Could Valentine’s Day Be Losing Its Grip?

The special day, also known as Saint Valentine’s Day, is certainly undergoing a refit with a growing number of Gen Zs losing interest and either ignoring it altogether and/or giving it a new slant with an accompanying new name.

Added to the current shopping lethargy being experienced because of the world-wide coronavirus and, in Australia the bushfires and now widespread flooding, the box office appeal of Valentine’s Day, could just be about to tank at cash registers.

A survey of SheSociety readers this week revealed that a quarter don’t intend to celebrate on Friday (Feb 14) at all.

The rest were evenly divided with 37.5 percent getting ready to mark the day with hugs, flowers and chocolate for loved one, and 37.5 percent saying they will have a Galantines Day knees up on Friday instead.

Galantines Day, for the uninitiated, is a fun version of the romantic holiday, where girls spend the day with their friends, instead of a beau exchanging hugs and toasts and even presents. 

Let’s face it, they chorus, who needs guys to feel loved and appreciated?

Two Gen Zs (researchers typically use the mid- to late-1990s as starting birth years) in our office were genuine when they said in their view Valentine’s Day was a waste of money. 

Dig a bit deeper, though, and they are happy to share that they get ample hugs, flowers and chocolates throughout the year. Lucky ducks, we can hear some saying.

It’s also a matter of cash, for them, especially when they are saving for a home deposit.

The results of She Society’s quick survey is backed by studies carried out by EduBirdie, a world-wide essay writing service, which says most of Gen Z is ignoring the date altogether in favor of doing almost anything else.

“Many people are not huge fans of Valentine’s Day, especially if they don’t have someone to celebrate with on the big day,” said EduBirdie adding that it found almost 15% of users don’t acknowledge February 14 as a holiday at all and treat it as a regular day. 

Furthermore, single people aren’t the only ones who don’t enjoy the holiday; out of those that do celebrate Valentine’s Day, 25% said if it was their decision they wouldn’t celebrate the romantic day.

“This younger generation is known for acting outside societal norms and doing what they want, so it is not surprising that the majority are ignoring one of the most romantic days of the year,” said Avery Morgan, Senior Editor and Director of Communications at EduBirdie. 

“From our survey, we discovered that a majority of Gen Z has turned Valentine’s Day into a day of hanging out with friends, rather than spending it with a partner. Almost half of those surveyed shared that they use Valentine’s Day as a day to get drunk and party with their single friends.”

However, not all Gen-Zs who aren’t celebrating Valentines Day this year are anti-romance. 

In fact, more than 15% of users surveyed said they would celebrate Valentine’s Day if they had someone to celebrate it with, but unfortunately the ghosting culture is too strong. 

Additionally, nearly 75% of female users surveyed said they will participate in Galantine’s Day. 

“We learned that more than half of Gen Z has been the victim of ghosting or bread crumbing (the act of sending out flirtatious, but non-committal text messages (ie “breadcrumbs”) in order to lure a sexual partner without expending much effort), and these new trends are undoubtedly hurting the confidence of individuals, and even turning them off of romance completely,” said Ms Morgan. 

“Instead, we are seeing many turn to friends they consider dependable so they do not end up spending the night alone on the couch.” 

For those who have a significant other to spend Valentine’s Day with, more than half said they would rather engage in an activity or experience instead of receiving flowers and a box of chocolates – those are more typical of Millennials and older generations.

Going to the movies is the activity of choice for Gen Z, and more exciting to them than going to dinner, bowling, or seeing a live show. In the age of ‘Netflix and chill,’ a movie theater is the new thing to do.