Dump consumerism this Valentine’s Day.
After a storm of winter celebrations, store shelves fill with red-and-pink hearts, chocolate boxes and greeting cards. The approach of Valentine’s Day is visible for all Bruins and, in many cases, for their wallets too.
The National Retail Federation projects spending this Feb. 14 will reach 29 billion dollars. This exceeds last year’s record high by nearly 2 billion dollars. Consumers are expected to spend money purchasing candy, greeting cards and flowers.
Corporations have distorted Valentine’s Day into a celebration of capitalism, not love.
The UCLA community should prioritize honoring the romantic, platonic and familial relationships in their lives while practicing intentionality about their gift-giving.
[Related: Opinion: Amid Valentine’s Day festivities, platonic love should be equally celebrated]
Jay Nguyen, a fourth-year economics student, said companies have impacted public perception of Valentine’s Day.
“It’s a day where corporations are taking advantage of our desire to express love and our expectations on our partners. To expect, to express love in a certain way – that creates a lot of unnecessary waste,” Nguyen said. “We have morphed the holiday into something that I don’t think it was meant to be before.”
The emphasis on spending money is not limited to Valentine’s Day. It is an unfortunate defining feature of all holiday celebrations under American capitalism. The NRF has watched winter holiday spending increase by around 3% each year since 2010. Last winter, holiday spending was projected to surpass 1 trillion dollars.
From Valentine’s Day and Christmas to day-to-day purchases, American overconsumption does not exist in a vacuum. Forty-five percent of global greenhouse gas emissions come from the production of consumer goods.
But celebrating Valentine’s Day does not require purchasing these goods. Nickole Rivera, a first-year biochemistry student, said she finds quality time a meaningful and sustainable alternative to material gifts.
Rivera said she considers overconsumption one of the biggest issues in America, and it contributes to the idea that Valentine’s Day is about purchases rather than connecting with loved ones.
[Related: Bruins celebrate Valentine’s Day through gift-giving, organization fundraising]
Rivera added that she creates homemade cards, paints personalized pieces and decorates chocolate-covered strawberries to show her love for others on Valentine’s Day.
While consumerism is harmful to the environment, it is impossible to live in America without participating in the consumption of material goods.
This does not mean people should not be intentional and thoughtful about their spending habits, including during holidays. Gift-giving is a genuine form of expressing love and gratitude, especially on Valentine’s Day.
Ebony Ascencio, a second-year psychobiology student, said she enjoys gift-giving on Valentine’s Day as a means of celebrating the people around her.
“I really try to pay attention to small details. If my significant other says, ‘I really need this,’ I jot it down,” Ascencio said. “Money comes and goes, and, if it brings someone a smile, I don’t mind spending that extra money.”
Ascencio added that she enjoys making her gifts herself and using a handmade card to write personalized notes her recipients.
It is important to distinguish between handmade or intentional gifts and the cultural compulsion to participate in a large-scale purchasing of candy, flowers and chocolates.
Rivera said she finds traditional Valentine’s Day purchases impersonal and an indication that the partners have not yet become intimately familiar with each other.
“I would much rather go to the beach and have a picnic just with my significant other than my significant other buy me a ton of gifts,” Rivera said. “I feel like there is more value in that.”
[Related: The Quad: Self-discovery as important as a relationship on Valentine’s Day]
Celebrating Valentine’s Day and acknowledging American overconsumption and its environmental impact are not mutually exclusive. Handmade gifts, personalized gifts and quality time are meaningful alternatives – both for the recipient and the planet.
Beyond Valentine’s Day celebrations, people should push their local, state and national lawmakers to hold corporations accountable.
“A lot of stuff ends up in the landfill, and we’re creating a bunch of consumerist waste,” Rivera said. “I think the biggest thing to me is that I cherish experiences more and I would much rather do that.”
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