By Elizabeth Chen, Staff Writer
While it’s not an official holiday, Galentine’s Day is a popular day that precedes Valentine’s Day. However, today is problematic for numerous reasons.
Galentine’s Day was first introduced in Season 2 Episode 16 of the show Parks and Recreation. It is celebrated on February 13th which is the day before Valentine’s Day. The purpose of Galentine’s Day is for people (most commonly women) to celebrate their friends as if they were dating. This is very harmful because on Galentine’s day, straight women are encouraged to pretend to be lesbians for the day without facing the homophobia and oppression that actual lesbians have to deal with on a daily basis.
Valentine’s Day, which takes place every February 14th, is a holiday where you express your affection for others through gifts. Some common gifts are chocolates, jewelry and flowers. This holiday is seen as a romantic day but it is also very heteronormative. For example, stores that carry valentine themed cards normally section it by a “for him” and a “for hers” section which cater to straight couples. Many cards would depict straight couples on the front cover. In many Valentine and love centered movies, they almost always star a straight couple which then influences impressionable audiences such as children and teenagers. The lack of gay or lesbian relationships in media can be extremely invalidating for those who are trying to express their sexualities but do not see themselves represented in the media.
Valentine’s Day also reinforces the gender stereotype. Men are expected to shower women with lavish and expensive gifts such as jewelry, flowers and chocolate. This reinforces the fact that women need a special day for attention and gifts as well as having more emotions than their male counterparts. This holiday also encourages the idea that single women are lonely, sad,and need a man to make them happy. Statistics and surveys help disprove this stereotype. As Bella DePaulo from Psychology Today writes ““…single life is supposed to be more of a problem for women than for men. Women are the ones who are believed to be yearning for marriage and crushed if they never do marry.”
Galentine’s Day and Valentine’s Day are problematic. You can still celebrate these holidays but it is good to acknowledge the flaws instead of blindly celebrating them.
