By Mia Crawford | Photographer
Valentine’s Day — a day of candy hearts, red roses and unnecessarily large plush animals. This celebration of love costs Americans $25.9 billion a year, but does anyone actually know why?
Feb. 14 is the one day of the year when love is expected to be out on full display, adorned with chocolates and the daunting pressure of finding a soulmate. While some eagerly anticipate Cupid’s special day, others can’t help but roll their eyes at the whole affair. If you find yourself in the latter category of people, join the club while I tell you why I disagree with this sweetheart spectacle.
In the beginning stages of writing this article, I asked my single friends what they found most frustrating about Valentine’s Day. Their answer was the fact that it is a condensed celebration. Why wait for one specific day of the year to express your love for another person when there are 364 other great days to do so as well? A fair and just argument, I could not help but add it to the list of reasons why I already disliked the holiday.
Let’s face it: Hallmark has turned love into a billion-dollar industry … literally. Simply walking into Target has become an expedition, as you first have to navigate through an obstacle course of endless bedazzled greeting cards and a jungle of flowers before even making it to the store’s regular distractions. There is no denying that Valentine’s Day has become a profit-making extravaganza.
Expectations often get the best of us, and I have definitely fallen victim to building things up in my head, but Valentine’s Day expectations have me beat. The insurmountable pressure to come up with an elaborate declaration of love leaves many wondering where letters and poems went. Gone are the simplicities of affectionate expression, and in are the impossible standards set by books and movies.
Though the idea of making time to celebrate love seems noble, the consumerism of Valentine’s Day has turned the holiday into a capitalist conundrum. Rather than putting the pressure of proclaiming your love for your significant other on one day, let’s have love extend beyond a date on the calendar.
