Student discusses the commercialization of Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day, a day originally intended for people to demonstrate their love for another, has turned into a day for that same love to be shown, but instead it is displayed through money and materialism.
Retailers have capitalized on this newer trend, turning the original genuine Valentine’s Day into nothing but a Hallmark holiday, existing only to make money instead of strengthening relationships.
Celebrated by 61 percent of Americans, according to statisticbrain.com, the new commercialized Valentine’s Day proves to be a booming multibillion dollar industry.
According to “Valentine’s Day, by the numbers,” from CNN.com, on average, people will spend $130.97 on their significant others on this holiday, which adds up to a whopping $18.6 billion spent on material possessions such as flowers, candy, and diamonds by Americans on Valentine’s Day each year.
What used to be a nice gesture, has become an expected and mandatory staple in relationships.
The film industry is not immune to the commercialization of Valentine’s Day either. This year, the movie to watch is the romantic flick Fifty Shades of Grey, opening Valentine’s Day weekend, which is sure to be box office gold.
According to “’Fifty Shades of Grey’ release moved to Valentine’s Day 2015” from entertainmentweekly.com the release date of the film was pushed back more than six months from August, to February to accommodate a more lucrative release date. Thanks to its new release date, Fifty Shades of Grey is sure to be the movie to see for Valentine’s Day dates everywhere.
The general idea of Valentine’s Day is inherently good; it is a day to show love and appreciation for one’s significant other. However, this seemingly innocent concept has been become less and less genuine throughout the years, and has been blown outrageously out of proportion, in order for businesses to make a profit.
