Yes, you can buy them yourself 💐
You couldn’t have missed it. Hearts, roses, chocolates, stuffed animals everywhere – a love invasion that would give even Cupid burnout! Valentine’s Day is more than just a day of love – it’s capitalism’s masterpiece and the kind of love story that ends with a broken heart.
Valentine’s Day – A Capitalist Love Story
Marketing departments are the real love experts. They don’t sell us products – they sell emotions. A chocolate is never just chocolate – it’s proof of love, a declaration of feelings, an insurance policy for romance. And us? We fall for it like we fell for the Tinder bio of our last failed date.
Advertising plays cleverly with our emotions:
“Only those who buy the perfect gift truly love you.”
“Your love is measured by your financial effort.”
“The more expensive, the more affectionate.”
A Brief History of Love
(Or: How a Beheaded Saint Became Cupid’s Wingman)
Fun Fact: Valentine’s Day began with Valentine of Rome, a rebellious priest in the 3rd century who secretly married couples – against the emperor’s wishes. Along with the ceremony, he gave flowers from his own garden to the newlyweds. For this, he was beheaded on February 14, 269 (not exactly a rom-com ending). Today, we buy heart-shaped everything to honour his memory. Pretty sure that’s not what he had in mind.
Things we don’t love:
🏭 Mass-produced plastic hearts
🍫 Cheap chocolate harvested by child labor
🥀 Roses shipped from overseas
🗑️ Single-use greeting cards
☠️ Gifts that sit around unused
🫵🏽 Giving something just because “that’s what you do”
Things we DO love:
💝 Thoughtful, homemade gifts (not just on Valentine’s Day)
🥾 Experiences over material things
💌 Genuine declarations of love
👨❤️👨 Unique ways to show what someone means to you
👭 Friendships and other meaningful relationships
♻️ Going second-hand shopping together 😉
🤲🏽 Donating to good causes in your loved one’s name
🌼 Giving seeds for a wildflower garden (just like Valentin did)
Best Second-Hand Finds
(If ‘giving gifts’ is your love language)
Alone and complete 🧦
Let’s talk about this ‘you need someone to be complete’ nonsense. You know the drill? Aunt Erna asking for the 47th time at the family reunion if you’re finally taken.
🚨 Spoiler Alert: You’re not a sock. 🚨
You’re allowed to be alone and not have a match.
The social algorithm is simple:
1. Marriage = successful life
2. Single = Something is going wrong
3. Don’t want a partner = Error 404: Life.exe not found
Plot twist: Science says otherwise. Studies show that a romantic relationship is about as crucial to your happiness as the perfect avocado – nice to have, but definitely not vital.
What REALLY counts
👬 Friendships
The best part? You don’t need just 1 person to fulfil all your needs, and there’s always room for more.
🎹 Hobbies
Doing things that you love and that fulfil and enrich you.
That’s what life is about.
👩🏽💻 Work with purpose
You can have an impact, make a difference and positively influence an environment.
🧩 YOUR definition
What do you define as ‘success’ and how can you decouple it from your relationship status?
The most important relationship in your life? The one with yourself.
And the best thing about it: you don’t have to go on three dates to find out if it’s right.
Redefining success means
- Realising that ‘successful’ doesn’t have to mean ‘married with 2.5 children’ (god knows where the 0.5 is coming from)
- Realising that your life story doesn’t have to be a Disney movie
- Understanding that you are the protagonist of your own life – not the supporting character in someone else’s
You are not half a person in search of your better half.
You are a whole person who optionally has room for another whole person. Or not.
PS: Aunt Erna will survive.
Scientifically confirmed: This text contains 100% less relationship pressure than standard Valentine’s ads.
Best regards and a chuckle,
your Faircado team
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