It’s yet another year and you’re single on Valentine’s Day. Or I can assume based on you clicking this article to read, that you don’t have a significant other at the moment. Luckily, the majority of Apopka High School students are also single, so you’re not alone. Despite the number of couples merely engaging in what seems to be a “loving conversation,” most who attend APK have yet to find their other half. Not saying the current high school relationships are permanent (because we all know they’re not.) Now I’m not here to hate on those in a happy relationship, but rather report how single teenagers spend the holiday.
It’s not a proper Valentine’s Day article without discussing the holiday’s origin. Although it’s a holiday to celebrate love and the kissy-face reality, the origins of Valentine’s Day are quite dark. Two men in ancient Rome, conveniently named Valentine, were executed in different years in the third century. Somewhere down the line, their deaths were honored by the Catholic church as St. Valentine’s Day. Commonly confused with the Norman saying “lover of women,” the meaning of Valentine’s Day grew sweeter. Writers such as Shakespeare and Chaucer romanticized the event. Eventually, the holiday made its way to the modern world.
Fast forward to February 2024, APK students are preparing to face the holiday. For most, it’s a bittersweet event. Junior Jaden Heard shares with The Blue and White that she sometimes gets “jealous of all the happy couples” but remains to think positively about the holiday. Junior Hannah Cribbs offers a similar opinion, although she mentions the holiday as a “just get through it day” for most people. Whether you appreciate or despise Valentine’s Day, you can’t help feeling a bit lonely. A student who requested to remain anonymous added that they once struggled with feeling alone but realized Valentine’s Day isn’t a holiday they need to participate in. They said they prefer ” watching friends enjoy the holiday with their partners.” Since it made me laugh, I have to mention that Junior Samantha Faucette copes with loneliness by “texting her ex.”
Galentines, defined as a holiday to celebrate friendships typically among women, is a popular alternative to the sappy Valentine’s Day ordeal. Hannah shares that she met with friends roughly the week before Valentine’s Day. She
participated in activities that included taking cute pictures, baking a cake, and admiring hot men. Most Galentines events occur the weekend before the 14th. This take on the holiday stresses the importance of loving your friends. In my opinion, Galentine’s Day is a sweet way to appreciate the non-romantic love in the air, as it’s just as important.
PDA, we all hate it. Presumably, one of the worst parts of Valentine’s Day is seeing the couples eating each other’s faces at 7 am (mainly targeted towards the freshmen). A common opinion is that PDA is “NAUSEATING” and “NOT cute.” However, Junior Lex Wilson views PDA as “chill,” and he’d “probably do some level of PDA” if he had a girlfriend. Whether or not you think that public display of affection is “valid,” there is some basis to what students in the halls are okay with and uncomfortable seeing. For example, I don’t think many on their way to class would appreciate seeing two fourteen-year-olds sucking faces, but holding hands and hugging is sweet.
To fill the void of a partner, many resort to alternatives. Junior Olivia Horn shares that her close friends automatically rid her desire for a significant other. She explains that relationships with her closest friends provide her with the same emotional support that a romantic relationship would. “I’m just so filled with love from my friends that I do not have the feeling of wanting a significant other.” Olivia’s friend group has been together since sixth grade, and separating them would be equivalent to “moving from something important to you.” Others avoid Valentine’s Day through hyper-fixations. Hannah Cribbs confessed her Hollywood crush Jacob Eloridi. You’ve most likely seen him Saltburn, or maybe that one edit came up on your social media feed (if ykyk). He is a hot topic right now, with emphasis on the hot, and is the source of many teenage girl’s delusions. In my case, I hyper-fixate on K-pop idols who know nothing about me or my existence, but I love them no matter what so shout out to my “boyfriend” Yeonjun!
The overarching message I want to get across is to love yourself. It’s corny but think of it this way. There is no reason to search for a relationship if you don’t have a healthy relationship with yourself first. We should learn to appreciate ourselves on Valentine’s Day before showering others with affection. To all who are reading this on the day of publication, Valentine’s Day, I hope you enjoy your day appreciating yourself and spending quality time with those you love.
Sources:
Seipel, Arnie. “The Dark Origins of Valentine’s Day.” Npr.org, 2019, www.npr.org/2011/02/14/133693152/the-dark-origins-of-valentines-day.
