El 14 de febrero ya pasó✨
Las flores empezaron a inclinarse. Los chocolates sobrevivieron (o no). Las fotos ya están en historias destacadas. Y la vida, oficialmente, volvió a la normalidad.
Pero ahora que bajó el volumen de los corazones rojos y las cenas “perfectas”… quiero preguntarte algo con calma: ¿cómo lo viviste realmente?
Sin filtros. Sin presión. Sin la obligación de que todo haya sido “especial”.
February 14 has come and gone✨
The flowers have started to wilt. The chocolates survived (or not). The photos are now in featured stories. And life has officially returned to normal.But now that the volume of red hearts and “perfect” dinners has died down... I want to ask you something calmly: how did you really experience it?
No filters. No pressure. No obligation for everything to have been “special.”
Hay algo curioso con el 14 de febrero. Aunque digamos que no nos importa, algo en el ambiente cambia. Las redes, las calles, se llenan de parejas sonrientes, regalos inesperados y declaraciones públicas que parecen sacadas de una película romántica de los 2000.
Y aunque una esté feliz, tranquila, soltera, enamorada o simplemente ocupada… es imposible no notar la narrativa colectiva:
ese día parece medir algo.
Como si fuera un pequeño examen emocional anual. ¿Te celebraron? ¿Celebraste? ¿Te eligieron? ¿Elegiste?
Y si no… ¿qué significa eso?
There's something curious about February 14. Even if we say we don't care, something in the atmosphere changes. Social media and the streets are filled with smiling couples, unexpected gifts, and public declarations that seem straight out of a romantic movie from the 2000s.
And even if you're happy, calm, single, in love, or just busy... it's impossible not to notice the collective narrative:
that day seems to measure something.As if it were a little annual emotional test. Did they celebrate you? Did you celebrate? Were you chosen? Did you choose?
And if not... what does that mean?
¿Disfrutas el 14 de febrero o sientes que debes disfrutarlo?
Si soy completamente sincera… es una fecha que ni siquiera me quitaba el sueño estando en pareja.
Me gusta, sí. Me gusta la vibra colectiva, ese aire ligeramente más romántico que se siente en todas partes. Me gustan las decoraciones, los corazones exagerados, las películas románticas que una decide ver “solo porque es 14” 🎬💕. Me gusta la idea del amor celebrándose en voz alta.
Pero tampoco podemos ignorar algo evidente: más que un día de celebrar el amor, es un día profundamente comercial. Está diseñado para el consumo. Los precios suben, los restaurantes se llenan, las flores se agotan, y de pronto parece que el amor tiene tarifa especial ese día🌹.
Y ahí es donde el disfrute cambia un poco. Porque ya no es solo “quiero celebrar”, sino que sientes que debes celebrar. Que debes regalar. Que debes publicar. Que debes demostrar.
Y si no lo haces… entonces eres indiferente, amargada o “la que no cree en el amor”.
Y no. El amor no debería sentirse como una obligación social con fecha límite.
Do you enjoy February 14th, or do you feel like you must enjoy it?
To be completely honest... it's a date that didn't even keep me awake at night when I was in a relationship.
I like it, yes. I like the collective vibe, that slightly more romantic air that you feel everywhere. I like the decorations, the exaggerated hearts, the romantic movies you decide to watch “just because it's the 14th” 🎬💕. I like the idea of love being celebrated out loud.
But we also can't ignore something obvious: more than a day to celebrate love, it's a deeply commercial day. It's designed for consumption. Prices go up, restaurants fill up, flowers sell out, and suddenly it seems like love has a special price tag that day🌹.
And that's where the enjoyment changes a bit. Because it's no longer just “I want to celebrate,” but you feel like you have to celebrate. That you have to give gifts. That you have to post about it. That you have to prove it.
And if you don't... then you're indifferent, bitter, or “the one who doesn't believe in love.”
And no. Love shouldn't feel like a social obligation with a deadline.
¿Alguna vez has sentido que ese día mide tu “valor sentimental”?
Yo sí, totalmente.
