Valentine’s Day often feels like the one day each year that brings more anxiety than joy and more headaches than happiness. It can seem like the ultimate marketing scheme, convincing us that love is only worth celebrating if it comes with a price tag.
Every year, as Feb. 14 approaches, society begins its annual countdown to the ultimate day of love. Valentine’s Day is nothing more than a corporate scam designed to sell overpriced chocolates, flowers and ridiculously expensive “love” products. I mean, what says “I love you” more than a $12.99 card that’ll probably end up in the trash in a week? Is it really about love, or just another reason for companies to cash in our emotions?
For many, especially teenagers, Valentine’s Day comes with an overwhelming sense of expectation. If you’re single, it feels like the entire world is reminding you that you’re alone, and if you’re in a relationship, the pressure is on to create the “perfect” day for your partner. The pressure to show love in grand gestures – the kind we’ve seen in movies or social media posts – isn’t just unreasonable; it’s exhausting. We’ve all been there, caught up in the whirlwind of Valentine’s Day expectations. Who needs to feel like a failure because you didn’t book a five-star restaurant or deliver a rose bouquet the size of a small tree? It doesn’t matter if you love each other every day of the year – Valentine’s Day somehow implies that unless you go big, you’re somehow falling short.
Valentine’s Day wasn’t even originally about the over-the-top displays of affection we see today. According to History.com, its origins trace back to a Christian martyr named Saint Valentine, who defied an emperor’s order banning soldiers from marrying. He secretly married couples until he was executed. Romantic, right? But somehow, over the centuries, Valentine’s Day morphed into something unrecognizable, and by the 20th century, corporations had latched onto it as an opportunity to sell cards, flowers and gifts. What was once an act of rebellion for love became a forced, commercialized display of affection. The problem is that the true meaning of the holiday got buried beneath a pile of overpriced teddy bears and pink balloons.
There’s this illusion that love should be proven through grand gestures. But does dropping hundreds of dollars on flowers, candy or an extravagant dinner really show someone you love them? Or are we just following a script that has nothing to do with real feelings and everything to do with fulfilling societal expectations?
One of the most frustrating aspects of Valentine’s Day is how much money we’re expected to spend in the name of love. Americans spend billions each year on the holiday, but here’s the kicker: none of these items have any inherent connection to love. The day has been hijacked by big corporations who know exactly how to manipulate our emotions into thinking that we can’t show affection without purchasing something from their shelves.
What’s most infuriating about Valentine’s Day is how it distorts what love should actually be. Love isn’t something that can be confined to just one day a year. Genuine affection and connection routinely happen in the small, everyday gestures that demonstrate care and appreciation. Real love doesn’t need to be proven through material things or flashy displays. It’s about kindness, understanding and respect – and none of that needs a holiday to be expressed.
Personally, my “love” for someone wouldn’t be measured by a heart-shaped balloon or a $35 box of chocolates that’s probably 80 percent empty space. If I really loved you, I’d just text you back without getting distracted by TikTok for an hour.
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