Do you have the Valentine’s Day blues?
By Christy Petillo
February 14 is Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is dedicated to couples celebrating the fact that they are madly in love. Many of my friends will be courted by their boyfriends to elegant restaurants, and spoiled with gifts.
Girls always look forward to this day, with the anticipation that their boyfriend will plan a romantic evening, or show up on there doorstep with a huge teddy bear and box of chocolates.
However, I can’t help but notice that our generation seems to be a little more cynical towards committed relationships. Nowadays everyone is concerned with partying, going to clubs and bar-hopping.
Valentine’s Day doesn’t seem to have the same impact on our generation as it did many years ago. The youth-of-today seem more concerned with living their lives and having no strings attached.
Granted, this perspective can be understood. As a young, single female, my main focus is graduating from college, and creating fun memories with my friends. But years ago, couples had no problem declaring their love for one another. You weren’t considered ‘whipped’ if you treated your partner special. Now, if you devote too much time or respect to your boyfriend or girlfriend, your friends may criticize you.
Furthermore, with social media websites such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, maintaining a relationship without the threat of jealousy or doubt in your partner is difficult.
Everything you do can be seen by your boyfriend or girlfriend. Every picture you like, every comment you leave, every person you follow, every friend request you accept. This often leads to arguments and distrust within a relationship.
Once your partner has become suspicious of you through your activity on social media, the real downward spiral begins.
Normally it is through this suspicion that the question no boyfriend or girlfriend ever wants to hear comes up, “Can I see your phone?”
Unfortunately, this question can make or break a relationship. If your partner responds, “no,” then the assumption is they have something to hide, and are cheating. However, even a “yes” response can prompt a fight. If your partner comes across a text message with a ‘certain someone,’ this can surely result in a huge argument.
Due to social media, partying and living life with no strings attached, our generation tends to give relationships a negative connotation.
Of course, this isn’t to say that some people out there aren’t in committed relationships with someone they love.
The moral of the story here is that our generation has become afraid to fall in love. People are afraid that their partner will cheat on them, lie to them and hurt them.
People are afraid that if they meet someone they really like, they might be disappointed or their heart might be broken. Others are afraid of being in a committed relationship because they feel it is a death sentence to their social life. The thought is, that having a boyfriend or girlfriend will prevent you from going out with your friends and having a good time.
Our generation is so cynical towards relationships that Valentine’s Day has become taboo. If you have someone special in your life, you’re considered to be very lucky. For those lucky few who are in a happy relationship, they post pictures on Instagram showing off the beautiful bouquet of roses they’ve received.
But for many singles, this Valentine’s Day may be spent with friends, or even alone – even if they are in a relationship.
Call me a romantic, but I long for the days when men and women were in love with love.