In the modern era, Valentine’s Day is known as a day to celebrate couples and their love for one another. This is done usually by buying candies, stuffed bears, chocolates, and greeting cards. But is this really necessary to show your love? Or is this just a contribution to the needless millions of dollars spent on Valentine’s Day yearly? Let’s take a deep dive into why this holiday is the worst one.

For one, it’s been so commercialized. Everywhere you look, there’s a Valentine’s day sale. Whether it’s a two for $20 meal at Applebees, or cheap flowers on sale at Walmart, the main goal of businesses is to make you spend as much money as possible. And you fall for it. You go so hard on Valentine’s day, that you forget what the day is all about.

 Valentine’s day began as a celebration of St. Valentine, who was martyred. And it has been celebrated by people across the world for hundreds of years. I can understand wanting to celebrate that.  However, nowadays, It has turned into a day of competition, cheesiness, and superficiality. 

“Some may say that it’s intended to show appreciation for your significant other. But if you need a national holiday to appreciate your boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse, then you need to do better.” says Reiley Bartel, an online editor for newmanvantage.com

Some of the Valentine’s Day stunts I’ve personally seen are quite ridiculous to say the least. From four foot teddy bears, to boxes of chocolate bigger than my head, to bouquets of flowers equivalent to picking an entire dutch rose field.

It’s almost like Valentine’s Day has become a competition for who can do the biggest thing for their significant other. Except there is no winner. In fact, everybody loses, because everyone walks away $200 broker and with a slight dopamine boost for the night. Then on the morning of the 15th, everything goes back to normal. 

But I’ve just been talking about couples. Imagine being a single person on Valentine’s day. Are you imagining it? Whatever is in your head, it’s worse.

“Singles are stuck at home with a bowl of ice cream and a cheesy rom-com where the two obviously will end up together, fantasizing about what their future relationships could look like.” says Christina Tanase, a writer for theperennial.org

Being a single man, I can confirm that this is basically what the day consists of. But as a single person on Valentine’s day, you’re in a tough position. It is in your best interest to act like you’re happy for your friends and family in relationships. It’s painful for you, but if you don’t, you’re labeled as bitter, or jealous. And the sympathy gifts don’t really help. They just make you feel worse. Like someone had to go out of their way to appease you. You don’t feel like a winner.

In short, the competition that is Valentine’s Day has only one winner, corporations, because they get your money. Couples don’t win, and singles definitely don’t win. 

I will close with a quote from Esme Chiara, a writer from mayfieldcrier.org, that perfectly summarizes this holiday: “What started off as a pagan fertility celebration morphed into a Christian tradition to celebrate St. Valentine, which then devolved into a commercialized, sexist, and expensive holiday (you can also blame poet Geoffery Chaucer and his poem for its modern-day iteration).”