Every year, people around the world pull out their wallets before the 14th of February to surprise their sweethearts with a gift.
Trying to capitalize on the celebration, businesses produce all sorts of products that are meant to catch the attention of potential buyers. But not all of these attempts are successful.
From chocolates and greeting cards to candles and underwear, we at Bored Panda collected some of the biggest Valentine's Day design fails to remind you to keep your eyes open when spending your hard-earned cash.
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In 2021, Valentine's Day consumerism reached the second-highest point in spending in the holiday's history with a total of $23.9 billion, according to data released by the National Retail Federation (NRF).
The largest consumer spending on Valentine's Day goods calculated by NRF occurred in 2020, with a total of $27.4 billion. The upcoming 2023 celebration of the holiday is expected to be on par with the previous year's spending total.
Local Pharmacy Gets It On For The Valentine's Day Display
This brings us to another popular product for this time of the year. New data from the UK reveals searches for "sti kit" have already seen a 20% increase in the last month.
But despite this rise in proactivity, new research from Superdrug Online Doctor, a service that helps people discreetly order treatments online from UK-registered doctors, has discovered that 14% of Brits would never tell their partner about their STI status.
Key takeaways from the research included:
- Over half (51%) said they’d want to know if their date had an STI but only 28% would tell their date if they did.
- Searches for ‘sti home test’ have seen a 78% rise versus the monthly average.
- 91% of Brits said an STI diagnosis would negatively impact their mental health, relationships, social life, love life, general confidence, or even their career.
My Girlfriend's Son Bought Us Candy For Valentine's Day. I'm Not Sure What Message He Is Trying To Convey
I Tried To Make A Heart But My Neighbor Asked Me Why I Put The Devil In My Window
The research comes from a recent survey of 2,000 sexually active adults, in the hope of breaking the taboo around STIs and helping people openly discuss their experiences.
Superdrug Online Doctor's sexologist, Jess O'Reilly Ph.D., explained to Bored Panda in a statement how people can potentially approach the topic if needed:
"Talking about testing and STIs can be intimidating because of stigma and a general unease around sex. But talking about sex ought not to be awkward. If you’re comfortable enough to get naked and rub your bodies against one another, hopefully you'll also cultivate a connection that allows you to talk about your desires, needs, boundaries, and expectations around safer sex - which includes STI testing."
If Only There Was Another Letter That Was Shaped More Like A Heart In “Happy Valentine's Day” Other Than D
No one gonna mention how it says "bring both FREE!" As in bring both your wife and your secret girlfriend?
Valentine’s Day-Themed Meat
My Fiancé Has A “Valentine’s Day Elf”. Looks To Me Like Santa Joined The Klan
Subway Near Us Put Valentine’s Day Advert On Shared Sign
Talking about sex and STIs can be tricky, especially with someone who you are, or planning to be, intimate with. According to O'Reilly and another Superdrug Online Doctor's expert, Julia Kotziamani, who is a love, sex, and relationship educator, the key things to remember before such a discussion are:
- Start the conversation early;
- Get knowledgeable about STIs;
- Be open and accepting;
- Remove the shame;
- Stay up to date with testing;
- Remember the first time is the hardest;
- Consider your partner’s discomfort with the topic;
- Be prepared for their reaction.
The Ice Cream Cake I Ordered For Valentine’s Day Said “I Love You” But Some Of The Letters Fell Off During Transit
Provocative Heart Candles
If you're still unsure about what to get for your significant other, a new survey conducted by Kelton Global, found that the most desired gifts are:
- a nice dinner at a restaurant (48%);
- chocolates (34%);
- flowers (31%);
- an experience, such as a massage or concert (28%)
- jewelry (25%);
- a vacation (22%);
- something handmade (17%);
- electronics (14%).
Just make sure they're well-made! For more abominations, though, fire up our older article 35 Valentine’s Design Fails That Probably Shouldn’t Have Been Approved.
