Be my anti-Valentine: Rallying against Cupid's corruption
Rebecca Lazarenko
Issue date: 2/13/07 Section: Culture
"Most importantly, don't forget that you are defined by who you are and not who you are dating - or not dating," said Brick.
Anti-Valentine's Day, on the other hand, was born from anti-capitalist efforts rather than humanitarian aid, though both offer a bigger picture hanging over the half-hearted guise of a tongue-in-cheek rebellion of love.
Anti-Valentine e-card creator and English photographer, Meg Pickard began her personal revolution with cheeky sayings such as, 'Bollocks to Valentine's Day' and 'At least my cat loves me'.
The original e-cards were created by Pickard and David Pannett when they were both, "single and grumpy while sharing a flat in London and working in new media".
"We created a bunch of cynical cards poking fun at the cutesy commercialism of the day, to send to our friends, with slogans like, 'Destined to die alone and unloved in a room heavy with the tang of cat wee' and 'Oh my god. Thirty and still single'," said Pickard. "The next year, we did it again, only this time we added an automatic send function - a free thing, supported by ads. Not great, but about the limits of our technical knowledge at the time. We were surprised how popular they were."
Half a decade later, Pickard has un-marketed herself into relative stardom - at least to those fighting against industrialism.
"When I created the first cards, I was single. Now, six years later, I'm happily married," said Pickard. "But my opinions about [Valentine's Day] remain the same."
"I'm still just as cynical about any holiday which involves people with a vested commercial interest telling others how and when to celebrate. I'm still amazed that people blindly accept copywriters' anonymous words and gift-manufacturers' assembly-line interpretations of love and are willing to pay and pass them on, as if they truly represent their own feelings."
Both movements try to inspire consumers not to fall back on pre-packaged sentiments and gifts, which in turn encourages people to be more creative and ultimately more compassionate.
"I think people still feel guilted by society's expectation and media hype into conforming and performing on one day in particular," said Pickard.
"That's unfortunate, but you have to be sanguine about these things: Ultimately, I'd rather people celebrated their relationship - or revells in singleness - all year round."
Both Pickard and Brock suggest these subcultural movements as platforms of awareness, rather than replacement fixtures for statutory celebrations.
"The important thing is not to let a day in mid February be the focus for all your romance," said Pickard. "That's kind of like having a bath once a year."
For more information and e-cards visit meish.org/vd.
Anti-Valentine's Day, on the other hand, was born from anti-capitalist efforts rather than humanitarian aid, though both offer a bigger picture hanging over the half-hearted guise of a tongue-in-cheek rebellion of love.
Anti-Valentine e-card creator and English photographer, Meg Pickard began her personal revolution with cheeky sayings such as, 'Bollocks to Valentine's Day' and 'At least my cat loves me'.
The original e-cards were created by Pickard and David Pannett when they were both, "single and grumpy while sharing a flat in London and working in new media".
"We created a bunch of cynical cards poking fun at the cutesy commercialism of the day, to send to our friends, with slogans like, 'Destined to die alone and unloved in a room heavy with the tang of cat wee' and 'Oh my god. Thirty and still single'," said Pickard. "The next year, we did it again, only this time we added an automatic send function - a free thing, supported by ads. Not great, but about the limits of our technical knowledge at the time. We were surprised how popular they were."
Half a decade later, Pickard has un-marketed herself into relative stardom - at least to those fighting against industrialism.
"When I created the first cards, I was single. Now, six years later, I'm happily married," said Pickard. "But my opinions about [Valentine's Day] remain the same."
"I'm still just as cynical about any holiday which involves people with a vested commercial interest telling others how and when to celebrate. I'm still amazed that people blindly accept copywriters' anonymous words and gift-manufacturers' assembly-line interpretations of love and are willing to pay and pass them on, as if they truly represent their own feelings."
Both movements try to inspire consumers not to fall back on pre-packaged sentiments and gifts, which in turn encourages people to be more creative and ultimately more compassionate.
"I think people still feel guilted by society's expectation and media hype into conforming and performing on one day in particular," said Pickard.
"That's unfortunate, but you have to be sanguine about these things: Ultimately, I'd rather people celebrated their relationship - or revells in singleness - all year round."
Both Pickard and Brock suggest these subcultural movements as platforms of awareness, rather than replacement fixtures for statutory celebrations.
"The important thing is not to let a day in mid February be the focus for all your romance," said Pickard. "That's kind of like having a bath once a year."
For more information and e-cards visit meish.org/vd.
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