As editor of the newly revived Relationships section, perhaps it is bad luck to start off by asking if anyone really cares about relationships. But the question has to be asked. Do they?
It doesn’t take a lot of walking around York to feel incredibly single, it’s Christmas time and the markets are bustling with happy couples. After all, Christmas is the time for love. However, I feel like we may be seeing a shift away from romantic love this Christmas.
In recent years, there seems to have been a really big shift in focus on the quality of relationships, not just romantic but also platonic.
We live in tough times and perhaps factors like the cost of living have pushed us as a society to focus on the value of non-material aspects of our lives like our relationships with those around us. However, it does seem like romantic relationships have taken the back burner.
A glaring example of the shift towards the platonic is the popular trend “Galentines”, which has built itself on the back of Valentine’s Day. Whilst it is popular across social media, TikTok seems to be the platform where it has majorly taken off.
Users can post their videos under hashtags and #Galentines has over 145,000 posts. The main demographic of this trend seems to be young women.
“Galentines” has been hugely popular these past few years.
“Galentines” mainly involves groups of friends celebrating by having get-togethers at home, meals out, and, in general, just spending quality time with their friends on a holiday that is usually heavily geared towards the romantic.
It is such a popular concept that it has also been picked up by high street chains. For example, Asda sells a “Galentines Set”, with games, garlands, cocktail menus and other goodies.
Is this shift towards the platonic a bad thing?
I don’t think so.
It’s not uncommon for single people to feel lonely and left behind during the holiday seasons. I think taking some of the emphasis away from romantic relationships plants the seed for people to invest more of their energy into relationships with friends and family.
Additionally, it’s a trend that harms no one. Couples still get to engage in lovey-dovey activities on holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s day, and those celebrating Galentines and such get to join in on the fun. No one gets excluded from feeling appreciated.