(Not So) Hot Takes | Unlike other Valentine’s alternatives, “Anti-Valentine’s Day” propagates needless negativity.
Photo Credit: Jennifer Mesa
By Emma McClure
I’m no stranger to hating on Valentine’s Day. When I was single, I would announce that Valentine’s Day was a cliche marketing scheme designed to commercialize superficial representations of romance, especially with the uptick in PDA around the holiday. Deep down, though, I was bitter that I wasn’t a part of the celebration. I wasn’t much better when I got into a serious relationship, instead making the same arguments as I lamented being in a long-distance relationship. Needless to say, I would have been all over an “Anti-Valentine’s Day” celebration through these many years.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I still don’t love the holiday, and I’ll stand by the belief that it’s cliche and a marketing scheme. However, I no longer hate the holiday or dread the first pink displays to appear in the grocery store. Thankfully, I’ve seen the light through my invitation to several “Galentine’s Day” events over the past few years, which gave me something to look forward to on Valentine’s Day. Sure, February 14th still surrounds me with pink and PDA, but I’m also surrounded by friends who are happy to celebrate the holiday of love with one another instead.
Anti-Valentine’s Day is a trend not unlike Galentine’s (or Palentine’s) Day in that it puts an unorthodox spin on the romantic holiday. However, its main unifying feature, rather than celebrating friendship, is hating on Valentine’s Day and joining together in a sort of symbolic protest of the main tenets of Valentine’s Day.
At this point, some of you are probably thinking this is all semantics and there’s no real difference. After all, both Anti-Valentine’s and Galentine’s are Valentine’s Day alternatives that bring people together through a non-romantic unifying feature and defy the stereotypical premise of Valentine’s Day. To those of you who think the distinction I’m drawing is pointless, I say “exactly!”
Why do we need Anti-Valentine’s Day when Galentine’s or Palentine’s Day is a perfectly good alternative that does functionally the same thing? The only difference is that Galentine’s Day puts a positive spin on things, emphasizing platonic love, while Anti-Valentine’s Day puts an emphasis on being against romantic love. Galentine’s Day is positive, while Anti-Valentine’s Day is a bitter, negative alternative.
Feeding into the same bitterness about Valentine’s Day will never make you happier, but Galentine’s Day gives you something positive to glean from Valentine’s, namely the reminder that you are surrounded by friends who love and care about you. This positive reminder was exactly what I needed as I struggled with my bitterness for the holiday. Positive Valentine’s Day alternatives are an opportunity to turn what might be a sad or otherwise negative day into a reminder of the love and support you have in your life, be that romantic, familial, or platonic.
In the final days leading up to Valentine’s Day, I encourage you to look at the positives as you find alternative reasons to celebrate. Instead of promoting bitterness and resentment towards a holiday which brings others genuine happiness, seek out reasons to be happy. Celebrate the love you share for your family and friends! As you finalize your plans, think of the positive alternatives rather than feeding into the Anti-Valentine’s negativity.
Emma McClure is a sophomore in the College studying Criminology with a minor in Legal Studies and History. She is also the editor of The Social Ivy. Her email is efmcc@sas.upenn.edu.
