Has Valentine’s Day been commercialized?Photo by AutoDS.com
Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate all types of love, romance, and cute heart-shaped décor. However, over the years, Valentine’s Day has gone from sweet, meaningful homemade cards to ‘How much did this cost?’
In the early 2000s, Valentine’s Day seemed more about showing appreciation for others. Homemade gifts and cards were exchanged. Even a simple walk in the park was considered a good Valentine’s Day. Kids would decorate mailboxes for their classrooms and give fun, kid-appropriate cards; some even came with little knick-knacks or candy.
In 2022, according to time.com, the average person spent 60 dollars more than in 2012 for Valentine’s Day gifts. One can wonder if this has anything to do with the extravagant standards social media has set. Almost everyone has a social media account and has consumed at least one “haul” video. Sometimes, these hauls are outlandish, with overly expensive items. But all it takes is one video for an item to become trendy.
That one video leads to more videos and the overconsumption of a product or a brand. Then, we see these products on social media gift-guide posts. Not only does this influence people to buy expensive or unnecessary gifts, but it also leads to the expectation that you must receive a specific priced gift for it to be ‘acceptable.’
Valentine’s Day has become a holiday where consumerism and capitalism thrive. Not everyone plays into the commercialized holiday, but it is prevalent. Maybe stop and think about what you plan to do for Valentine’s Day, whether it is because you are showing your appreciation and love for someone, or is it just consumerism.
