just got hit by the valentine's day advertising this morning...

[thanate]

Ad on the tv this morning in the breakfast room/lobby at the hotel: girl is standing impatiently by her bookshelf making faces at the ceiling or something, with voice over [her thoughts] about how her boy is late, and she hopes he got her something good for valentine's day, and not chocolate or flowers. And then he rings the doorbell and she looks through the peephole in the door and is horribly disappointed that he's carrying a big boquet of roses, opens the door, pushes the flowers rudely aside, graps the heart-shaped box he's holding, and opens it to be delighted that it's got a diamond necklace in it.

Ok, issue #1: why is this boy getting *anything* for such a greedy self-centered person? Why doesn't it occur to her that perhaps (given she's apparently demanding valentine's day presents) she should get him something? And if she cares so much about not wanting flowers (what's wrong with flowers? they're nice...) why hasn't she said anything about it before so that he'll know she's not going to appreciate them?

Issue #2: why are they trying to brainwash the world into thinking diamonds (or rubies or whatever) equate love and happiness? Putting aside that I don't actually really like most mainstream jewelry... I got a very pretty sapphire ring from my grandparents for christmas. They got it when they were in Thailand at the end of the 80s, and when the got back to the US they got it valued at something like $800, so it's worth more than that now. Very nice. And I've worn it once (on christmas) and then put it back in the ring box, and it's been sitting in a drawer since. I have gotten much more happiness out of the disembodied doll head I got on sale for about $2... and I would probably have gotten more happiness out of the roses that the idiot girl in the commercial threw in her boyfriend's face grabbing the box from him.

And if it weren't me-- having gotten stupid-girl a diamond this once may make her happy. But if she's the sort who apparently values someone firstly for the presents he brings her, she's not going to stay happy for very long, and next time there's an event (birthday, christmas, anniversary, another valentine's day) he's going to have to get her another piece of expensive jewelry, or live with her being petty and mad at him, instead. There have got to be better ways of spending your money. And if what you really want is sparklies, why is it necessary to stock up on diamonds, when these days you can get faceted glass or crystal in much larger quantities for much less money, and not have to worry when you drop your diamond necklace down the sink by mistake, because it's easier to replace. (I know someone who did this... we did rescue it by taking the sink apart, but she was near-hysterical about it)

There was a much better ad the other day featuring a pair of floating dandilion seeds and various pretty scenery. But (clearly I'm an uncultured heathen and) I still liked the dandylion puffs better than the diamond necklace they were advertising.

Sorry. I think I've complained about this before, too. It's just really annoying. Even more than being the target audience, I hate having advertising try to tell other people what I'm going to want.

Moral: Those of you who thought the princess should choose the fifth prince will now write on the blackboard 100 times: "I would rather have a piece of feldspar than a diamond necklace." (from "the princess and the tin box"... I think it's by Thurber?)

Comments

[scraun23.livejournal.com]

Personally, I'm waiting for the synthetic diamonds to take off, and make them all basically worth the same as so much costume jewelry. Also, I like the idea of owning a diamond as big as my head, and using it to crack nuts or prop open doors and such.

[thanate.livejournal.com]

now that would actually be pretty cool. I could go for having a fist-sized diamond, kind of like a faceted version of the crystal ball sorts of things... :)

Although it would be kind of sad to lose the symbolism of having real jewelry (particularly for stuff like heirloom pieces or engagement rings.) I just feel like the "buy her diamonds for every occasion" sort of thing cheapens the really special instances where it might be appropriate. Well, and I like to have a say in picking out my own jewelry.

[scraun23.livejournal.com]

Heirlooms will always have meaning. Ask me about the terrible eagle sculpture that's sitting on my media shelf some time.

[rosnbery.livejournal.com]

Hey, we are living in a material world, and I am a material girl.

[thanate.livejournal.com]

and diamonds are a girl's best friend? I never said I wasn't material. I just don't like other people telling me what materials I want, is all.