If you’re a single woman this upcoming weekend, you have probably heard of Galentine’s Day – a special chance to enjoy meaningful moments with your girlfriends and feel connected.
Galentine’s Day, which originally came out of a “Parks and Recreation” episode of the same name where main character Leslie Knope (Amy Phoeler) plans a brunch with her female friends the day before Valentine’s Day, has gained a lot of popularity in recent years, providing a time for girls to celebrate female friendship on a holiday that prioritizes romantic relationships. Celebrated on Feb. 13, corporate stores including Amazon, Target and Walmart have started selling Galentine’s Day-specific cards. Publications such as Better Homes and Gardens and Her Campus have started writing articles about how to celebrate the holiday. And locally, events set up all over Saint Mary’s College proclaim various Galentine’s Day events, such as card making events or a self-care night, encouraging community engagement and celebrating female bonds.
As a student at an all-women’s college, and someone who will be spending her 21st Valentine’s Day single (unless my CrosspathsND decides to text me, you know who you are), Galentine’s Day will be celebrated in my household with a romance novel and a rom-com watched with my fellow single friends. We will probably commiserate a little about our singleness, but overall it will be a chill hangout with my friends, something I believe we’d all benefit from as the spring semester of our junior year starts to ramp up. Additionally, with the way this winter has been going, I think we could use a holiday for our mental health. Late January/early February is my personal hell.
If you’re a single woman (even in college), you have probably had some conversations with your older female relatives asking questions like, “Why are you single?” Even when I tell people that I’m trying to focus on my studies, they always retort with, “Well, that doesn’t mean you can’t look for a man.” Yeah right, as if I am spending all this money just to get my MRS degree.
Indeed, it seems there’s a greater expectation for women to be in relationships than for men. It’s seen as a failure on your part if you don’t have a significant other. During this season, you’re bombarded with events, marketing and advertisements aimed at people in relationships or trying to enter one, making it clear how societal expectations differ based on relationship status. It is seen as somehow our fault if we don’t have partners.
But you don’t need any greeting cards, self-care kits, or anything pink to celebrate your female friendships. Even just hanging out at the dining hall can be a simple, genuine Galentine’s Day celebration.
Take the time in this season of love for your female friends. Celebrate your friendships and make plans to connect, because these relationships are worth recognizing and nurturing. Those are the relationships that are going to stick well beyond the often fleeting college romantic ones.
Even for those girls in relationships, take this Feb. 13t to hang out with your female friends. I guarantee they want to spend time with you, independent of your boyfriend. I’m sure he’s a great guy, but sometimes they don’t want to hang out with your relationship; they want to hang out with you, sans your man.
