When it comes to Valentine’s Day, there are two types of people, the optimists and the pessimists. Just like sporting red or blue on Election Day, what you wear on Feb. 14 can be a dead giveaway to your thoughts on this heart-shaped holiday.
Some hate Valentine’s Day because it’s a sugarcoated reminder that you kind of suck at dating. Others dislike it because you should be showering your someone special with love everyday, not just this single day of the year. Then there are the cheapskates who will say Valentine’s Day is simply a ploy to get an extra buck out of your pocket for tacky cards, tasteless chocolates and flowers that will die.
On the other hand we have the optimists. These people are usually smitten like kittens. If this time of year has you excited, you likely have a fresh infatuation, a newly defined romance or a partner you’re absolutely crazy about.
Valentine’s Day optimists tend to stick out like sore thumbs. They are commonly found wearing a pinch of red or pink somewhere in their outfit. An unmistakable sign of cupid mega-fans are those with a red ribbon tied around their ponytails or a bold bow holding their hair half-up, half-down.
Others are even more straightforward about their adoration of love. On Instagram and campus alike, we are sure to see basic white T-shirts with rose red text reading “Love is the Answer” and “Sugar,” or even more simply put, just a big ole’ sparkly heart plopped on the center of a blouse.
While optimists are unsurprisingly easy to spot, pessimists can occasionally be more nonchalant about their views. Many pessimists try to approach the day without acknowledgement, especially in their attire.
However, your mentality impacts your apparel choices on Feb. 14 whether you notice it or not.
Many of us have walked up to our closets and accidentally thrown on a red sweatshirt and quickly changed, because we refuse to support this lovey-dovey holiday. True pessimists won’t come within a mile of red or pink clothing on this day.
We can’t forget the even more dramatic pessimists, who you will find dressed from head to toe in dark gray or black reiterating the stupidity of this holiday. To those who feel particularly offended by Valentine’s Day, I remind you that love comes in more forms than romance.
Give your parents a call, have a glass of wine with your best pal and consider a change of clothes.
And while you may be an extreme optimist or a committed pessimist this year, what’s indisputably fascinating about V-Day is how self-reflective it is.
Think about it. It’s almost impossible to come upon Feb. 14 without your thoughts wandering back to where you were and whom you were with on Valentine’s Days past.
You’ve likely spent one year with a foolish grin on your face because someone in your life intrigued you. Another year, you were probably sporting a groutfit, bitter from heartbreak. And perhaps you’ve also spent it feeling hopelessly indifferent, dressing like it’s any other day, because no one is on your mind and no one has caught your attention.
Yet no matter how our attire fluctuates from year to year, how brightly a romantic flame burns and how quickly it dwindles, we can always count on the love, which comes from our closets, and the clothes that will always be there to help us express how we feel on this day that’s all about emotions.
