CALGARY – With Valentine’s Day fast approaching there are plenty of lovesick couples clambering to celebrate, but also a lot of others who have no interest in the holiday.
Every year, the anti-Valentine’s Day movement seems to be gaining momentum – and Calgary-based human sexuality expert Dr. Trina E. Read thinks she may know why.
“Unfortunately, Valentine’s Day is so saturated with images and notions of ideal love, it’s just too difficult for the real-life love to measure up,” says Read. “I know many women who have broken up with their boyfriends because he didn’t meet her Valentine expectations.”
“Valentine’s Day causes a divisive, visceral reaction for many people,” adds Read. “Those who are into it absolutely love it. Interestingly, those who hate it simply can’t ignore it – Anti-Valentine’s Day cards, parties and such are steadily on the rise.”
In Calgary, several bars are hosting anti-Valentine’s Day parties including Cowboy’s Nightclub and Jameson’s on 17th Avenue.
In addition, a number of anti-Valentine’s Day themed gifts are available. For example, a search on Etsy.com yields almost 1,000 items.
“Hollywood has turned this idea of love into something that the majority of us in real life could never, ever measure up to,” says Read.
“There’s this idea that everybody else has a better relationship than us, so everybody else is celebrating Valentine’s better than us,” she adds. “There’s this idea… that we’re being compared and judged against everybody else.”
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