With the scent of roses wafting through the air, and boxes of chocolates piling up, Valentine’s day is a day where people show their affection in different ways. Over time, many believe it has become a cliched opportunity for capitalism, while others await the celebration of love. 

“Love, for me, is someone you know you want to spend your life with,” sophomore Rylie Lockerman said. “And not just some one time thing, but someone who will always do the same for you.”

Although love can be defined in many ways, Lockerman said she finds this definition to be something that remains true in all kinds of love, including familial love and friendships. On the other hand, some definitions of love can be romanticized in movies, including the idea of love at first sight.

“I think it works in movies, but I don’t think that it’s actually true,” sophomore Rebecca Tang said. “I think there’s attraction at first sight but I don’t think there’s love at first sight. Love is based more on developing trust with a person.”

Despite both Lockerman and Tang agreeing that Hollywood expectations of love are unrealistic, Lockerman focuses on the positives of a holiday based around this concept. Even though many single people may find a distaste for this holiday, something most people can agree on is the sweets.

“My favorite part about Valentine’s Day is the candy,” Lockerman said. “Especially in elementary school with those little boxes and everything. Also, my parents give me candy and treats and stuff, which is great since I don’t actually have a Valentine.”

Aside from candy, Tang said she finds inspiration from certain romantic couples. From her personal life to fictionalized characters, she envisions these people and characters to be great examples of having a healthy relationship that people can look up to.

“In terms of someone I know personally, I look up to my parents and their relationship,” Tang said. “For relationships that more people can look to, I think Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are pretty good. Also, another one is Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase. I mean, they went to Tartarus together.”

Idealistic couples cause many to romanticize the idea of Valentine’s day. In spite of the role of love in Valentine’s day, Lockerman said that it has just become a capitalistic venture.

“I feel like it’s just something for businesses to profit off of,” Lockerman said. “This is something that should be an everyday thing where you tell whoever you love that you love them. There shouldn’t be just one day where businesses just profit off of it.”

From it being a business venture to romantic cliches, many aspects of Valentine’s day are widely despised.

“When it comes to romantic cliches, I hate love triangles, love squares, or love pentagons,” Tang said. “Anything other than two people annoys the heck out of me.”

In spite of the stigma around many parts of Valentine’s day, Tang said it has its roots in love.

“I think love is based on mutual trust,” Tang said. “Trust, attraction and then devotion and loyalty as well as support for each other all mixed up and then melted into a soup.”