Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Valentine's Day: A 'girls only' holiday?

Yesterday I was talking with a co-worker who said she had an interesting conversation with a female high school student.

Apparently, the young lady said she did not plan on getting her boyfriend anything for Valentine's Day because it was a holiday for girls, and the guys were the ones who should be doing all the work. My co-worker said she was shocked to hear this and wondered if this was how women think nowadays.

Granted, we are talking about a high school student who is probably a little immature. But I would venture to say that her attitude is shared by many women of all ages.

Think about it: All of the commercials for Valentine's Day gifts are directed toward what women would enjoy -- jewelry, chocolates, flowers. When was the last time you saw a commercial declaring how a woman can celebrate Valentine's Day by giving her man a power tool? Not ever, as best as I can recall.

Valentine's Day should be a two-way street, but it's often not. Maybe it's because most women expect to get a gift for Valentine's Day, and most men expect nothing at all.

You tell me: Is Valentine's Day a holiday that's more for women than for men? When you're in a relationship, how do you usually celebrate Valentine's Day? Do you expect a gift for Valentine's Day?

When you comment, let us know whether you're a man or a woman, so we can see how (and if) men and women's opinions differ. Thanks!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The attitude of the high-schooler you interviewed has become prevelant among women of all ages (at least in Central Georgia)lately. It is characterized by selfish, spoiled, lazy, entitled - even mercenary behavior. And they wonder why we are delighted to sleep with them, but there is no way we will ever let them get near our bank accounts, credit cards or last names. They bring this on themselves.

Anonymous said...

anon 1-just curious, but how old are you?
it definitely seems as though valentine's day is marketed towards women, i mean i can't even keep track of the number of jewelry commercials i see in one day. when you go to retail stores, pink and red fill the shelves...it can be bags of candy to lingerie, to clothes. of course all women want to be loved and feel needed, which i know is why these different companies market their stuff to women. they think they can sell happiness to these poor women. unfortunately, this is not true!