Rose Wall, graphic designer

In less than a week, Valentine’s Day will be upon us. Associated with love, romance and occasionally friendship, the holiday immediately evokes images of heart-shaped boxes filled with chocolate and treats to please your loved one(s). If chocolates don’t make your mouth water, there’s still enough Valentine-themed candies to spike anyone’s blood sugar levels. Walk through the aisles of any grocery store right now and you’ll see pink and red versions of every brand from Sour Patch Kids to Fun Dip for kids’ classrooms. That’s not even mentioning those adorable yet mediocre-tasting conversation heart candies that pop up around this time of year with phrases such as “I love you” and “all mine.” 

As cute and aesthetically pleasing as these pastel hearts are, there’s another little phrase you could put on them to make them more accurate: “buy me.” Though Valentine’s Day originated as a date to remember Christian martyrs named Valentine or Valentinus in as early as the third century, centuries of cultural evolution and capitalism have transformed the holiday into a much more consumerist event. As with Christmas and Saint Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day emerged from religious traditions but has since generally secularized for a broader audience. 

While it’s inevitable that these holidays would evolve over the centuries alongside the societies that celebrate them, it’s also important to realize that they’ve also been transformed by major marketing campaigns to become more materialistic than ever. According to WalletHub, Americans are expected to spend around $2.9 billion on Valentine’s Day gifts this year alone. That equates to about $175 on average for each spender. Of these spenders, over half will buy chocolate, over a third will buy flowers and 22 percent will buy some sort of jewelry. On top of all that, another whopping $1 billion will be spent on greeting cards as well (as a graphic designer, perhaps I should start creating some myself). 

Given that I am a broke college student™ (and you probably are too), spending $175 on my boyfriend seems rather unlikely at best. Although I love him dearly and know I don’t need money to prove it, the aisles of pinks, whites and reds that I pass by at Walmart act like a siren’s call of consumerist temptation and guilt: do you really love him if you’re not going to buy anything? I’m generally adverse to wasting money, so resisting the siren’s call usually isn’t too difficult for me; even so, however, those aisles still remind me that I ought to buy something nice for him. After all, I want him to feel loved and wanted, right? 

Therein lies the temptation of Valentine’s Day in the modern era. While one might first assume that the holiday’s main temptation is lust or sugary gluttony, I’d argue that its main issue is actually materialistic pride. As soon as December ends, grocery stores, malls and online shopping are immediately filled with images of romantic jewelry given to lovers and wholesome chocolates shared with family members. With all this advertising comes an understated but pervasive message: love is what you buy; therefore, buying more means loving more. 

Even though I try to avoid mindless purchases, holidays such as Valentine’s challenge my frugality with this implication. Although Valentine’s Day should be about love, it often also becomes an exercise in clout chasing: whoever can give the biggest teddy bear, the fanciest necklace or the prettiest card is seen as the one who loves the most. 

This holiday season, I hope we can take a break from that materialistic assumption. Given the practically all-encompassing nature of marketing these days, shaking off its messaging is easier said than done. Even so, however, it’s worthwhile to ignore the candy aisle for a minute and truly reflect on how you’d like to love those around you. Instead of buying an $8 card, perhaps you might write a long love letter on an index card or spread your message across someone’s bedroom on some sticky notes. If you like to create art, maybe you could sketch or paint or even create of origami of otherwise short-lived flowers. Or perhaps you do want to intentionally buy that box of chocolates for someone who’ll appreciate them. So long as you mean it, it’s all up to you. Whatever you do this upcoming Valentine’s Day, may your speak sincerely from the heart (if not your own heart, through the heart-shaped candies).