0
0
Who really wins on Valentine’s Day? The multi-million dollar industries more than the couples who express their love
By Jed Howell
Each year in the weeks leading to Valentine’s Day we are bombarded with advertisements of expensive diamonds, fancy chocolates, and flower bouquets that couldn’t possibly fit in a vase. All of these items come with a hefty price tag, but for what? So that on February 14th your significant other remembers that you love them? As if you don’t the other 364 days of the year. Not to mention the profit that companies make off cheesy cards and heart shaped chocolates that cost nearly nothing to produce.
Personally, my problem with Valentine’s Day is the idea of having a designated day of the year to show affection. If you love someone enough to enter a relationship with them, then you should be affectionate as often as possible. Valentine’s Day is also more stressful than any normal day. Unrealistic or unclear expectations often result in catastrophe. I’m sure we have all agreed with our significant other that we would not exchange gifts when, in reality, they were expecting some sort of gesture. This day creates a feeling of manufactured or artificial love that couldn’t possibly be expressed any other day of the year.
The other problem with Valentine’s Day is the business side of the holiday. It has been estimated by the Greeting Card Association that each year more than 190 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent. This statistic excludes cards exchanged by children. Businesses thrive on the idea that a paper card with a heart on the front can prove that you care about someone. We have literally put a price on love, $133.91 to be exact. Yes, that is how much each American spends for Valentine’s day on average.
As consumerism tightens its deadly grip on yet another holiday, we may officially place Valentine’s Day in the category of “Hallmark holiday.” The day of love has been tainted by price markups and big business.
