Valentine’s Day is heavily promoted as a day of celebrating love and appreciation with those who have a significant other.
It is a day that is entangled with colours of red, pink and white, along with gifts of chocolates, flowers and cards.
“The dominant norm of Valentine’s Day is celebrating romantic love,” said Carl Rodrigue, an assistant professor in the Sexuality, Marriage and Family Studies department at St. Jerome's University and holds a doctorate in Sexology.
He said this day is usually associated with coupledom and is seen as a day that strongly advertises that type of love.
With this implication, expectation can be seen in the social norm revolving around this celebratory occasion along with the need to buy presents to establish that feeling of love and appreciation.
“So, there are many things to discuss like the intersection between representations of romantic love and then the intersections of that, the marketization of romantic love,” Rodrigue said.
“Romance as a market, who does it benefit to basically promote the idea that celebrating Valentine’s Day means buying stuff, consuming stuff,” Rodrigue said.
Brad Davis, an associate professor at the University of Waterloo for marketing, said in an email response to Humber Et Cetera that Valentine's Day has a business side to it.
“There is an ethical area of concern in marketing called the “monetization of human relations.” This would seem to be an issue here where individuals (primarily men) are pressured to “prove” their affection and appreciation through monetary displays,” Davis said.
It is very much the case when social media has become an overdraft of content showing off expensive and luxurious gift-giving on Valentine’s Day and the days leading up to it.
It is almost like a competition for men on who can get the best gift for their partner and on the opposite side, posting and showing off those gifts, Davis said.
“We’ve been socializing these," Rodrigue said. "It’s just that some people have interiorized them to various extents. Other people have rejected them; others have terrorized them very much.
“So, yeah. Upholding these expectations can bring a lot of pressure," he said.
Valentine’s Day can be seen as a fabricated occasion with the goal of marketing and boosting sales for business corporations.
Davis questioned why there is a necessity for such a holiday in a question about how this day of love and appreciation can be compared with Mother’s, Father’s and Family Days.
“Why do you need to manufacture a day to celebrate family or parents? Do you think a manufactured day once a year is a healthy indication of appreciation for family or parents,” he said.
Shelly Hussain, the owner of Sweet Magnolia Florals in Woodbridge, Ont., said there is a community element to Valentine's Day and sometimes the celebration goes beyond couples and includes family, parents or guardians.
“What these holidays, I think, help us do is slow down because we’re all so busy. Just like, working all the time,” Hussain said. “So, it actually forces you to see your mom on Mother’s Day, your dad on Father’s Day.”
However, that does not stop the business aspect of being able to profit from these celebratory occasions.
“Again, these are largely marketing creations that facilitate sales and deals; and, “ritual behaviour”,” Davis said.
“In order to fulfill the ritual, you have to spend money,” he said when talking about purchasing gifts and planning outings. “So, the sentiment isn’t enough – you have to spend a minimum amount to demonstrate or prove your appreciation.”
Zorianna Zurba, an associate professor with studies in love, pop culture, post-humanism and romance working at Humber Polytechnic's Liberal Arts and Science Department has a few concerns.
“I worry that there’s a lot of pressure and consumerism that comes with the holidays,” Zurba said. “Some of that consumerism can lead to making choices that have negative impacts on the environment after globalization and the global economy.”
However, Zurba does refute that this day of celebration does not have to only be for couples and says that recognizing the impact we have on others can be a good thing during certain times.
“Now, I think it is important that we remember that we are always in communities and that there are people that we are surrounded by, right,” Zurba said.
This means that love does not only need to be shown to a significant other on Valentine’s Day but can also be extended to friends and family as well.
“I think if we are trying to celebrate being in community if we’re trying to celebrate kindness and compassion and empathy,” she said. “If we incorporate all those qualities into Valentine’s Day, then Valentine’s can be a beautiful thing.”
Hussain agreed and said what she had seen on this celebratory occasion as a business owner.
“Valentine’s Day is kind of great because it’s evolved so much, right,” Hussain said.
“It’s not just for couples anymore, like traditionally. It’s actually expanded,” she said when talking about clients she has had in the past at her floral shop. “I find people like grandchildren buying their grandparents flowers or Galentine’s Day, that spin-off.
“So, there is a lot more happening, not necessarily just relationships,” Hussain said.
