How real, high school relationships during Valentine’s Day differ from the stereotype
Staff Writer
Every February 14th, students around AHS transform the hallways into scenes straight out of a rom-com, preparing to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Rose petals flutter and float in the air and the school heartthrob makes an appearance holding a bouquet with more flowers than points in his GPA. The rotunda is packed with students trying to find their name written on a red slip of paper and all social media posts have been replaced with #CoupleGoals posts, with heart-shaped products filling the shelves at all the local stores. However, underneath the chocolate-covered surface of these romanticized stereotypes lies the actual reality of Valentine’s Day—one which includes last minute gifts and anonymous Rosegrams.
Throughout history, the media has set an unattainable standard for Valentine’s Day, involving Shakespearean love letters written on parchment paper and elaborate dates. However, reality paints a different picture. “We planned to have a romantic dinner on top of a skyscraper, bathed in the tranquil ambience of the orange sunset after school, funded by our benefactor parents,” said Iam Singel (12), a hopeful participant in Valentine’s traditions. “Turns out my partner forgot to make reservations. Our luxurious dinner was suddenly transformed into a microwaved frozen pizza in front of the TV.”
The holiday’s unrealistic commercialized image also encompasses extravagant, thoughtful, and stupidly-expensive gifts, from costly clothes to luscious chocolate truffles. The truth, however, is more like a last-minute shopping spree and a rosegram with a hastily scrawled letter. “My friends told me about their grand plans to buy their partners expensive jewelry,” said Bane Crupt (11). “After Valentine’s Day, I asked them what gifts they bought, to which they said that they just bought a bouquet of roses. Really though, who buys jewelry for the girl they have been dating for five days?”
The perfect Valentine’s Day is expected to create an intimate moment, creating a significant memento from the infancy of a relationship. The actual evening is much less elegant, with a marathon of romance movies playing in the background and the couple huddled on opposite sides of the couch, scrolling on their phones.
While Valentine’s Day is still portrayed to be a day of passion and romance, the real holiday takes an amusing turn. Whether students are buying $7.99 bags of Hershey’s Kisses, or enjoying a pizza in front of the TV, high school romance is never as cinematic as it seems. And honestly, it’s probably for the best.
The media’s depiction of Valentine’s Day vastly differs from reality in that rather than flawless execution and romance, it usually strays away from the original plan and becomes chaotic. Shortly after Valentine’s Day, Bane Crupt said, “to all the students who spent all their life savings on a Valentine’s gift, think of it like gifting a Rolex in a middle school birthday party. It’s not that deep bro.” (Photo Credit: Ryan Liu (10)).
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