• About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • Welcoming Wellesley’s Green Class of 2025
      Welcoming Wellesley’s Green Class of 2025
    • 2020 Alumnae Achievement Awards Held Virtually; 3 Awardees Honored
      2020 Alumnae Achievement Awards Held Virtually; 3 Awardees Honored
    • Students Remember the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
      Students Remember the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • No image
      You have no valid reasons to oppose raising the minimum wage
    • No image
      Free the pee: cut the hygiene theater and let us use other bathrooms
    • Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
      Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • “Judas and the Black Messiah” subverts, soars as Civil Rights story
      “Judas and the Black Messiah” subverts, soars as Civil Rights story
    • Black Entertainment Without Black Trauma: Recommendations for BHM!
      Black Entertainment Without Black Trauma: Recommendations for BHM!
    • Queer Storylines in “The Prom” Fall Flat
      Queer Storylines in “The Prom” Fall Flat
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
  • Health and Wellness
    • COVID-19: Popping the Wellesley Bubble
      COVID-19: Popping the Wellesley Bubble
    • No image
      Athletic impacts of Covid-19
    • No image
      A new kind of PE
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • Miscellanea
    • No image
      Remote students experience existential crises; change class years in email signatures
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
      Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
    • The Artichoke
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Ely Willard OpinionsFebruary 12, 2020

Valentine’s Day Is A Capitalist Scam

Photo Courtesy of The New York Times

Back when I was an angsty ninth grader with a YouTube channel, one of my early videos was about Valentine’s Day. Specifically, it was about why Valentine’s Day is a terrible holiday. I tried to convince my very small handful of viewers that it was nothing more than a ploy to sell Hallmark cards and chocolate, and that people shouldn’t need a holiday to remind them to express affection to significant other or loved ones. In the video, I included a disclaimer, imagining my audience’s immediate reaction would be, “You’re just bitter because you’re single.” I assured them that my relationship status was by far not my primary reason for being against Valentine’s Day.

A few years later, when my short-lived YouTube career became ammunition for teasing from my friends, one of them brought up the Valentine’s Day video and said, “You really were just bitter because you were single.” I insisted she was wrong, citing the time in tenth grade when I had a boyfriend during Valentine’s Day, and I still didn’t enjoy any of it. My friend wasn’t convinced, but I stood my ground.

This year, I’m once again single for Valentine’s Day and I am still adamant that it is a pointless holiday. I’ve seen a lot of friends go on fun dates or come up with cute gift ideas, but I think that speaks more to their creativity and thoughtfulness than the merit of the day itself. The components of a baseline Valentine’s Day experience, like flowers, chocolates, a pink card and maybe dinner out would all be more meaningful if they happened any other time of year. Receiving gifts isn’t one of my love languages, so I can’t say that I would ever be extremely excited to receive a Hallmark card, but I would find it more touching if a significant other gave it to me spontaneously, rather than waiting until a holiday for which it was culturally mandated.

In the year 2020, Valentine’s Day is primarily a capitalist construct. The traditions we associate with it all involve purchasing commodities to give as gifts. I would much rather spend time with my loved ones doing something we enjoy or receive something they made themselves. If people want to celebrate Valentine’s Day and use it as a chance to celebrate their love, I think that’s wonderful, but it should be about more than just buying something.

In high school, my friends all told me I would grow out of my anti-Valentine’s Day mindset, but instead, I’ve only become more strongly opposed to it in college. I still think people should give their partners gifts or take them out to dinner because they genuinely want to, not because a holiday tells them they should. If you’re planning on celebrating Valentine’s Day this year, I hope you have a great time, but maybe make a homemade card instead of contributing to the capitalist extravaganza that this holiday has become.

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleIowa caucuses reveal institutional failure amid national chaos
Next articleLetter from the Orientation Mentors

You may also like

You have no valid reasons to oppose raising the minimum wage

Free the pee: cut the hygiene theater and let us use other bathrooms

A piece of pizza missing topings.

Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

  • Free the pee: cut the hygiene theater and let us use other b...
  • COVID-19: Popping the Wellesley Bubble
  • Queer Storylines in “The Prom” Fall Flat
  • Black Entertainment Without Black Trauma: Recommendations fo...
  • You have no valid reasons to oppose raising the minimum wage

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2021 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top