Love is Not Dead Yet

By ALYSSA BLUNDO

MAHWAH- Don’t have a significant other to celebrate Valentine’s Day with? It can be tough and emotionally draining. It may also put you in a sour mood on one of the sweetest days of the year, but it doesn’t have to be.

Take a hint from two students at Ramapo College of New Jersey, Jake Woolley and Amy Kwiatek. Their tips and tricks on surviving the most romantic day of the year can help you solider soldier  through the day and into the night while being single.

“I go to the mall. I know you get to see a lot of couples at the mall, but you’re not focusing on the couples.” Woolley,  a Ramapo Junior said. “You’re doing your shopping, going to all the stores. There is so many malls in North Jersey. Make sure you end up doing something that you like, I’d say rather than trying to avoid couples.”

Avoiding couples and people in general can be hard. According to  “Unmarried Equality’s” website, there are 112 million unmarried people who are over the age of 18. These people represent only 47 percent of the population in the Untied States. There is also a 44.9 percent of the population who are female and are over the age of 18.

“I tend to feel like the mainstream version of Valentine’s Day doesn’t necessarily benefit single people because of the pressure of being in a relationship or needing to be in a relationship by societal standards.” Kwiatek, a Ramapo student   said. “Whereas it probably doesn’t benefit anybody in all honesty because even with couples there is like this whole pressure thing like you have to do it a certain way, you have to be a certain way, you have to give certain gifts.  It’s just this whole pressure to it that just seems annoying.”

Expectations and Fitting In

It may seem annoying to do all these things to keep up with our society’s expectations and fitting into this mold can make or break a relationship. According to a survey website that lists different types of personality traits that may help a person break through societal norms,  “Surviving Valentine’s Day: A Guide for Single People, by Personality Type,”people who have an analyst personality  tend to be skeptical about Valentine’s Day and question whether they should follow the typical traditions of the holiday.

Those who identify as a sentinel tend to feel the pressure to conform to “societal standards” and may feel like they need to find a partner. For diplomat, they may feel the need to express love and to be surrounded by love. Finally, there are explorers. They, according to the Guide “aren’t afraid to break the status quo, making it easier to ignore Valentines conventions that don’t speak to them.” These personalities and their connections to our society’s expectations can play a huge role in celebrating Valentine’s Day. 

This holiday may not be for everyone and that is okay. It may be tough to find the girl or guy of your dreams, but it doesn’t mean you have to be in a bad mood, avoiding couples at malls or even feeling pressured to act a certain way to fit in.