Valentine's Day Consumerism

Valentine's Day is one of the many holidays fueled by consumerism. However, Valentine's Day is one of the holidays carried by obligatory consumerism, where people feel inclined to indulge in impulsive purchases as gifts for their loved ones. These gifts can be expensive, but also, for the most part, are unethically made. According to an article by Dressember, the two most popular gifts bought on Valentine's Day are chocolates and jewelry. These gifts seem fancy and fine on the surface, but ethically they should be questioned. 

Human Rights Watch (HRW), an independent non-profit organization that defends and protects the most vulnerable people whose rights are at risk, has plenty to say about this. In an article titled The Hidden Cost of Jewelry, HRW exposes the brutal labor involved in mining for the 1,600 tons of gold mined for jewelry annually. The group also states that following the product development, it “may be very difficult to know the origins of the gold or diamonds it contains, or whether they are tainted by human rights abuses or environmental harms.” Two issues, human rights abuses and harm to the environment, are both done often in private for the production of jewelry and fast fashion. Such issues go unnoticed constantly; and so, people need to take note of these issues, especially when it comes to the mass production of products we consumers buy. 

It isn’t only accessories, however, that are unethically made and processed. Chocolate is the other popular item on many’s Valentine’s Day shopping lists that is produced through the exploitation of humans, especially children. Returning to Dressember’s article, “around 2 million children are forced to work 80-hour-weeks with little to no pay.”  And it’s noted that about 60% of the cocoa in the world originates from Ghana and the Ivory Coast. These are places with extreme child labor issues, where kids are pushed to work 10 hours a day on cocoa plantations. In addition to this, an article written in 2023 by the Guardian proves that  the issue of unethical chocolate production has continued over the years and remains relevant as “only 17 out of 82 brands investigated by the consumer organization were judged to be using chocolate from suppliers that ensured farmers were paid enough to live on.” Overall, numerous chocolate companies have supported— and continnue to support—plantations that provide inadequate pay and support for cocoa farmers and workers. Many corporations are deceitful and untrustworthy due to  their lack of transparency of the ethics of their business and who they support. 

Understanding the exposed unethical production and sourcing ofchocolates and jewelry, how will you be more conscious about your Valentine’s Day consumption this month? According to the National Retail Federation, in 2023, people were planning to spend $25.9 billion on the special day. In 2022, $23.9 billion was spent nationally; therefore, it can only be assumed that this year, in 2024, the numbers have only risen—especially with regards to the nation’s evergrowing inflation. With this, I offer you the less costly alternatives to celebrating Valentine’s Day this year below! After discussion with various  friends and family and viewing the idea prompter (Pinterest) for several ideas, I’ve compiled a list of mostly budget-friendly activities below for you to perhaps try soon. After all, I am sure whoever you spend time with will enjoy any activity you propose to them… especially if you love and care about each other :)  

• Stay Home! 

  • Cook/Bake a new recipe together for dessert and dinner!

  • Play Board/Video Games with each other

  • Do a craft together at home

  • Build some Legos!

  • Pillow Fort and Movie Marathon/Binging Shows

  • Hot Chocolate and a warm baked treat by the fire

  • Self-Care Day

  • Learn something new together/a new shared hobby!

  • Play in the snow (if the weather permits!!) 

    • Sledding, Snowmen, Snowball fight!
      
      

• Many of the items above could also work as gifts! You can create a craft out of cute paper, or write a handwritten card. You can also bake something special, like a cake! Or maybe even learn a new song on your guitar or piano to serenade them. These options are limitless, and all you need to do is be creative!
  
  

Hopefully you learned a thing or two about conscious spending, and you were able to gather activities that are just as fun to do with your loved one!