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Feb. 13: GALentine’s day

By Helen Sternberg ’20

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The most romantic of holidays is quickly approaching, leaving just under a week to prepare the perfect ensemble of food, music and people for which to celebrate our undying love. Valentine’s Day? Forget about it. Galentine’s Day is a much better concept; everyone has a lady in their life worth celebrating.

“Oh, it’s only the best day of the year. Every Feb. 13, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home, and we just come and kick it, breakfast-style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus frittatas.”

Recognize this quote? Leslie Knope, played by Amy Poehler on the show Parks and Recreation, first coined “Galentine’s Day” back in 2010, and since that iconic episode, Galentine’s Day has taken the country by storm.

just as retaliation against the traditional values of Valentine’s Day or an excuse to give your friends gifts, but because of what it symbolizes. Galentine’s Day, above all else, is about celebrating all women for their achievements, whether they are big endeavors or small accomplishments.

Women doing great things is something to be excited about, and women’s accomplishments should be celebrated more often. Galentine’s Day, in that respect, embraces the idea of celebrating women and gives us an opportunity to recognize each other in a world that keeps trying to put us down.

at keeps trying to put us down. Still, we are left with the question of how to celebrate such a holiday. The media makes Valentine’s Day easy to prepare for, advertising heartthemed candies and premade bouquets. Galentine’s Day, on the other hand, requires a little more creativity to truly bring the holiday to life.

The first step is to gather a group of ladies that you want to celebrate. Friends, professors, advisors or maybe even that girl who gave you free leftover pizza that one time. The possibilities are endless and each gal at the table will always have something special to offer to the group dynamic.

time to prepare the festivities. Thoughtful gifts are always a good way to get into the Galentine’s Day mood, and a “secret Cupid” gift exchange is another cute way of letting the girls know you love them; if you don’t feel like spending a lot of money on your girlfriends (it’s okay, you’re not a bad friend for being cheap), then maybe just a night in with some snacks will do.

year, and that means that The Bachelor will be on. What better way is there to celebrate feminism and bond with your girlfriends than by watching a show aimed solely at objectifying women? Sure, the premise of the show may go against everything Galentine’s Day stands for, but the drama over which woman Nick will choose is just so enticing (especially when Corinne is still an option).

Order a pizza and just relax in the company of your friends. If you want to do the day in true Leslie Knope fashion, then breakfast food (think waffles and a little too much whipped cream) is perfect. Or, if you are more of a “Treat Yo’ Self” kind of girl, take an off-campus trip with your friends and buy yourself something you normally wouldn’t. Feb. 13th isn’t only for celebrating other women in your life, but yourself as well.

However you choose to celebrate the holiday, remember that you are also celebrating an era in which women are becoming increasingly prominent and proving to the world exactly what we are capable of. Embrace the women around you and make this year one to remember.

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