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The bar you’ve never heard of date
So you’re going out with a cool cat, eh? But you’re feeling a little scared that they’re going to find out that you have a tendency to talk to your cats for too long and you have an active relationship with the cast of New Girl? Well, first, tell them all of that because you sound like a dream. Second, dare to show them that cat lovers and New Girl diehards are cool too.
What screams “I deserve to be at this underground music show?” Culottes (Alice & UO Enalle Tie-Waist Culotte Pant, $82)! Topped with a bow. Like the present you are.
Amp up the sexy calf action going on with some sleek leather heels (Kelsi Dagger Brooklyn Lexington Heel, $145), and make sure they have a thick heel because you’re gonna be dancing like you know all the lyrics. Complete your otherwise black outfit with a blush tank featuring daring crochet work (Project Social T Andi Side-Tie Tank Top, $42).
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The Netflix and chill date
Hopefully this date was posed ironically, with the unintended consequence that the most notorious date of them all was born. Societal expectations for Valentine’s Day plans be gone!
But just because you’re breaking the Valentine’s norm, doesn’t mean you have to break every norm. Gettin’ sexy, for example, is a great norm. So what to wear?
Well, because you two are being so cheeky, go with the obvious route here: match your undies to your mood with cheekier undies (Everly Lace Cheeky Boyshort, $10), and then slip into a Parisian-looking bra (Kimchi Blue Serena Applique Bra, $49) that won’t sacrifice the comfort promised with Netflix and Chill evenings. Top the look off with some over-the-knee socks (Lightweight Button Thigh-High Thermal Sock, $16) and the fuzziest pair of slippers (UO Fluffy Slipper, $14.99) you have.
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The “I’m going broke” dinner date
You’re pulling out all the stops this Valentine’s Day, opting for an over-the-top traditional candlelit dinner at a restaurant where you will be the only ones who aren’t thirty or forty something. It’s fun pretending to not care about money, isn’t it? Yes, it really is.
Tonight, start with something that makes it look like you boldly accept all traditions that go along with Valentine’s Day – an elegant red number (Keepsake Interlude Lace Bodycon Dress, $219 or a shorter option, Silence + Noise Mekka Strappy-Red Dress, $109). But then bring out that twenty something rebellious nature and throw on a denim jacket that boldly displays your nineties roots (Kimchi Blue Woodstock Embroidered Denim Jacket, $129), a pair of ankle boots (Isabella Buckle Ankle Boot, $104) and some whimsical anklets (Polka Dot Anklet Sock, $16)!
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The you-suck-a-lot date
So your date is taking you to Hawaii? Fuck you. Wear this though: (Out From Under Printed Longline Underwire Bikini Top, $54 and Out From Under Printed Flat High-Waisted Bikini Bottom, $54).
Accessorize!
No outtift is complete without a few pieces of jewelery. Your date might have a piece waiting for you at your date, but it’s better to be safe than sorry, so don’t leave with an incomplete outfit. These small details can really tie your outfit together and take it to fashion-blogger level. Depending on your personality, it can be small and subdued, like a ring, but can also be a statement piece that’s big and sparkly.
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By: Alex Killian/ SHEC
Want to celebrate the day of love but feel sick at the thought of corporate associations with Valentine’s Day? Do you know that expressions of love are important everyday, but want to do something extra special with someone special? Luckily, it is possible to ignore the complex marketing scheme behind the holiday. The day can be a wonderful opportunity (or excuse) to spend time with people that you love and tell them how much you love them. Best of all, incorporating grateful gestures can be done in a way that is in line with your New Year’s resolution of eating better, getting out more and spending less money.
Planning a date is always a challenge. Instead of the standard Nicholas Sparks movie in theatres, perhaps discover your city. Normally, a suggestion to visit one of the outdoor skating rinks would be appropriate, but considering the El Nino winter, it might be better to plan a hike to one of Hamilton’s famous waterfalls instead. Bring your rain boots and get moving! Alternatively, try another new activity altogether; rock climbing at the gym is a great activity for two!
In the evening, prepare a healthy, homemade dinner together to warm up. Try a fancy-looking-but-remarkably-easy spinach-strawberry-and-feta salad as an appetizer, and a frozen yogurt parfait with the fruits of your choice for desert. Use Greek yogurt for extra protein and add some honey or maple syrup for that added swirl of sweetness. Don’t forget the wine and the candles for a romantic evening! After you exchange gifts, curl up with a movie or a book.
