While all the stores are decking out for Valentine’s Day, we’re equally excited for Galentine's Day...
What is Galentine's Day?
For those of you who are out of the loop on this fabulous holiday, Galentine’s Day is celebrated on February 13, the day before Valentine’s Day, to celebrate the love you share for your ladies (or any other platonic pals in your life).
The unofficial holiday debuted in 2010 on Parks and Recreation’s sophomore season. Goddess and glorious female warrior Leslie Knope created Galentine’s Day to treat her ladies to waffles and her signature undying love. According to Leslie, “It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus frittatas.”
10 years later, Galentine’s Day is a real holiday during which women get together for brunch or post-work cocktails to shower each other with affection in a boyfriend-, husband-, and partner-free setting.
So this year, we’re using Galentine’s Day as a celebration of self-love. While Valentine’s Day is for couples, Galentine’s Day is for everybody!
Gift Ideas For Your Favorite Galentine
Thinking about celebrating Galentine’s Day this year? Check out our list to treat yo’ self or the poetic and noble land-mermaid in your life.
Emily McDowell Sassy Valentine’s Day Cards
Don’t you miss your elementary school days when you could give everyone you knew — from besties to crushes — a cute Valentine’s Day card? As an adult, it feels like the cards you find at the drugstore are excessively mushy, only reserved for long-time couples.
Emily McDowell & Friends offer a wide range of Galentine’s Day cards, including ones to gift your gals. Whether you need to give your single friend a boost of confidence, give thanks to your ride or die, or celebrate the many benefits of friend love, Emily McDowell has you covered. And for those of you who do want to celebrate romance this Valentine’s Day, there are cards for Valentine’s Day, too, including ones for the one who melted your cold heart or the one who you’re not dating but not not-dating but still need to show appreciation for.
The WaterSlyde
The Waterslyde, the latest addition to our product lineup, is an intimidation-free way to encourage your girl friends to practice self care and self pleasure. Whether your gifting it to your friend who is a pleasure product newbie or your pal whose drawer looks like a sex shop, the Waterslyde is great for starting out or switching things up. The Waterslyde is a water-diverter that can be used to practice the self-pleasure bathtub technique, to test something new during foreplay with a partner, or to practice genital hygiene. Give your gal the tool to help her ride the waves of self-love and self-pleasure!
Nasty Woman Wines Boss Lady Bubbles
What’s better than sharing a bottle of wine with your galentines? How about sharing a bottle of wine that gives back to women in leadership? Nasty Woman Wines is a woman-owned wine company that donates 20% of their net profits to help get more women in policy and leadership. We think their Boss Lady Bubbles, a sparkler made with Riesling and a touch of Muscat, will bring the perfect amount of sophisticated fun to your Galentine’s Day festivities. Nasty Woman Wines recommends pairing this bubbly bottle with cheese, so get your gals together, whip up an instagramable charcuterie board, and enjoy the whole bottle with your babes.
Vida Kush “Nobody” Nameplate Necklace
Sometimes Valentine’s Day is best celebrated solo. If your bestie is an independent woman with a dry sense of humor, this gift is perfect for her. Vida Kush, an offbeat LA jewelry company, offers the perfect line of nameplate necklaces to let your gal keep her favorite mantra close. We’re especially in love with this “Nobody” necklace, which will help your friend send the message that her heart belongs to no one (except herself, of course).
Rebel Soul Collective T-Shirt
Has your girl been feeling down about her love life lately? Is she an absolute badass and needs to be reminded? Gift her with this “Strong Women Intimidate Boys… and Excite Men” tee from Rebel Soul Collective. This shirt is the ultimate unapologetic “boy, bye” to all the fuck boys who didn’t see your girl for the boss babe she is. To make things even better, Rebel Soul Collective offers custom t-shirt cropping services if you or your friend prefer a fun and sexy fit. To make sure the message of this tee really makes an impact, pair this gift with our Fuckboy Repellent body spray or a night out at a Drag His Ass show.
Lorals
As a pro-empowerment brand, we know how hard it can be to find quality sex supplies that don’t feel like they’re getting in the way of having a good time. Lorals, one of our friends in the sexual wellness world, offers thin latex panties that may have you or your friends saying “Yes, please!” to oral sex more often. Lorals can be used to prevent chafing, to save bedsheets during period sex, to make people feel more comfortable if they don’t want to be fully exposed, and to allow to explore healthy anal play.
Personally, we think there’s no greater gift than the gift of feeling 100% comfortable during oral. While you’re ordering a pack of Lorals for your gals, definitely order one for yourself to try out with your partner(s)!
Fred and Far Pinky Ring
Waiting for an engagement ring for Valentine’s Day is sooo last year. This year, gift your bestie — or yourself — with this self love pinky ring from Fred and Far. Fred and Far’s line of pinky rings serve as a symbol of commitment to self love and come with a pinky promise pact including mantras to vow to always practice self love. We all know that pinky promises are incredibly unbreakable, so making a pact for self love is definitely something we can stand behind.
Whether you’re deciding to make this commitment to yourself, or encouraging your bestie to make the pact, Galentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to start a self love journey.
When your bestie doesn’t know what Galentine’s Day is:
So whether you’re celebrating Galentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day, or both, enjoy yourself and practice self-love all year! Stay tuned for more self-love content coming to you throughout February!
And, as always, if you have other feminist brand and products you love and want to recommend, leave us a comment and we’ll do our best to feature them in future Purse Perfect gift guides!
About The Author
Bailey Shea (@baileykshea on Instagram) is a recent graduate of the University of Connecticut, having received a Bachelor of Arts in English and Communication with a minor in Women’s Studies. She is a strong feminist who hopes to use her future career in publishing and marketing to magnify unheard voices. Outside the writing world, Bailey is an aspiring powerlifter, the human embodiment of a sunflower, and a Taco Bell connoisseur. You can find more of her work at baileykshea.com.
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