and enjoying the love we have for each other with a nice dinner and a nice red. I’m actually really looking forward to it. Hmmm, maybe I’m more on board than I thought…

What do you think about this V-Day business? Join in the conversation!

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Images: We Know Memes, Wikimedia Commons and Giphy