Valentine's Day: It's Complicated

One thing Columbians agree on about Valentine’s Day is that the event is what people make of it. Simone Wolff critiques heteronormative conceptions of gender and sexuality, Zahra Bhaiwala contends that self-satisfaction is an important prerequisite to finding love, and Melissa Figueira advocates a creative perspective on the day.

Bring originality back to Valentine's day

By Zahra Bhaiwala, Simone Wolff, and Melissa Figueira | Feb 14 12:48 am ET

Casual Friday: Love in the time of Columbia

Columbia students just want to score.

By Editorial Board | Feb 11 02:00 am ET

Whatever I can get

The definition of relationships is changing.

By Aarti Iyer | Feb 7 10:29 pm ET

Love in the time of capitalism

Despite the commercialism of its peer holidays, Valentine’s Day endures the most persecution by cynics. Complaints of “cliché” or “commercialization” of love suggest that our celebration of Valentine’s Day antagonizes a higher societal ideal of love. I am skeptical about whether we actually have this. Is our concept of love really so passionate, so unique, so unbridled by capitalism?

By Amanda Gutterman | Feb 22 08:26 pm ET

Love actually?

As the Valentine’s Day hangover hits, four writers rise from their death-by-chocolate to consider what Feb. 14 really means.

By Livy Grosvenor, Caroline Blosser, Maria Lantigua, and Andrew Leonard | Feb 15 12:06 am ET

Love is the stuff that dreams are made of

t’s a funny thing, a heartbeat. Sometimes you feel it, and sometimes you don’t, but it’s always there, silently sustaining you with the very stuff that life is made of. A humble hero and a constant companion, Love is patient with me, and it keeps its hold on me.

By Caroline Blosser | Feb 14 07:12 pm ET

Valentine's Day

In the blissfully innocent days of elementary school, denim overalls, bad haircuts, and gap-toothed smiles, Feb. 14 was always a long-awaited and highly anticipated occasion. It was a celebration of sweets and cartoon cards adorned with the Little Mermaid and Power Rangers. Our desires were simple—we wanted sugar, not sex; lollipops, not lust; Reese’s, not romance; Bubblicious, not boyfriends; and Ring Pops, not engagement rings.

By Livy Grosvenor | Feb 14 07:02 pm ET

Redefining Valentine's Day

It should be a day that you dedicate to others, to the ones you love, and they, in return, will make their day about you. Sometimes it requires taking a step back and making this day about others so that we can benefit from their happiness. Valentine’s Day should be exactly what you want it to be.

By Maria Lantigua | Feb 14 06:29 pm ET

Facebook era blurs romantic boundaries

Imagine you and me. And our Facebook accounts.

By Amanda Evans | Feb 2 03:17 am ET

Looking Forward by Looking Back

Looking back on my time writing for Spectator, I am saddened by the mostly vicious and unintelligent attacks that have been directed at me. In the discussion that follows, I will attempt to clarify and expound upon a couple of particularly contentious points I have written about in the past.

By Anthony Kelley | Dec 2 09:43 am ET