I've been thinking about Valentine's Day lately. I suppose it's hard not to, given that it's just 2 days away. Oh, and because I've been bombarded by hearts and roses, on display in stores since the day after Christmas. I'm not kidding. I can't remember where I was on December 26th, but there were hearts.
But here's the thing: Valentine's Day is a peculiar "holiday." If you think about it, isn't every day Valentine's Day? I don't mean the flowers or the candy or the chocolate or what have you. No, I mean the basic tenet of Valentine's Day: coupling up, falling in love, finding your soulmate, yada, yada, yada. Do we really need a special day to tell us that this is what life is all about?
Think about it: There is an entire genre of movies dedicated to love, romance, and the notion that we are incomplete unless we find our one true love. The protagonist never lives happily ever after...single. There is an entire industry dedicated to weddings. Weddings are the only time when it is socially acceptable to register for gifts.
Coupledom is something to be celebrated. Engagements and weddings? Those warrant parties, congratulations, and gifts. Singlehood? Might be worse than a funeral (hey, at least you get a memorial and a headstone*). There is no Hallmark card congratulating someone on a break up or divorce. There is no card that says "Congratulations for not marrying the wrong person" or "Way to go! You finally got rid of that asshole!" or "Here's to moving on with your life" or "Good riddance, I never liked that moron anyway." I think you get my drift.
So really, when you think about it, is Valentine's Day really necessary? There is already tremendous societal pressure to want to get married to actually marry. Do we really need a reminder that pairing off is supposed to be our ultimate life goal?
* I am not actually suggesting that it is better to be dead than single. I am merely suggesting that if you look at the rhetoric surrounding singlehood, it suggests that it is not a status to be proud of or desired. Sure, we had Sex and the City, but at the end of the series, all four main characters (proudly and admirably single at various points throughout the show) were paired off and shacked up.
** If you're curious, here's what I had to say about Valentine's Day last year.
2 comments:
Great points made about the pointlessness of Valentine's Day.
I am reading a book that explores America's rabid fascination/participation in the wedding industry called "One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding"
Very interesting.
Oh, there are divorce greeting cards. They are awesome!
I think the argument against celebrating Valentine's Day could be used towards ANY holiday. Frankly, I think most special occassions have gotten out of hand as far as gift-giving goes. But we are a nation of consumers, and these special days give us yet another reason to spend and keep the economy thriving.
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