Gifts? Though certainly not a necessity, small gifts can help commemorate the holiday. Skip the Hallmark card and revive the dying art of homemade cards and handwritten expressions of love. Delve into the world of DIY on Pinterest for inspiration. The process of making your own Valentine’s Day card or gift can be meditative and therapeutic, and you might be surprised at what you can make with youwr third grade art skills. The recipient will recognize and appreciate the amount of effort that went into the gift.
To get even craftier, fill a mason jar with individual slips of paper with written compliments, memories and reasons why your partner means a lot to you can be an exciting alternative card that can be “read” over a longer period of time. Moreover, receiving something uniquely made for you makes one feel all sorts of warm fuzzies.
If your sweetheart has a sweet tooth, throwing in Hershey’s kisses can be a nice touch. Alternatively, dark chocolates or dark chocolate covered raisons/peanuts/almonds or even coffee beans make healthier study snacks, and will be especially appreciated as midterms creep up! A midterm survival kit can also be a meaningful gift. Be sure to include coffee, tea, study snacks and useful little things like handcream, socks or gum. If you’re both bookworms, consider exchanging recent books that you each read recently, thus spreading and sharing stories.
Each holiday or special day, Valentine’s Day included, is an opportunity to create memories and traditions with your friends, partners and family. Making your holidays affordable, healthy and sustainable can make the experience together more meaningful and more yours. Happy Valentine’s Day!
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Dear (insert name),
I didn’t believe in love at first sight until I saw you on Tinder. Unlike the twenty-or-so good-looking people I had swiped right before you, I felt butterflies in my stomach when I came across your selfie. Something felt different. Although I’m unsure whether this odd feeling in my stomach was because of you or because of my strict fresh-pressed juice diet, I knew from the get-go that you were special. Now, two weeks since I sent you that coy greeting on Tinder, I am so happy to say that you’re the first person I call when I feel like hooking-up. It’s scary for me to say this but … you’re my main hang.
Looking back, our first date feels as though it was just yesterday. I remember feeling lonely after making gluten-free pain au chocolate at the local café that day. After my then-main hang failed to respond to my text, I decided to hit you up instead. To my content, you responded promptly to my proposition of Netflix and Chill. You took my breath away when you opened the door to your apartment; the interior was so familiar that I thought I might have hooked-up with your roommate before. Thankfully, the similar decor was just a coincidence. I want you to know how much I still think about that day. It was so good – the “chill” part, that is.
I’m so happy to be in a low-key, casual, non-committal partnership with you. It’s amazing to be with someone on the same wavelength. We’re both smart, progressive people. Unlike those who opt for traditional dating and committed relationships, we consider cost-benefit analyses and the low risk, low investment model of hooking up. With the Canadian dollar at the lowest it has ever been, it is imperative for people to be more financially conscious. Can you imagine being someone whose idea of a date is dinner and a movie? The cost-benefit of that scenario is so skewed, not to mention how much time that date would take up. All we do is buy someone a drink at the club and bam-shabam! We’ve sealed the deal. The cost of our “dates” is one drink and maybe an hour at the club, followed by a night of fiscally responsible hooking up. I cannot imagine life any other way, and I am so glad you feel the same. We are definitely what people mean when they say, “meant to be.”
Stability is so overrated. We both want freedom, we want excitement, we want new. And can you imagine the FOMO you’d have otherwise? There is a never-ending stream of singles to choose from. I cannot imagine being with one person for a long time rather than cycling through lots of suitors quickly. That sounds so stagnant. But I’m so glad I’m at this temporary pause with you. You are the perfect person to be temporarily stagnant with.
I know we’re not, like, together or anything but it felt weird to just not say anything so I’m writing you this letter as an indication of how much I enjoy your companionship. There is nobody else I’d rather lie in bed and look at my phone next to at this moment. It’s like I was playing a game of darts at the new craft-beer-exclusive pub down the street; I kept throwing darts and eventually one stuck. That dart is you. You stuck. I can’t see you becoming unstuck anytime soon. Would it be optimistic of me to say that I can still see us together at the end of next week? I know that’s a long time, but that just goes to show how special you are to me. None of the other people I’m flirting and hooking up with right now make me feel the way that you do. I hope that makes you feel special.
