Taylor Quinn is a junior studying communication-media.
Contrary to what Jennifer Lopez might have us belief with her hit, “My love don’t cost a thing,” Business Insider reports that 53 percent of straight women in the United States would dump their boyfriends if he did not get her anything for Valentine’s Day.
Though this seems extreme, couples apparently know this statistic to be true because they buy, and buy a lot.
Whether one eats ice cream and drinks a tear filled cup of wine or is spoon-feeding their significant other chocolate cake, the fact is that America needs Valentine’s Day.
Though some people may not be feeling the love, the retailers are.
I adore love; it’s a beautiful thing. In that vein, I also enjoy Valentine’s Day because it is the celebration of a whimsical and life-saving emotion.
But, is it really? Is Valentine’s Day a national holiday because America loves when people are in love? No. America loves money.
Western culture puts extra emphasis on the necessity of buying one’s significant other chocolates and flowers to the extent that when one does not receive that they are willing to break up with somebody they love.
Nobody wants to be broken up with (usually), so he or she heads out to the local CVS or Rite-Aid to snag those heart-shaped chocolates and red roses. Not because they want to, but because they feel like they have to.
But the problem is: The culture that instills those ideas in all of us is synonymous with who receives the financial benefits.
According to delish.com, in 2009 more than 58 million pounds of chocolate were purchased in America around Valentine’s day. That is $345 million worth.
According to the United States Census bureau, there are 1,379 establishments that produced chocolate products in 2012, employing 37,998 people.
The floral business is a real money-maker as well in the United States.
The United States Census Bureau states that there was 14,344 florist establishments in 2012 which employed 62,397 people.
As much as we would like to think that Valentine’s day is a special day for love, it is simply a special day for business.
But we can change that with a boycott of Cupid’s day.
We shouldn’t completely abandon the day of love but we should abandon the commercial side of it. Anyway, what the heck is somebody going to do with a giant teddy bear holding a heart saying “I love you.” Let’s be real, it will collect dust if the couple stays together and probably be burned if the couple doesn’t last.
Valentine’s day should be a day where couples spend virtually no money and enjoy each other’s company, not the gifts given. There should not be any pressure to be extravagant, and how much money one spends should not be an indicator of how much love one has for the other.
Skip the chocolates and flowers. Pick some pretty weeds from outside and bake together instead. Make a card. Put some thought into activities that require no money, they mean more. People often think that money is worth more than time, and that’s just not true.
So, sing it J Lo, you’ve got the right idea.