From flowers to Valentine’s cards and from Tinder to heart shaped chocolates, commercial forms of love are countless. The interaction between consumerism and romantic love is something that’s grown over time, and today, more than thirty percent of all flowers sold are sold on Valentine’s Day. To better understand the way love has grown from hugs and kisses to literal (chocolate) kisses, it can be helpful to explore the commercial history of Valentine’s Day.
St. Valentine’s Day, cited as the beginning of Valentine’s Day, celebrates the early Christian priest Valentinus who defied the order of the Roman emperor and secretly performed Christian weddings for couples, allowing the husbands involved to escape conscription into the pagan army. He was martyred on February 14, and a holiday was created in his honor.
In the late 1700s, Valentine’s Day made its way from Europe to the United States. By that time, the tradition of giving your partner a gift had already been established. In Europe, lovers often exchanged fancy, imported items. As the holiday took root with new traditions in the US, marketing departments across the country capitalized on the opportunity. By 1866, Sweethearts Candy Hearts was created; these are the iconic heart shaped candies with messages like “BE MINE” printed on them.
Less than a decade later, in 1907, Hershey’s introduced their signature [1] “kiss” candies, which got their name because of the sound they made when they were dropped on a conveyor belt. It would be a short while before the play on the word “kiss” made them a popular Valentine’s Day treat. Five years later, Hallmark would introduce its first Valentine’s Day card, which was a large heart with a message inscribed [2] within. The rest, as they say, is history.
In 1995, about a decade after the start of the internet, “match.com,” the precursor to Tinder, was invented. All the lonely folks now had a means of seeking out partners online. Over time, the number of internet dating sites and applications grew, and many of them charge fees for those who want a prime shot at love; in exchange for money, the most eager can have their profiles promoted, shown more frequently, or given other advantages.
The story of human progress has brought with it incredible and at one point unforeseeable [3] changes to the landscape of love. As chocolate hearts reign, take a moment to consider the ways in which you express love.