By Ryan Hiles–
For the last three years, I was in a committed relationship on Valentine’s Day. We did the dinners, the gifts, all that lovey-dovey, romantic jazz that made all my single friends cringe. Well I’m single this year, and while I won’t sit here and say I loved celebrating every second of the only holiday more commercialized than Christmas, I feel like I can now admit that Valentine’s Day was actually kind of great. You get gifts, you (hopefully) surprise someone you care about and if all goes well you’re probably getting lucky at the end of the night. I never really could understand what was not to like about it.
Which brings me to my question for you single people. I may count myself among you now, but I have to ask, what did Valentine’s Day ever do to you? I’m serious, ask your perpetually single friends what they think about Valentine’s Day, and I’m willing to bet your answer will involve some verbal concoction of derision and mockery. Some people just really, unequivocally hate this holiday.
I get intimacy isn’t everyone’s walk in the park. I can understand if it makes you a little uncomfortable. That’s OK, really. But one thing I was always acutely aware of the past three years was this increasingly popular anti-Valentine’s sentiment. Every Feb. 14, I could count on my Facebook timeline filling up with BuzzFeed lists about all the reasons Valentine’s Day sucks when you’re single. And while I’m about to experience my first Valentine’s Day as a single adult, allow me to impart a little perspective from the other side of the fence.
If you’re single, Valentine’s Day is not for you. It’s really that simple. I feel an obligation to put that out there, because this seems to be a point of confusion. But if you are not in a relationship, then this is not something you get to make about yourself. All you people celebrating S.A.D. (Singles Awareness Day, which just happens to be the most appropriate acronym of all time) on Feb. 14 can just cut it out right now. You want to know why it’s silly to have a Singles Awareness Day? For the exact same reason it would be silly to have a White History Month. Spoiler alert, every month is White History Month! Just like everyday is Singles Awareness Day.
Think about all the incredible ways we’ve created for single people to connect with one another. Right now you can pull out your phone, move your thumb over a stranger’s face and five minutes later be getting a drink with the said individual at some crumby bar. Why can you not give people in loving, committed relationships one God-forsaken day to do their thing in public without you letting them know how disgusted you are by them?
Go home, eat a frozen pizza and play with your cat. That’s not a put down, honest. That’s exactly what I’ll be doing this Feb. 14. Just whatever you do, please stop with this irrational hated of Valentine’s Day simply because it’s not explicitly celebrating you. Get over it.
