It is nine days away. The holiday is almost completely defined by consumerism, from my perspective anyway. Every year it's the same thing. Entire aisles are filled with stuffed animals, snow globes, pillows, you name it, with the same messages 'Be mine', 'I'm yours', 'Forever' and of course the standard 'I love you'. And there is the chocolate as well, but there is always chocolate available in stores, so I don't have a fight to pick with that small detail of Valentine's Day.
This whole holiday is getting on my nerves. I'm not even legal yet, but from a very young age I've seen the same Valentine's Day crap that fills store shelves for several weeks. Let me just get this out: No one needs to buy any of this stuff to actually get their loved ones to feel loved. Have we really gotten this materialistic? It's sad really. I can understand maybe getting some chocolates with a special Valentine's Day wrapper for your loved one, but come on, what are we going to do with a cheap little stuffed animal year after year? Just do something special. Don't give something you think is special (that really isn't). As the saying goes, "It's the thought that counts". And this, by the way, is true.
Something that has brought these mounting feelings (that I have tried to stifle) to my conscious mind is something one of my good friends says every year. I adore her, I really do, but every year it is the same spiel. And of course she says it to many people in every one of her classes that day. Now, I normally don't mind having most of my classes with her, but on February 14th, uggh, I'd rather be at the nurse's office.
So we were shopping one day, literally a month before Valentine's Day, when we passed The Section. There were six aisles stuffed full of the junk. So of course, she immediately turns into the first aisle of junk. We were there for five whole seconds, I kid you not, before she turned to me and my other friend and said, "Do you know what Valentine's Day really is?"
Before we could reply, she answered her own question, "It's SAD. Singles' Awareness Day." Then she laughs, like she always does, knowing that neither of us really cares. When she says this to my friends and me, we all pretty much fall under two categories. Either 1) we already have a boyfriend and SAD doesn't apply to us or 2) we aren't as gung ho as she is to have a boyfriend.
My friend isn't one of those girls who fawns over boys and will do anything to get a boyfriend. She is very intelligent, but I must say she is the epitome of what a man would want from a woman back in the olden days. She wants kids, she doesn't seem to have an ounce of feminism in her, and she would love to be a domestic house wife. So at her not-even-legal-yet-age, she is already actively searching around for the man to share her 1900's American dream.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love her, but we have very different ideas of what the perfect life would be like. Mine is nearly opposite of hers (if you haven't already guessed by now). To girls like me, Valentine's Day isn't a big deal, but to my friend, well, let's just say she is a tad bit more melancholy.
What are your opinions? Comment below!
This whole holiday is getting on my nerves. I'm not even legal yet, but from a very young age I've seen the same Valentine's Day crap that fills store shelves for several weeks. Let me just get this out: No one needs to buy any of this stuff to actually get their loved ones to feel loved. Have we really gotten this materialistic? It's sad really. I can understand maybe getting some chocolates with a special Valentine's Day wrapper for your loved one, but come on, what are we going to do with a cheap little stuffed animal year after year? Just do something special. Don't give something you think is special (that really isn't). As the saying goes, "It's the thought that counts". And this, by the way, is true.
Something that has brought these mounting feelings (that I have tried to stifle) to my conscious mind is something one of my good friends says every year. I adore her, I really do, but every year it is the same spiel. And of course she says it to many people in every one of her classes that day. Now, I normally don't mind having most of my classes with her, but on February 14th, uggh, I'd rather be at the nurse's office.
So we were shopping one day, literally a month before Valentine's Day, when we passed The Section. There were six aisles stuffed full of the junk. So of course, she immediately turns into the first aisle of junk. We were there for five whole seconds, I kid you not, before she turned to me and my other friend and said, "Do you know what Valentine's Day really is?"
Before we could reply, she answered her own question, "It's SAD. Singles' Awareness Day." Then she laughs, like she always does, knowing that neither of us really cares. When she says this to my friends and me, we all pretty much fall under two categories. Either 1) we already have a boyfriend and SAD doesn't apply to us or 2) we aren't as gung ho as she is to have a boyfriend.
My friend isn't one of those girls who fawns over boys and will do anything to get a boyfriend. She is very intelligent, but I must say she is the epitome of what a man would want from a woman back in the olden days. She wants kids, she doesn't seem to have an ounce of feminism in her, and she would love to be a domestic house wife. So at her not-even-legal-yet-age, she is already actively searching around for the man to share her 1900's American dream.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love her, but we have very different ideas of what the perfect life would be like. Mine is nearly opposite of hers (if you haven't already guessed by now). To girls like me, Valentine's Day isn't a big deal, but to my friend, well, let's just say she is a tad bit more melancholy.
What are your opinions? Comment below!
So true. PLUS, there is PLENTY of time for boyfriends, etc. Now is the time to have fun and enjoy your single days, be independent and do figure out what YOU want out of life. One day you will look back and think, what was the rush??? Society, especially media, pressures are still so strong regarding this message and it is repeated ad nauseum. Let alone parents, friends, etc. that still make it SUCH a big deal about having a boyfriend/husband. UGHHHH. Enjoy your youth, independence, dreams and freedom to the fullest!!!
ReplyDeleteThose are very good points. The media does add a lot of pressure to get a girl/boyfriend and get married. As for me, I value my independence a lot. Thanks for commenting!
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