The Flower Is Going Through The Dog's Bottom Jaw, This Is On A Valentine's Day Card
Nothing Says Valentine's Day Like, I'm Going Kidnap You And Tie You With Duct Tape
My Dad Wanted To Make Heart-Shaped Rose Cookies For Valentine's Day. Unsure If I Should Tell Him He Made Different-Looking Cookies
My Stepsister Got A Card From Her Middle School On Valentine’s Day With An Unsolvable Maze On It
My Cousin Didn’t Want Any Writing On Her Valentine's Cake So She Asked For “Just A Small Heart Please”
Let's Give This Mug A Pinky And Call It A Valentine's Gift. Genius
Found A Spelling Mistake On A Valentine's Card Stocked By A Major Supermarket
They Messed Up The Pun On My Daughter's Valentine's Day Card
Packaged The Valentine's Banner, Boss. This Is How It Came Out Of The Packaging. How Do They Get The Letters Facing The Right Way But Then Spell It Backwards And Not Realize
This Candle Has Heart-Shaped Holes In Its Holder What Cause Any Melted Wax Made When The Candle Is Lit To Leak Out
Using something the wrong way sometimes gets you surprises... it's made to hold the tiny candles in aluminum cups
My Local Grocery Store Is Selling Heart-Shaped Cuts Of Meat For Valentine's Day
To The Your Heart
Was Going To Give My Mom A Valentine’s Day Balloon Because She Lives Alone But This Is What Came In The Mail
This Retro Valentine I Found In My Inheritance. I'm Still Not Sure What It's Trying To Say
Just Noticed This Sticker That My Grandma Sent Me For Valentine’s Day
Valentine's Day Card Printing Error From 2004
When I Order Valentine's Day Cards Online For My Daughter's Preschool Class And Don't Look At Them Until The Night Before
Nothing Says “I Love You” On Valentine’s Day Like A Heart-Shaped Meatloaf
Valentine's Has Never Been More... Cute (Supposed To Say "Love Is In The Air" But I Read It As "Love Sin The I Air")
Truly Captivating Valentine's Day Socks
Note: this post originally had 84 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
this list reminds me of when i was looking at valentines for kids to give to their class and such online, and some of them were really suggestive like “i think you’re really foxy” with a winking fox and the like. i was flabbergasted, these were for CHILDREN and i remarked “may as well put a unicorn and say-“ and then my sister clapped her hand over my mouth. those valentines could’ve been on this list, they were TERRIFYING
What? Where on earth do you see the harm in “I think you’re foxy”? In my day, we used “cute,” but how is “foxy” TERRIFYING to you? Or does “foxy” mean something else in the language you speak, maybe? It’s completely innocuous in English.
I think people were stretching with some of these
Valentine for kids?!? Guess a lot of people are not familiar with the background .... do they also celebrate Mother's Day for little girls, just because they might be a mother some time in the future? Or Father's Day for little boys? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Valentine
I think we are pretty far from the extremely outdated celebrations one might associate with a saint who was born almost 1,800 years ago, in the literal year 226. Trying to insist that Valentine's Day in 2023 should be about "courtly love" and "romance" only is spurious and facetious. Grandparents can wish their grandkids a happy Valentine's Day. A 6-year-old can give their classmate a "You Are Pawsome!" V-day card. Why CAN'T little kids celebrate V-day in a child-friendly way? As a schoolkid, we always gave little boxes of candy and a child-friendly Valentine's Day card to every other kid in the class. There were no implications or assumptions. No one was trying to insist that Valentine's Day HAD to be romantic/lovey-dovey, or you weren't allowed to celebrate it at all. As an aside, I believe that a little girl absolutely CAN celebrate Mother's Day... with her mother or motherly parental figure, ditto for a little boy and his father or fatherly parental figure. We don't have to force our celebrations into ancient customs that make no sense in the modern world, and we absolutely do NOT have to exclude people from celebrating and enjoying Valentine's Day if they aren't dating/a couple/in a relationship.
If Hallmark didn't create the various cards for children & even dog's for Valentines Day would still be as it was intended for couples ,hopeful couples or thoses who love love Everything has been corrupted by commercialization. A 6yr old wouldn't request sending a You're pawesome card if the products didn't exist or pressure wasn't put upon the parents to purchase, let alone celebrate a day for love & lovers . It was never about children , so no exclusions . There is little space in this modern world for children to just be exclusively children & hope for the day they can do what the grown-ups do when so many adult things are kiddofied . Waiting to be old enough is a feeling every child should experience ,the hope expectations of what it will be like when your grown up & can do what adults do so many parents take that away for their own personal satisfaction.
But kids don’t celebrate the day the way adults do. At all. Given they don’t yet have the hormones adults do, they can’t even conceive of it the way adults do. Criminy; there sure are a lotta folks out there with dirty (gross, appalling) minds. Yikes!
We celebrated Valentine's Day with class room card and candy exchanges when I was in grade school in the 60's, so Valentine's Day for kids is hardly a new cultural phenomenon. There are all kinds of love to celebrate besides adult sexual love.
It about love in the general sense, it doesn't become about that kind of love until the person is old enough. So kids can give valentines to parents or fellow pupils, but when they're in their teens the intent changes to romantic love
valentines is for all ages, it doesn’t need to be very romancey. when i was a kid, i loved selecting the perfect candy and valentine to gift to my peers, addressing half of them to myself, and trying to make sure i didn’t forget anyone.
In the US, kids celebrate Valentine’s Day, too, though not in the same way adults do. (I think that may be where you’re hung up, as there’s absolutely nothing sexual or even romantic when little kids do it, as the cards they give are merely friendly greetings.)