Dear Quilly Girl,

So it’s the season of love. Couples post themselves online, their happiness on display for the world to see. Brands run campaigns, dropping limited-edition products adorned with bows and frills. Stores stock their shelves with teddy bears and cards, flower bouquets and boxes of chocolate. But for many of us, the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day are a bit too much like those boxes—promising at first, until the excitement passes and all you’re left with is a hollow cardboard heart. 

And in 2026, more girls feel this way than ever. On one hand, it’s “embarrassing to have a boyfriend.” More and more women are forgoing relationships with men altogether and joining the 4B movement as a protest against the constant attacks on women’s rights and autonomy.  On the other, being in a long-term romantic relationship continues to serve as a social status symbol, an indication to the world that you’re happy and have someone to share your life with. And that’s not even considering the many in-betweens: the crushes and situationships, Snaps and speculations, endless TikTok theories about limerence and love-bombing…

Here’s the thing, Quilly Girl: it’s okay to not know how to feel about all of this. We’re human, after all. Feelings can be sloppy, confusing, and certainly overwhelming. They can turn us inside out and contradict our own values and logic. And when it seems like the world around us is falling apart, you might feel like it’s selfish to even think about your V-day date. But when problems feel too big to handle, there’s a tried-and-true solution that almost every girl can attest to: turn to your best friend!

You see, we live in a society in which friendships, especially those between women, are overlooked ALL THE TIME in favor of romantic relationships. So it makes sense, then, that the concept of spending Valentines’ Day with your friends isn’t as common or as accepted as spending it with your romantic partner. And it seems that in recent years, the optimistically millennial practice of Galentine’s Day has fallen out of trend. But there’s absolutely no reason it should have. Studies show that not only does friendship make you happier, it literally makes you healthier, putting you at lower risk for things like stroke and heart disease. And not to mention: the bond that you share with your best friend is a bond like no other. Whether you’ve grown up together since you were toddlers, bonded over monkey bars in the school playground, or formed a connection in the dorm during late-night yap sessions, there’s just no person in the world like your best friend. Isn’t that something worth celebrating?

So this Valentine’s Day, whether you’re in a happy relationship, flying solo, or somewhere in between, don’t forget to make plans with your bestie! It doesn’t matter whether you decide to catch a movie (Wuthering Heights, anyone?), bake together, host a wonderful craft night, or simply sit on the couch and split a box of chocolates. The only thing that matters is enjoying the company of the person who’s been with you so far and will stick with you for a lifetime. Because sometimes, the longest-lasting, most fulfilling relationships of our lives are platonically romantic. 

With love,

A Quilly Girl