Every year on Feb. 14, couples and individuals all around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day. Originally, it was all in the name of St. Valentine, but you hardly hear about that nowadays…so what is Valentine’s Day all about now?
The typical Valentine used to be a handwritten note, but since then businesses have taken advantage of the opportunity and now Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest commercial holidays in the world. All around the world Valentine’s Day (and its equivalents) are celebrated with gifts, dates and personal notes. The very atmosphere is full of romance: “There’s a lot of joy in the air,” and “everybody has a smile on their face” as Brooklyn Brandon (9) and Miles Ellet (9) say. Consumerism has evolved with this holiday as it has with all others and turned this simple day into something more in depth.
A classic Valentine’s Day celebration has so much imagery and action associated with it. Couples go on romantic dates, give romantic gifts, and new love blossoms every year on this holiday. Giving someone a gift shows them how much you care and shows real “trustworthiness” to those receiving, as Nola Martin (9) says. Valentine’s Day may not be as popular as Christmas or Halloween, but in the first few cold winter months, it’s something everyone can look forward to.
The old view of Valentine’s Day before consumerism really kicked in was flawed in its own way. It was (and still is in some ways) targeted towards women. To be more specific, Valentine’s Day was seen as a day for men to get gifts for their girlfriends or wives. It wasn’t as common for men to receive flowers or gifts with gender roles and stereotyping winning over the masses. It seems people were lonelier this way, not willing to “step out of their box,” as Brooklyn Brandon says.
Oftentimes, people now will say that Valentine’s Day is “fake” or just an excuse to buy and consume. However, in the modern age, Valentine’s Day has turned into an opportunity for everyone, not just couples, to love themselves and those around them. “Things have gone from romance to appreciation towards people,” as Phoenix Groves (10) puts it.
More outlooks are considered and valued when it comes to things like love. So of course, the holiday of love has expanded with that. People all over the world use Valentine’s Day as a way to remind everyone around them that they care, even those who are single will use it as an opportunity to love and spoil themselves. People have been more “able to share the love,” as Kyra Contreras (9) states.
In the end, it really depends on the perspective. If you look at Valentine’s Day as a scam, that’s all you’ll see. But if you choose to take advantage of the opportunity presented to you, you might feel some warmth this cold Feb. 14.
