Valentine's Day is all about romance, love and having that perfect someone to share it with. But is it the same for singles?
Romantic lives depicted through mass media constantly make people believe they need someone, especially on this day, to complete them. That thinking is wrong, according to ASU journalism professor Mary-Lou Galician.
"If you need another person to feel complete, then you are not ready for a relationship because you are not a whole person," she said.
Galician, who is commonly referred to as "Dr. Fun," said television romance gives a false image of how relationships really work and can be painful for many.
"In media portrayals, everyone knows just what to say and when to say it," she said. "But in real life, knowing what to say is often difficult and hard to communicate."
It is best to have realistic expectations of others, especially today, when lonely hearts are looking for love. It is too easy to misinterpret meanings in media and in life, Galician said.
Tim Clark, a broadcasting senior, said he thinks that the media portrays relationships realistically to a point but does tend to exaggerate occasionally.
"For example, Valentine's Day," Clark said. "You know they'll have some big thing going on on 'Friends' (today) that never happens in real life."
Galician reminds people to think realistically about their relationships.
"Don't expect real love to be constant glitz and glamour," Galician said. "It's not possible to script a relationship in advance like the media does."
Not only is it important to understand that media romance is fake, but also that it is pervasive and continues to affect people's behavior in their own relationships.
"We tend to think that our real relationships should work out just the same as those scripted relationships on television," Galician said.
Public health graduate student Jemima Frimpong disagreed.
"My relationships haven't been affected by the media because I know how to differentiate between television and what real life is," Frimpong said.
Galician is currently teaching a class dedicated to this subject called Sex, Love & Romance in the Mass Media. She also wrote the textbook for the class and is proud of her own marital relationship.
"I am in a loving, caring relationship," she said. "It's not always romantic like the movies, but it's great."
On this day of love, Galician offers her expert advice to the lonely hearts of the world.
"They should get themselves a dozen roses, a box of chocolates and send them to themselves," she said. "There's nothing wrong with going out with friends on Valentine's Day."
Reporter Emily Murphy contributed to this article. Reach the reporter at terry.oreilly@asu.edu.
