Content Warning: stalking, rape culture
I love dressing up, chocolate, good food, romance novels, wine and other romantic things, so you'd think I'd be all over Valentine's Day. So not the case. Valentine's Day is not just "not for me", I have major objections to the method and meaning of the whole day.
The accouterments of Valentine's are problematic. Chocolate is often produced in slave like conditions by child workers. Flowers are grown in South America where women work for limited pay and in unsafe conditions. Then there's the prevalence of blood diamonds that make jewelry shopping ethically difficult. But, there are Fair Trade options, so this alone is not enough to ruin Valentine's Day for me.
However, there's also the problem with Grand Romantic Gestures and the stories around them. One day of romance, one grand gesture, isn't enough to make a good relationship. It's the everyday caring, support, and love that matters (and that Valentine's Day fails to celebrate). I don't like the idea that if you don't do something dramatic on this one day then you're a bad partner (partially because there's a certain amount of classism involved, though that exists with every material driven holiday). And then there's the stalking aspect of grand romance, which some people really went with this year.
