Lucrative Love.

Remember when we were in elementary school and on Valentine’s Day we would bring candy and cards to put in our classmates’ goody bags? Or perhaps you might recall your middle and high school lunch period when you would purchase Valentine’s Day candy grams for your high school sweetheart, best friend, or favorite teacher.

Health Science major, Taylor Ward ’22, recalled her fondest Valentine’s Day memory: “My favorite K-12 Valentine’s Day memory is when my now boyfriend asked me to be his girlfriend during our junior year of high school. He surprised me with flowers at school and a handwritten card with a cute drawing on it that said ‘will you be my valentine/girlfriend?’ I still have that card and love to look back on it every year. Definitely my favorite Valentine’s Day memory.”

The origins of Valentine’s Day are a bit sporadic. The holiday of love is connected to practices such as paganism, Catholicism, as well as Greek and Roman mythology. One of the iconic personas of Valentine’s Day is the Roman god of love, Cupid, also known in Greek mythology as Eros (not Harry Styles from Eternals), the God of Love.

In the 21st century, Valentine’s Day is far removed from the origins of the holiday. In our modern world, Valentine’s Day is highly marketed with predominantly white, chubby winged babies on cards, massive boxes of assorted chocolates in which, as Forrest Gump says, “you never know what you’re gonna get,” and oversized teddy bears. To put it into perspective, a giant teddy bear that is priced around $25 to $50 at Walmart is nearly three to five hours of Florida minimum wage labor. The holiday is excruciatingly capitalistic, especially in the United States. You could walk into any grocery store or supermarket and you’ll be bombarded with overpriced Valentine’s Day items.

The notion of spending so much money on Valentine’s Day, a day to celebrate love for your significant other by surprising them, showing how much you love them with the bouquet of 100 roses, and showering them with gifts to apologize for all the fights and arguments you had together, is a bit odd. Love is a feeling that should be celebrated and cherished year round, not just for one day. Why do we buy things to express love? Is Valentine’s Day just a day to make up for the love you didn’t show?

To get some perspective, I asked some Stetson students what their thoughts were on Valentine’s Day: “I think Valentine’s Day is unnecessary and capitalistic. I think the meaning and reasoning behind Valentine’s Day have changed and warped over time,” said Tiffany Williams ’23. “Why is there one day of the year that you should show your love, why do you feel semipressured to have something for your partner on that specific day? I am not a fan of Valentine’s Day for these reasons.”

Taylor Ward ’22 explained, “In my opinion, Valentine’s Day is overrated. Even though I personally am in a relationship and have a significant other, I think Valentine’s Day serves no true purpose. The theory behind Valentine’s Day (i.e. showing your love and appreciation for those you have relationships with, whether it be romantic, familial, friendship, etc.) is appreciated, however, I feel like your love and appreciation should go beyond a single day and should be shown in various ways throughout the entire year.”

According to the National Retail Federation’s Valentine’s Day Spending Survey (NRF), it is projected that for February 14, 2022, individuals will spend $175.41 per person equating to a national total of $23.9 billion, up $2.1 billion from 2021, but less than 2020’s profit of $27.4 billion. The NRF has also surveyed that the top 5 gifts consumers will spend their money on are: candy, greeting cards, flowers, an evening out, and jewelry.

While it may sound like complaining, Valentine’s Day is pointless, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. Focusing on our modern notion of the holiday, why dedicate just one day of the year to go bonkers on purchasing gifts and setting up the perfect dinner just to please your significant other? The capitalization of Valentine’s Day makes love tangible and lucrative when you must buy to show how much you love your significant other.

Rather than flocking to purchase gifts from the store or online, creating something with your hands holds more sentimental and personal value. If you are an artist, create something using the skills of your craft. Create a painting, compose a piece of music, or write a sonnet for your significant other— Shakespearean or Petrarchan are both welcome. Even if you’re not well-versed in an artistic field, why not learn a new craft with a loved one? If a personalized and handcrafted gift is not your forte, aim towards a fun experience. Attend a concert, go see a play, visit a new city, recreate a cuisine dish new to you, or spend the day at DisneyWorld or Universal—luckily for Stetson students they’re both an hour drive away.

So, the next time Valentine’s Day comes around, consider finding a different way to celebrate that may be more affordable, more sustainable, and more valuable.