Grace Pearl

Overpriced Valentine’s Day gifts line the aisles of every story. Gifts are strategically placed to grab shoppers attention.

In the 14th century, Pope Gelasius officially declared February 14th the romantic day of St. Valentine’s. Seven centuries later, couples worldwide are using the day to monetize their love for each other, while those without a lover are left to scroll through social media and walk the streets in agony.

From afar, Valentine’s Day seems like a cute, happy, and love filled day. Usually, this is how the day is spent, with people gifting each other heart-shaped boxes of chocolate and flowers that are destined to die. These flowers represent the truth behind St. Valentine’s Day, as it began with a brutal execution.

In the third century, Emperor Claudius II executed a high priest with a familiar name– Valentine. During his reign, the Emperor suspected that marriage was leading to the decrease in men joining the military, so he banned it. Disagreeing with this, Valentine continued to marry people in secret before he was beheaded by Claudius the Cruel. 

This takes us to today, where crimes like stalking, domestic abuse, and crimes of passion are especially common on Valentine’s Day. While the day of love is meant to be sweet, it also results in people who have recently been broken up with or are struggling in the love department feeling violent and desperate. 

For people with more self control, these feelings instead stay unhealthily bottled up. “When I see people celebrating together on Valentine’s day, I try to feel happy for them and have a smile.” Said Peyton Raymond, sophomore. “But deep down, I know that in reality I feel awful and somewhat alone.”

While some adults may believe that being single doesn’t affect teenagers as much, walking around school and seeing happy couples celebrating all day will hurt just as much as seeing other adults celebrating. Especially when they have the combined effects of social media, group chats, and a highly populated school. 

Gen Z are actually the generation feeling the most negativity about the holiday, with 44% of them feeling upset, where only 33% of Millennials feel worse on the international holiday. 

One of the main issues with the day is how focused it has become on having a date, not just showing love to everyone. This has made the day more stressful for teenagers, especially boys, as it is becoming a competition to see who has the “hottest” valentine and the best gift. Other boys might even be excluded or made fun of for being single, on top of the feeling isolated. 

“My least favorite part about Valentine’s Day is when you ask someone to be your valentine and they either say no or already have someone else.” Said Raymond. “When they say this, I feel like I have an empty pit in my chest.”

Yet another downside to the day of love is the amount of money people spend to celebrate their love, substituting quality time and affection for last-minute dollar story stuffed bears and roses. For couples taking the holiday more seriously, February 14th can get expensive fast. 

According to 20+ Sweet Valentine’s Day Statistics & Facts for 2024, consumers will spend nearly $192 to celebrate their Valentine, and 3 in 10 Americans may go into credit card debt that they will hide from their partner. What’s even more depressing is that a whopping 43% of people will receive a gift they don’t even like.

“I think one bad thing about Valentine’s Day is the cost. It’s very expensive. Plus, it’s hard when you don’t know what to buy.” Said freshman Sawyer Floyd.

So why risk a gift your loved one won’t like? Instead, if you’re single, buy yourself a box of your favorite candy and watch a sappy rom-com to feel better. For those who aren’t single, spend time with your significant other, not money.