This letter really isn’t a big deal and it doesn’t have to mean anything if you don’t want it to, obviously. I’m having a great time just being what we are right now. (Do you want something though? I’m totally open to whatever. It’s chill. I’m cool. If you do though, shoot me a text and let me know. If you don’t, you know. Whatever.)
Anyhow, swiping right on you was the best decision I’ve ever made. Happy Valentine’s Day.
With like,
(insert your name)
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By: Rachelle Zalter
It comes every year. There is no hiding from it. It is good to some and rough to others. It’s not Santa Claus. It’s not Boxing Day. It is not the dreaded phone call from your foreign relatives in the Middle East (or is that just me?).
It is Valentine’s Day.
But is this really the way we should look at a single date on the calendar? What makes February 14th vary from all the other days of the year? Why is it that eating excessive amounts of comfort food, watching movies for self-pity and sulking over failed relationships has become a national event for thousands of single people?
“Forever alone.” I’ll admit, even I have used that phrase once or twice. But we have no idea where our life is going to lead us. I may end up living in an apartment with 14 cats and an imaginary friend.
I have faith, however, that this will not be the case. On Valentine’s Day, it is extra important to remember that being single is not the end of the world. In fact, unless Valentine’s Day happens to fall on the apocalypse – extremely unlikely – it is probable that just because you are single now does not mean you’ll be forever alone.
When I went around to ask people what their thoughts were on Valentine’s Day, I was pleased to see that the opinions were diverse. To many couples, this holiday means rekindling the connection with a loved one. To some singles, it is a time to celebrate with friends. To others, it is a day devoted to loving yourself. And to the rest, put simply, it is just a day.
Lori, a fourth-year Arts and Science student, has warm feelings for the holiday. “It is a universal day of love,” she says. “It’s always nice to have an excuse to tell the people in your life that you love them.”
Others do not hold this view on the holiday.
“It may have begun with the intentions to be romantic, but it has become another means of marketing,” says an anonymous student. “If couples are going to be cute together, they should do so every day.”
But it is not always about partaking in romance. In some cases, people enjoy the holiday for atypical reasons. “I think it’s a great day,” Kirstin, another student, admits. “It’s an excuse to eat chocolate and not feel guilty.”
An especially unique response was from Hans, a first-year Humanities student. He was overly excited to celebrate this year.
“I have big plans for Valentine’s Day,” he says. He went on to explain a number of playful pranks that he has been planning. Hans’ favourite, he tells me, is conducting a fake blind date, which consists of him sitting in on a stranger’s meal and pretending that she is the girl he was set up to spend a Valentine’s dinner with. I can only imagine the utter confusion of this poor girl.
A third-year student, Andrew, mentioned a similar outlook. “I want to bring light to the holiday,” he says, “It doesn’t have to be so extreme. There’s more to the day than either being happy with someone or depressed by yourself.”
And this was definitely a shared opinion. A comment that stood out to me was from Vanessa, a second-year, who believed there was much more to worry about than being single on Valentine’s Day.
“It is important to remember that there are people without moms on Mother’s Day and dads on Father’s Day. It could be worse. You can love your friends on Valentine’s Day. You can love yourself.”
The various opinions of this holiday lead to a simple conclusion. Valentine’s Day is what you make of it. If you pronounce yourself forever alone, that is your prerogative. But you can also choose to do something with the 24 hours. It can be a day to love your partner, your family, your friends or yourself. And if you’re feeling extra daring, you can stretch it beyond 24 hours.
After all, if Valentine’s Day is what you make of it, what about life?
By: Ronald Leung
To have 20 valentines: oh how I miss those days,
Draped in a childhood haze.
Dodge ball in grade three,
Getting my elementary school degree.
Feburary 14th: the day would roll around,
Which cards would I get? Thinking in a frown.
Scooby Doo?
Pokémon?
Hello Kitty?
Carrying my own cards, school-bound.
The time would come,
All my friends to be my valentine!
Handing out my precious cards,
No one will ever be glum.
How strange it is then,
And how strange it is now,
To go from multi-valentine fun,
To only wanting one.
