A V-day throwdown throwback

Here is an old article I wrote on my open and honest feelings when it comes to this, most superfluous holiday:

Battle of the sexes
Is Valentine’s Day tougher for men or women? This is where I stand:

Many people have negative opinions about Valentine’s Day, often complaining about the nature of the holiday itself. If you’re in a healthy and loving relationship, every day should be what Valentine’s Day pretends to be,” There shouldn’t be a holiday that dictates when you have to tell your partner that you love them; you just should
And yet, Feb. 14 remains as it has always been. Every year, when Valentine’s Day rolls around, the world becomes painted in shades of red, pink and white, and on every TV channel, billboard and radio station, there are ads for jewelry stores, florists, greeting cards and chocolate retailers. What do these ads have in common? They are reminders, both subtle and blatant, of what men need to be doing for their special someones on this particular day. Yes, most of the time, these ads are strictly designed for men.
The staple of Valentine’s Day is, by nature, designed to be gifts from men to their girlfriends, wives and other special women in their lives. While there are always exceptions to every trend, teddy bears, flowers and chocolates are gifts that are generally designed for women. You never see a billboard reminding women to get their husbands the latest Madden or hear an advertisement from Hooters explaining how much their husbands and boyfriends would appreciate a dinner there. The most women are required to do, it seems, is purchase lingerie as a prize to their significant others, should they meet the expectations set upon them on this holiday.
On Valentine’s Day, the expectations on men far outweigh the ones on women. Traditionally, men are supposed to spend every moment of the day doing special, romantic things for their wives or girlfriends, surprising them with expensive and classy gifts. What are the expectations on women? Besides reciprocating the purchase of some romantic gesture, like a watch or a symbolic necklace, the woman is practically free of requirements for this occasion. The man is expected to lavish her with gifts, pay for the meals and events, and arrange spectacular surprises at every turn, while the woman merely sits back and gives her husband or boyfriend a token of her affection at some point.
So many girlfriends and wives make their husbands work so hard just to meet a certain standard of gifts and romantic gestures on this one day, and the consequences of not exceeding their expectations are often severe. People have actually gotten divorced because their boyfriend or husband forgot to buy them a gift, card or flowers. It’s stupid and unfair.
Why do men submit themselves to this quasi-slavery? Often, they are focused on the pot of gold at the end of their rainbow of hard work, in the form of romantic attention from their spouse or girlfriend, as they likely have picked up some wearable Valentine’s Day gifts for them.
That sounds nice, but when you really think about it, it only further subdues men on this day.
Men practically have to jump through hoops of fire to win a prize they usually get by default every other day of the year. Women seem to have all the control. If they’re satisfied with the man’s performance, the man gets a treat. If not, he gets to sleep on the couch. This kind of behavior practically equates men to dogs.
The worst that women have to complain about is how horrible their boyfriends and husbands performed on Valentine’s Day, while men have the burdens of gift costs, event planning and the pressure to please their significant others.
This holiday may have been about mutual expression of love at one point, but now it is simply an exercise in how much greater one woman’s boyfriend or husband is than the next.
Just once, I would like to see a man get pampered on Valentine’s Day. I’d love to see him get surprised with the new issue of Maxim at breakfast. I’d love to see his girlfriend plan an entire afternoon of sports-watching and Halo playing followed by dinner at his favorite barbecue pit or pool hall.
If nothing else, should a man perform exceptionally well on this holiday, they should be given their own special day where their wives and girlfriends have to worry and stress over showing their affection and appreciation in different but equal ways.