Syrine Ben Ayed - Week 11 - More Than Bouquets and Chocolates
From Christmas to Halloween, Easter day to Valentines Day, the lucrative allure of holidays in American capitalist culture is undeniable.
Just a week ago, I entertained the idea of gifting each of my friends a rose. (Unfortunately, my plan was thwarted as my money stash mysteriously disappeared from my bag last Friday morning–consequences of having a younger brother)
It dawned on me then, however, the power of capitalist holidays. I had almost mindlessly spent $14 from my savings on $2 roses for seven friends. $14 almost yielded to this capitalist extravaganza masked under the guise of spreading love.
I have nothing against Valentine's day, really. (Despite being single!). I recognize it is a day that brims with joy and happiness and love. Everyone dressed in pink, red, and white, proposals to my left and right as I walk the school hallways, my peers carrying bouquets and chocolates–it’s hard not to get swept in the romantic fervor of the holiday.
Yet, beneath the surface, Valentines Day stands as one of many capitalist holidays, driven by consumerism. We have fallen into this tradition of gift giving on this one special day, overcome by a pressure to indulge in materialistic items as a way to “prove” our love. The heart of Valentines Day has, in a sense, become overshadowed by a system that ultimately thrives on commercializing emotions.
Rather than succumbing to this cycle of consumerism that surrounds holidays, I think it becomes more meaningful to take a step back and an extra moment to ponder how we can show our genuine gratitude and love. Maybe it’s by simply going out of your way to pick flowers out of your garden, baking a cake, or writing a small heartfelt note, the beauty of expression lies in the authenticity of our actions. By recognizing the power such capitalist holidays can have over us and defying the pressure to follow societal expectations, we can work to redefine Valentines day to mean more than a symbol of materialistic gain and consumerist practice, but as a holiday of pure kindness and love.
Hi Syrine!
ReplyDeleteI genuinely enjoyed reading your blog about Valentine’s Day, how it promotes consumerism, and how we can change the consumerist ideologies surrounding this holiday! I absolutely love your inclusion of the personal anecdote of how you refrained from falling into the “trap” of spending money on Valentine’s Day. I also appreciate how you made sure to address that you have “nothing against Valentine’s Day” to make your blog more credible instead of coming off as basing your ideas on hatred on the holiday as a whole.
My opinions on Valentine’s Day are a lot less black and white, as I can see both the good and the bad in not just this holiday but also in spending money on gifts for others. For one, I know that a common love language people have is gift giving, and I would definitely say that giving gifts by buying things for people that I know they will like is something that I love to do myself. For these people, Valentine’s Day is just another day to give gifts to a loved one, and in that sense, it would be completely justified to spend money on roses, chocolates, and other things for another person.
However, even though some people genuinely want to get gifts for other people and would do so regardless of whether Valentine’s Day was a thing or not, the holiday does place a burden on those who feel pressured to spend money, just like how you mentioned in the final paragraph. I find that this point is extremely important and should be addressed, because not everyone has the resources to buy another person materialistic items, and what matters most in giving gifts is not the monetary value of them but rather the intention with which they were given.
Hi Syrine! I really enjoyed reading your blog about Valentine's Day. I love the holiday of Valentine's Day. I love how it does not matter if you are single; it is a holiday of love which you can even express to your friends and family! It was extremely heartwarming this year to see the amount of gifts and colors of pink and red. However, I agree with how it promotes consumerism and materialism values over sentimental ones. People feel more pressured to spend lots of money on their significant other or friends. Valentine's Day is a holiday of love and kindness rather than materialistic value—in other words—it is the thought that counts. Encouraging people to concentrate on shared experiences, heartfelt gestures, or small but considerate ways of showing love can help move away from valuing material things too much. Whether it's a handwritten note, spending quality time together, or making memories, these actions can be just as, if not more, meaningful than pricey gifts. Overall, I really liked and enjoyed reading your blog!
ReplyDeleteHi Syrine,
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog, as it pointed out many consumerist aspects of Valentine's Day that I never took the time to reflect on myself. After some thought, I realized it actually is quite evident that the occasion, which should celebrate love and the relationships we have with our friends, families, and significant others, has become overshadowed by the pressure to spend money on materialistic gifts. Societal pressures can often make it feel as if a person has "failed" their valentine if they have not spent dollar after dollar on flowers, chocolates, candles, and gift baskets on a holiday that is supposed to strengthen relationships through genuine appreciation and kindness. Although I do find Valentine's proposals heart-warming, I definitely agree that personal touches such as heartfelt notes or personally baking sweet treats hold a much larger significance than any money-oriented gift. I admire your insight on the capitalist undertones of the holiday, and your perspective serves as a reminder to prioritize the power of genuine actions and compassion during Valentine's Day.
Hey Syrine! When bouquets were mentioned, I immediately thought back to my own experience this valentines, where I was going to buy roses for my friends. However, upon actually seeing the price, I realized how costly it would be to get all my friends roses, and I ended up just picking roses from a flower nursery myself. But like you, I also realized the costliness of spending during such a holiday. I remember a while back I was listening to the radio with my dad in the car, and the show host was talking about how the holidays always make businesses so much money, and that recently, it has been declining. This could be due to the increasing awareness that holidays like Christmas and Valentines are really just money grabbers for many shops, or it could be that people are realizing that you can show your love in less conventional ways, such as creating your own gifts or cards. However, I still do think that buying a gift is a good show of affection, as people spending money on someone does still show that they like them. There is nothing inherently wrong with exchanging gifts, but once the expectation of spending money overshadows the genuine expression of affection and appreciation, that's when there is a problem. It sort of leads to the question of whether gift giving is the result of societal pressure to conform to holiday spending norms, or is it a genuine expression of love?
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