Valentine’s Day is the single day out of the year that the United States publicly and collectively endorses love. This non-official holiday is surrounded by mixed feelings depending on one’s relationship status but is still largely recognized by most Americans.
Participation in this potentially meaningful and romantic holiday requires one thing of its contributors: love must be expressed through the consumption of goods.
The simple premise for Valentine’s Day is to set aside a twenty-four hour period to show our significant others more appreciation and adoration than usually exhibited.
Dating back to the 1400s, hand-written love letters and Valentine’s were the most commonly accepted way of displaying these heightened annual emotions come mid-February. But when time became an expensive commodity, men and women searched outside themselves for an easier and quicker way to say, “I love you.”
When Esther A. Howland created the first commercial Valentine’s Day card in 1840, corporate American saw an opportunity to capitalize. Greeting card companies, chocolate factories, and 1-800-Flowers quickly realized that the majority of Americans felt compelled to demonstrate love properly through the transfer of goods and services. It is estimated that just north of 200 million cards will be exchanged this year, 58 million pounds of chocolate will be sold, and 74 percent of all Americans will celebrate. Celebrate, of course, meaning partaking in the consumption of Valentine-specific goods.
Unfortunately these days, cards are not enough. Flowers, chocolates, plush animals, homemade baked goods, and other perishable items are not only a nice addition to a cleverly published greeting card, but an expected token of affection. However, if these gifts are supposed to have hidden Da Vinci Code messages about the status of our relationships—are perishable items really appropriate? Perhaps we should reconsider these cultural norms strongly associated with red roses. After all, even roses have their thorns and only carry a shelf life of two weeks.
Despite the fact that Valentine’s Day has emerged as a tragic “Hallmark Holiday,” February fourteenth is the day circled (potentially heart-ed) in red Sharpie marker on every girl’s calendar as the one day not to forget.
Seriously though, how devastating could it possibly be if dates were not properly secured, reservations not finalized and the perfect gifts not purchased? How else are we to symbolize our love for one another? Further, how else do we prove other people love us?
It is a sad reality that nearly 15 percent of women in the United States send themselves flowers to ease the social embarrassment of not having a date or a significant other. What was meant to be a day dedicated to celebrate love has become yet another moment in commercial America to prove our worth through material goods. The most disconcerting part, however, is that our culture demands our worth to be wrongfully placed in another’s hand demonstrated each February fourteenth.
