Written by Morgan Wrigley // Photo provided by Delta Nu
Women’s social club Delta Nu celebrated “Anti-Valentine’s Day” Sunday, Feb. 12. Members said the celebration looked different this year as the club emphasized a return to its roots.
“It has a big sleepover-type vibe,” senior Delta Nu president Allison Wisdom said. “It’s getting together and just confiding in each other and being silly with each other.”
She added that although the club’s beaux will sometimes drop by briefly, the function is solely for the women.
Senior activities directors Chloe Cooper and Claire Cunningham said it was important to them to reclaim the annual tradition this year.
When planning this year’s event, they took inspiration from what they remembered from their freshman year.
“Our first Anti-Valentine’s Day was very ‘slumber party,’ ” Cooper said. “Women empowerment, just very red, black and pink.”
Cunningham said last year’s more masculine-themed Anti-Valentine’s Day brought an entertaining side of its own as members donned suits and mustaches for the event.
“Normally we try to make it super feminine, but that time, we were like, ‘Let’s make it masculine and make it funny,’” Cunningham said.
Cooper and Cunningham said the idea of going “back to the roots” of Anti-Valentine’s Day is about focusing on embracing femininity and having fun with just the women.
“I would say it’s almost like reclaiming femininity and not being afraid to be super feminine,” Cunningham said. “… We do a lot of fun, silly things.”
A major part of the event is setting aside time to share stories with each other, Cooper and Cunningham said.
“We tell a lot of bad date stories, or funny stories or frustrating stories,” Cunningham said.
Campbell said having a safe space to share stories with each other is both empowering and a reminder not to take life too seriously.
“The stories that people tell … it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s funny,’ but actually, there’s a whole lot of heartbreaking stuff behind that,” Campbell said. “Just to be able to have a story [like that] and to make it out to something positive and funny for everybody.”
Cooper and Cunningham said the core traditions and secrets involved in the celebration are what makes it special to the club.
“I think for a lot of people in the club, femininity is definitely valued, but there’s almost a fear of feeding into it too much,” Cunningham said. “We’re all very feminist-centered people, so it can be difficult to balance that.”
Cunningham added that Anti-Valentine’s Day is meant to be a safe space where members can feel liberated in being feminine.
“It’s basically just a time to unleash with the girls,” Cooper said. “It is literally just the biggest girls’ night out of the year.”
