When it comes to Valentine’s Day gifts, men need try harder as the flowers are simply not cutting it, according to the findings of a new survey.
The Independent reports that with over 50 percent of women surveyed saying they would be “disappointed” to receive flowers this February 14th. Indeed it seems that flowers have come to be seen as too much of a cliché or a last-minute solution for lazy, unthoughtful or forgetful lovers.
Survey results published by the Irish Examiner would suggest that this may not be too far from the truth, with twenty-two percent of men admitting that they turn to flowers as an “easy option” when they have failed to come up with anything more inspired as a gift.
Of those women who replied they would be disappointed with a floral offering, seventy percent said they would much rather receive something totally different altogether from their valentine. Apparently most women objected to flowers for the simple reason that they would soon wilt and end up in the garbage. Indeed two-thirds of women said they would rather be given something “everlasting” as a token of their lover’s affection.
Tamara Kullback, a spokesperson for the organization that carried out the survey, said that she herself still appreciates flowers as a symbol of love, however she wished they would last a little longer and perfume a little stronger:
I personally love fresh flowers for Valentine’s Day, and the rest of the year, but unfortunately they just don’t seem to be as fragrant as they used to be.
Perhaps more worryingly, St. Valentine’s Day has now come to be considered by a large portion of the population as a cliché in itself and is apparently falling out of favor with many: sixty-four percent of survey respondents said the celebration has become too commercialized and therefore they don’t look forward to the occasion with any excitement.