I remember being exceedingly jealous of girls in high school, and at work who would walk around, proudly parading their giant teddy bears and ostentatious bouquets of flowers. Half of me wished so badly that I too had a teenage sweetheart that I could rub in everyone’s face at my all girls high school. The other half of me wondered where on earth these teenage boys had got the money to buy such ridiculous gifts when most of them worked only a single shift at Maccas on the weekend.
Now that I have matured into a young woman of (some) substance, I realise that teenage me was way off with her Valentine’s observations. Back when hormones ruled the world, it was all about who had the coolest and most popular boyfriend who got you the most clichéd V-Day present combination ever: Flowers, stuffed animal, and some form of nine karat gold plated, amethyst stoned ring/earrings/pendant which was delivered to school around recess. Based on the aforementioned gifts, the single and envious girls in the school yard would rate and judge your relationship as if it was Miss Universe.
V-Day Doesn’t Equal Stable Relationship
Older me realises that the size of the teddy bear is not indicative of a stable and happy relationship. Now that we’ve reached an age that most of us have experienced the heartbreak of losing a first love, our outlook on relationships and all that they entail have changed. Suddenly, I don’t care about how much he spends on me, or if he even remembers the day at all. It’s about a partnership. Building a personal empire with the person you love and generally hanging out with your best friend in the whole world.
Parade Your Partner Beyond One Day
Personally, I have never really celebrated V-Day… It always seemed like an over priced, pseudo holiday that gave women an excuse to parade their boyfriends around like trophies but never actually treating them the way they expect to be treated. I always wished I could see some more #spoilt #solucky #girlofmydreams hashtags on guy’s Snapchats, because their amazing girlfriends had done something other than parade them to show them that they loved them.
Footy tickets, free passes to play video games nag free, 100% bacon breakfast, a day of being his personal slave… why aren’t women told to do this kinda thing? Why does the guy HAVE to read articles on what to buy us?
364 Other Days
That being said, I am in no way denying that Valentine’s Day is actually a really awesome ‘holiday’. While I don’t agree with they being one day of the year dedicated to celebrating your sweetheart, I do believe in showing that sweetheart that they are god damn awesome. And speaking as a girl – I love being taken out to dinner and being made to feel like a total princess… as long as he remembers that there are 364 other days of the year that he can make me feel special. I think that right now, the significance of Valentine’s Day is more prominent because we are still trying to show the one we love that we’re right for them. I suppose you could say that we’re still in the stage of ‘wooing’ them.
I suppose now that Valentine’s Day is done and dusted, we can all rest easy for another year… Or we can show our significant other that they’re bloody brilliant every day, in some small way and you shouldn’t need a list to work it out.
