Valentine's Day: Pressure or pleasure?

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: GUYSPEED.COM
There’s no need to break the bank this Valentine’s Day – show you care with a homemade gift from your heart.

Valentine's Day is finally here, and with it has come the big pink and red hearts, plush cupids, candies and jewellery plastered wall to wall in shopping centres. From a young age, you're taught to write cards and send gifts to teachers and peers. Now that we're all a little older, this day has gotten a lot more expensive for some of us.

A recent survey by the National Retail Federation found that respondents planned to spend an average of $130.97 on their loved one, up from $126.03 in 2012. The trend of men spending more than women continued, with men shelling out $175 on average and women spending around $90.

When asked about their thoughts on Valentine's Day, Fanshawe students had a very different approach to this romantic time of year. Mikaela Bodkin, a first-year student in the Child and Youth program, said, "I personally don't see much difference than any other day." She sees Valentine's Day as nothing more than a celebration of consumerism, but she had an alternative to celebrating this holiday. "My boyfriend and I have a date night usually once a week, just to keep things interesting, and it just seems like another day. We give little gifts — nothing crazy. I bake goods for him because food is his favourite."

This view doesn't seem to change depending on the gender of the respondent. Travis Pelletier, who's in his second year of Carpentry, said, "I don't get caught up in the whole Valentine's Day thing. I never have. If you're going to love someone whole-heartedly, it's got to be every single day. Why single out just one day? Forget the heart-shaped box of chocolates they're trying to sell you. Forget reservations at a crowded restaurant. Do something that matters ... something that shows you care. And don't just do it on Valentine's Day."

Pressure can also come from feeling of needing to date someone in order to have fun on this romantic holiday. Not so, said second-year Business student Monika Coletta. "Not everyone is or wants to be with someone. People should just go out and have fun. It is not a day to feel down so shake it off, whether it is to be with friends, your partner or being at home by yourself with a good movie and chocolates!"

Perhaps there is more commendation behind the unexpected gesture than an expected one. Does Valentine's Day create more pressure than pleasure? Bodkin said yes. "Valentine's Day really does have a lot of pressure from the corporations who can make money off of it. Restaurants and jewellery places all have deals because they know they can make good money off of people."

Over $4 billion is spent on jewellery alone during Valentine's season each year. Perhaps the constant pressure from advertisements creates a less special and more costly holiday than the supposed meaning behind the day.

The biggest trend on Fanshawe campus today seems to be to boycott this notion of commodity to settle for a more ingenuous way to show love. DIY projects have become a massive trend, thanks in large part to the love and creativity that is put into them. If you want to give a tangible version of your love, make a gift from your heart. One of my favourite gifts for Valentine's Day was from a boy in my fourth grade class who drew me a picture.

So this Valentine's Day, do not feel the pressure to compete with commercialized affection. If you still want to do something nice for your loved ones, don't break the bank, just do it from the heart (cliché, I know, but hear me out). It's far more special to do nice things on days when it is not expected, and perhaps just spend time together on Valentine's Day. No amount of chocolate or flowers will compete with the feeling your loved ones get when you share your life with them.