Anti-Valentine's Day

Anti-Valentine's Day is less a formal holiday than a backlash against the perceived consumerism and saccharine romance of February 14. It exists for those who dislike the assumptions and obligations of Valentine's Day and who wish to acknowledge the date in a manner completely opposite to that for which it is intended. It has become so popular that it has sparked a consumer trend of its own, including T-shirts, bumper stickers, and "anti-Valentine's Day" parties thrown by people to celebrate being single.

Significance

Anti-Valentine's Day began to catalyze online, as nascent bloggers and website designers produced pages dedicated to loathing all things Valentine-y. The emotions resonated with a surprising number of people disenchanted with the superficial romance of February 14, and it soon rippled outward from the net across popular culture.

Types

The natural assumption is that Anti-Valentine's Day is "anti-romance"--celebrated by singles who don't like the inference that there's something wrong with them if they're not in a relationship. While Anti-Valentine's Day does serve as an outlet for such frustrations (as well as bitterness from those who are lonely), it also attracts those with strong anti-consumerist feelings. Valentine's Day is big business: Card, flower and candy sales spike every February, and enormous cultural pressure exists to spend money on those products as a way of expressing one's love. Many Anti-Valentine's Day adherents resent that pressure, including a number of couples who feel it places unnecessary strain on their relationship solely for the sake of materialist consumption.

Considerations

Ironically, many of the greeting card companies whose products helped spawn Anti-Valentine's Day now take equal advantage of it by adding cynically themed Anti-Valentine's cards and products to their lineup. American Greetings--one of the largest greeting card companies in the world--has greatly expanded its line of Anti-Valentine's Day cards, and online sites such as CafePress sell many T-shirts, sweatshirts and buttons that either mock the traditions of Valentine's Day or proudly assert the values of being single. For all of their professed anti-consumerism, many Anti-Valentine's Day supporters will happily purchase such products, giving money to the same companies that helped spawn the holiday they despise.

Features

Despite the apparent contradiction in spending money to promote an anti-spending movement, there are many ways to celebrate anti-Valentine's Day that don't involve a lot of purchases. Artists offer anti-Valentine's Day cards free on the Internet, allowing the movement's feelings to be expressed without engaging in hypocrisy. American Greetings reports a significant rise in singles-only events and "Girls'/Boys' Nights Out" on February 14, as well as quieter Anti-Valentine's Day parties celebrated with small groups of friends at home. Watching movies with a decidedly un-romantic theme (cynical comedies or bloody action movies) has become popular, while those with more morose sensibilities add Gothic decorations around their home reminiscent of Halloween as much as Valentine's Day.

Expert Insight

Because it is not a formal holiday, Anti-Valentine's Day remains fairly diffuse--acknowledged informally at best and celebrated in numerous different ways. It has no common trope the way Valentine's Day does, except those that deliberately mock or rip its more sentimental rival (black heart-shaped cards, for example). Its primary purpose, however, remains the same: to provide an alternative to those uncomfortable with Valentine's Day and to prevent them from feeling marginalized or alone in rejecting the holiday. Whether expressed as a positive affirmation of being single or a darker rant against unduly romantic schmaltz, the outlet of those emotions clearly strikes a chord with a significant percentage of the populace.