With Feb. 14 fast approaching, candy hearts, chocolate boxes and romantic films have flooded stores, and the pressure to find a valentine has increased. Every year, the pressure to couple up for the holiday seems omnipresent. This year, however, students are reflecting on the importance of focusing on self-love over romantic relationships. 

For Roshni Rajan, freshman in AHS, Valentine’s Day has never held much weight. This year, Rajan plans to celebrate the holiday by staying in and watching a movie. She said that not being in a relationship should not stop others from celebrating Feb. 14. 

“Frankly, I never put much importance on (Valentine’s Day),” Rajan said. “Just because I don’t necessarily have a boyfriend, does not mean it would stop me from celebrating the holiday. I think Valentine’s Day can be celebrated between friends or anyone important in your life.” 

Jordan Copeland, freshman in DGS, said Valentine’s Day is about celebrating everything that makes the holiday fun.

“I like candy and watching romantic comedies with my friends. I also think it’s fun to make valentines for my friends,” Copeland said. “Basically, I like to do all the things that you associate with Valentine’s Day, I just don’t put any emphasis on being on a relationship.” 

Beyond just romantic love, some have begun to emphasize celebrating other kinds of love on the holiday. Hannah Lonergan, freshman in Media, highlights how the day can be used to show gratitude for anyone important in your life. 

“I like Valentine’s Day because I think it can be a celebration of a lot of different kinds of love, not just romantic,” Lonergan said. “It’s a great excuse to show some extra appreciation for the important people in your life.” 

Lonergan also touched on how media plays a role in creating the idea that Valentine’s Day must be celebrated with a romantic partner. 

“I do think that there’s a good chunk of media out there, whether it’s books or TV or music or social media, that really pushes the idea of being in a relationship on Valentine’s Day,” Lonergan said. “I feel like a lot of people have grown up around that rhetoric and that it’s created a sort of pressure to celebrate romance over friends and family on this particular day.” 

Copeland said that consuming Valentine’s Day media needs to come with a certain awareness of this phenomenon.

“It’s easy to place a lot of importance on having a boyfriend or girlfriend on Valentine’s Day because that’s what movies and books emphasize,” Copeland said. “But if you go into consuming that media aware of that and place no importance on it, then it helps you enjoy it without focusing on that specific aspect too much.” 

As time has gone on, Rajan has begun to focus more on self-love during Valentine’s Day. Practicing self-love is her way of changing the meaning of the holiday.

“I think I’ve grown to realize that Valentine’s Day shouldn’t only just be about romantic relationships, but a celebration of platonic friendships as well,” Rajan said. “It could also mean a celebration of oneself and gaining self-love.”

Rajan said her journey to self-love has taken time as the concept is something she struggled to practice throughout middle and high school.

“I’ve always had a hard time with self-love,” Rajan said. “But at one point, I had a revelation that I can’t allow myself to overlook my good traits, I don’t deserve to feel bad about myself. So, I started to learn how to be nice to myself and began to take care of my physical and mental well-being.” 

Lonergan said that focusing on self-love rather than romantic relationships can change the way that people view the holiday. This mindset helps reduce the pressure of finding romantic love and instead places importance on channeling that love inward. 

“I do think more people would enjoy Valentine’s Day if it was more focused on self-love,” she said. “Romantic love is pushed so much in modern media that sometimes it’s nice to just sit back and think about yourself and your own needs rather than trying to find another person to fill in the gaps.” 

Rajan explained that the day should be spent however you like. She said that by removing the pressure to find a valentine and instead being your own, the holiday becomes all the more enjoyable, she said. 

“Whether it’s hanging out with friends or staying in and watching your favorite movies, as long as you’re enjoying yourself, you’ve successfully celebrated Valentine’s Day,” Rajan said.

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