Be my Galentine? The tired holiday enjoying a revamp
FOR some people, faci ng t he onslaug ht of Valentine’s Day f lowers, ca ndy a nd marketing can be over whelming i f you a re si ng le. For R iya Patel, it’s a reason to celebrate love – platonic love – even by long distance.
Welcome to the American phenomenon of Galentine’s Day, feted on February 13th – a “holiday” gaining in popularity with each passing year, and also gaining in terms of its message of female empowerment.
“I’ve orga nised t his g ia nt group FaceTime with all my closest girlfriends. All of us are going to get on the phone and celebrate each ot her,” says Patel, a 22-year-old research analyst from the US capital.
“And t hen I’ll just celebrate me. That’s probably going to end up being some restorative yoga in my bedroom and then ma k i n g s omet h i n g w i t h bourbon in it.”
Galentine’s Day was born in 2010 during an episode of the American sitcom Parks & Recreation, when main character Leslie Knope (played by Amy Poehler) hosts a br unch on Febr uar y 13 for her best ga l pals.
It was conceived as a defiant response to Valentine’s Day – a statement that the traditional romantic love is not the only kind worth honoring.
“Women a re just so pummel e d t h r o u g h o u t t h e i r upbringing wit h t his idea of romantic love imager y, a nd what it means to be in love,” s a id Ol i v i a Di l l i ng ha m, a brand consultant for women in New York.
“That does create this sense of unworthiness and failure when you come around to Valentine’s Day and you don’t have someone to go to dinner with.”
Grown from semi-joke
Galentine’s Day has grown f rom being a semi-joke to a semi-serious holiday – and it’s generating big money.
There is a lso a lot of pink, a lot of gold and a lot of glitter.
Many businesses have started selling themed products – cards, wine glasses, candies, cookies. Big box stores have dedicated sections for the event.
Ba rs a nd restau ra nt s a re organising happy hours and parties.
In Washington, whisky bar Jack Rose Dining Sa loon i s host i ng a specia l cock t a i l hour. The luxury St Regis Hotel has planned an afternoon tea with an exclusive pop-up jewelr y boutique.
“We did it a little playful, with colourf ul girl colours,” said Heather Dobson, the hotel’s head pastry chef, displaying an array of small pastries decorated with candy hearts, chocolate lips and rose petals.
Clothing retailer Madewell is staging a promotional sa le, encouraging shoppers to view the clothes purchased with a 20 per cent discount as their new “BFFs” – best friends forever.
A sea rch on t he ha shtag “# ga lent i nesday” on Instag ra m revea ls t housa nds of photos of pi n k ba l loons or ladies’ brunches.
Dillingham, 24, hosted a Galentine’s Day part y last year: she and other female friends cast “love spells” on t hemselves, exchanged f lowers and traded compliments.
“Having a really strong solid support system and hav ing support in yourself is so important,” she said.
“And it’s just a good excuse to bring friends toget her.”
Time for reflection
Only 51 per cent of Americans plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day in 2019, according to the National Retail Federation – a decrease of more than 10 percentage points over the past decade.
But Ga lent i ne’s Day sa les are predicted to bring in a 20 per cent total revenue increase over t he nex t t h ree yea r s, according to an estimate by NPD reta i l a na lyst Marsha l Cohen.
For Patel, Dillingham and ot her s , t he hol iday goe s beyond rebelling against Valentine’s Day and partying to also include a time of personal ref lection – more than just “ovaries before brovaries”, as Leslie Knope would say.
“It sta rted out as ver y shallow,” Patel said. But now, “it feels bigger than just celebrating female friends. It’s a day to ref lect on people who support you in your life”.
Some businesses are working to embrace t hat deeper message.
Arley Arrington, the owner of Arley Cakes in Richmond, Virginia, has made alternative “conversation” heart cookies since 2016 – instead of “I love you” and “Be mine”, they say things like “Flawless” and “Be my equal”.
Although she doesn’t market t hem specif ica lly for Galentine’s Day, t he 29-year-old baker says most of the orders come from women planning to g ive t he goodies to t hei r female friends.
Her inspiration? The annua l Beyonce-t hemed Ga lentine’s Day dinner she hosted w it h her f r iends i n Cha rlottesv ille before she moved to Richmond.
“People get excited when t hey’re able to con f ront or think about those more challenging t hings in a cute format,” Arrington said.
Sara Phillips, a 37-year-old Washington perfume-maker who is co-host i ng a Ga lentine’s Day workshop, says she is on board with the holiday’s message – even if she had not heard of it before t his year.
“It’s rea l ly a l l about women’s empowerment and women helping each other out and encouragement,” she said.
Patel agrees: “I t hink t hat’s t he specia l part, celebrating how women a re supporting each ot her.”