Hay una especie de balanza invisible que aparece ese día. Como si tu valor emocional se midiera por lo que recibes o por lo que puedes mostrar.
¿Te regalaron algo?
¿Te dedicaron una historia?
¿Tienes a alguien con quien cenar?
Si la respuesta es sí, parece que “vas bien”.
Si la respuesta es no, algo dentro puede susurrarte que estás fallando en algo 😅.
Y eso pesa. Porque el amor no debería validarse en función de un ramo de flores o una reserva en un restaurante. Pero vivimos en una cultura donde la visibilidad muchas veces se confunde con profundidad.
Y no tener nada que mostrar no significa no tener nada valioso.
Have you ever felt that a particular day measures your “sentimental value”?
I do, absolutely.
There's a kind of invisible scale that appears on that day. It's as if your emotional value is measured by what you receive or what you can show.
Did you get a gift?
Did someone dedicate a story to you?
Do you have someone to have dinner with?If the answer is yes, it seems that you are “doing well.”
If the answer is no, something inside you may whisper that you are failing at something.And that weighs heavily. Because love should not be validated by a bouquet of flowers or a restaurant reservation. But we live in a culture where visibility is often confused with depth.
And having nothing to show does not mean having nothing valuable.
TOTAL. Y aquí me incluyo, sin excusas 🙋🏻♀️.
Uno de mis pecados declarados es idealizar lo que debe "ser" mi potencial pareja (quizás hablemos de esto en otra publicación). Pero, en general, la idea de estar en pareja está profundamente idealizada. Hay una narrativa social muy fuerte que coloca el “estar con alguien” como un indicador de éxito emocional.
Se nos vende la pareja como destino, como meta, como validación. Como si estar acompañada fuera sinónimo automático de plenitud.
Y sí, el amor romántico es hermoso. Pero también es complejo, imperfecto, humano. No es una película constante ni una historia de Instagram popular.
Idealizar demasiado la pareja puede hacer que olvidemos algo importante: estar en una relación no es lo mismo que estar bien.
Y estar soltera tampoco es estar incompleta
Do you think we romanticize the idea of being in a relationship too much? TOTAL. And I include myself here, no excuses 🙋🏻♀️.
One of my confessed sins is idealizing what my potential partner should “be” (maybe we'll talk about this in another post). But, in general, the idea of being in a relationship is deeply idealized. There is a very strong social narrative that positions “being with someone” as an indicator of emotional success.
We are sold the idea of a partner as destiny, as a goal, as validation. As if being accompanied were automatically synonymous with fulfillment.
And yes, romantic love is beautiful. But it's also complex, imperfect, human. It's not a constant movie or a popular Instagram story.
Idealizing your partner too much can make us forget something important: being in a relationship is not the same as being okay.
And being single doesn't mean you're incomplete either.
Quizás el 14 de febrero no es el problema. Quizás lo que pesa es todo lo que proyectamos sobre ese día.
No está mal disfrutarlo. No está mal ignorarlo. No está mal querer flores ni está mal no querer nada.
Lo importante —creo yo— es que el amor no se convierta en una competencia ni en una vitrina. Que no sintamos que debemos probar algo para encajar en una narrativa colectiva.
El amor no debería sentirse como una auditoría anual.
Tal vez la pregunta real no es cómo celebraste el 14, sino cómo estás viviendo el amor el resto del año. Con otros. Y contigo.
Perhaps February 14 isn't the problem. Perhaps what weighs on us is everything we project onto that day.
There's nothing wrong with enjoying it. There's nothing wrong with ignoring it. There's nothing wrong with wanting flowers, and there's nothing wrong with not wanting anything.
The important thing, I believe, is that love doesn't become a competition or a showcase. That we don't feel we have to prove something to fit into a collective narrative.
Love shouldn't feel like an annual audit.
Perhaps the real question isn't how you celebrated the 14th, but how you are living love the rest of the year. With others. And with yourself.
So, my dear person reading this, I invite you to answer the same questions I left here, and share your opinion about this popular celebration💗
