Love or Marketing? The True Cost of Valentine’s Day

Every February, grocery stores flood their shelves with pink packaged candies and flowers. Ads obnoxiously promote various jewelry brands and social media feeds are filled with images of flowers, expensive jewelry, and chocolate to show to the world how much they truly love their partner.  For a month, love is everywhere you look. However, the famed February 14th, which is historically framed as a celebration of love, has quietly become a showcase of emotional marketing, social pressure, and consumption.

In the United States alone, people spent a record $27.5 billion with the top category being jewelry at $6.5 billion. People with partners, particularly men, often treat their partner to popular gifts such as jewelry, flowers, candy, or expensive nights out. While it is of course completely fine to express love by giving your partner a gift, these decisions themselves are largely shaped by advertising and social expectations rather than personal choice. 

Companies strategically promote the idea that love must be shown through costly purchases made around the principle that it is difficult to save money when you are in love. This is reinforced by social media posts of people showering their partners with expensive gifts, quietly radiating the idea that “buying nice things for their partner was proof that they loved them."

Even companies with zero correlation to love or romance capitalize on Valentine’s Day to increase sales. For example, last year Domino’s launched their own pepperoni perfume; Ben & Jerry’s released their own special ice cream flavor; and this year BuzzBallz is auctioning off a $35,000 engagement ring. 

Although the idea of Valentine's Day is nice, love should not be defined by one day. Genuine love and affection is shown through consistent actions that show you care over time. Valentine's traditions and practices reinforces the idea that relationships are routines done by obligation rather than personal intent. Small everyday gestures such as listening, showing up, and regular handmade gifts show genuine affection. By turning Valentine's Day away from consumerism love can be celebrated in a way that feels more authentic rather than performative.

While Valentine's Day is and will ultimately continue to be used as a marketing tactic to an extent, that shouldn’t discourage people from using this day to make loved ones feel extra special. Rather than allowing consumerism to define how love is expressed, people can find their own ways to celebrate the day in a way that is meaningful and personal to them and their partner.