Valentines Day

Hello readers!

So one of the most important days in a year for all couples, the day of love and affection, has come and gone. Everyone knows that Valentines Day is just a marketing scheme and isn’t even a real holiday but we just can’t help but falling into the trap.  Those that are in a relationship expect and demand from their partner as if love can really be measured in chocolate and roses. And those that are single complain about being extra lonely as if they just suddenly realized they are single. Valentines Day is a perfect example of how the media has oversimplified something as complex as love and has stereotyped a whole set of superficial behaviors upon the two genders in celebration of this fake holiday.  The media says, on Valentines Day, men are supposed to get women chocolates and roses and take them out to nice fancy dinner, and women are supposed to dress up in their most flattering dress and give back to their men with their sex appeal or just sex.  Take this Teleflora.com commercial for example

 The message it’s trying to get across is telling men that if you buy your women some roses and you can have what you really want from them too because “It’s just that simple”.  But in reality, love isn’t that simple, just because you give doesn't mean you'll receive. Just because you buy a women nice gifts does not mean she is going to have sex with you, and by showing that in the media, it may plant false expectations in the male audience's head. There is a lot more involved in two people feeling attracted to each other than simply because a woman received flowers from a man on Valentines Day. Once again the media is presenting an oversimplified view of women and by telling men that women can be easily “conquered” with pretty things is presenting female in a very shallow light. 

Also, media has installed false expectations inside the female’s minds about how their men are supposed to behave. Under the media’s influence women has grown to expect more and more from their men.  They see how men on TV or in commercials pamper their girlfriends with extravagant things and feel that their own boyfriend must do the same to show their love.  Girls feel that Valentines Day need to be accompanied by some big romantic surprise and might even get angry or sad when what actually ends up happening doesn’t meet their expectation. This is simply silly considering all their demands are superficial objects.  Media has made women think that men are obligated to buy them things on Valentines Day and that somehow the amount of money spent is equivalent to the strength of the love.

By no means am I saying the girls, including myself, don’t enjoy being spoiled by their loved once, but there is no set path to someone’s heart.  Women aren’t easily so swoon by flowers unless it’s from the right men so the media shouldn’t be telling the general male audience that nice gifts can get you any girl.  And ladies, if a man do anything romantic for you on Valentines Day then you should learn to appreciate it with all your heart instead of comparing him to your friends boyfriend.