Geek Alert!

[katbaggins]

I've been digging into some fun science blogs in the last year or two, since I discovered Bloglines. One of them just conducted a fascinating informal poll about Valentines Day gifts that revealed some fun facts.

First, clear about ten minutes out of your day (and allocate some brain space, cause those graphs get tricky!) and read this post from

Comments

[anniefee]

so, katrina.....are you getting sexy lingerie for valentine's day? :)

i don't like that kind of stuff, but i do like chocolate and flowers and a nice meal (home or out) and sweet and pretty things. i don't like stuffed animals (blech) or overly sentimental crap that i feel guilty for not keeping but resentment for not throwing away so it gets shoved into a box somewhere. david doesn't like jewelry (which is good because i think guys who like jewelry are weird...no offense to anyone here, be glad i'm not married to you :), but he likes sweet notes and sweet food. definitely food.

we don't spend gobs of money on each other, but we do like to buy little things that are fun and sweet or meaningful or pretty (that one is for me). and valentine's day is fun! it's all hearty and pink and sparkly and target sells things with love birdies on them.

anyway, that is an interesting article! obviously not scientific, but it's always interesting to see what other people think and practice and believe about other people. :) i don't think the feminine/masculine ideal came from the media. maybe it's been encouraged by the media, but looking throughout history women have always wanted the strong, dashing prince and men have been on the lookout for their sweet, feminine lady. all the old fairy tales and myths and even Bible stories (jacob and rachel, ruth and boaz, song of solomon) are all about the masculine/feminine dynamic. i think that's something intrinsic to our nature, it just manifests in different perspectives and in differing culture climates.

[katbaggins]

Good point re: the prevalence of gender roles throughout history, though I wonder if women today feel more masculine than women back then? I guess we have the choice, while they (mostly) didn't.

And yeah, I agree with you about Valentine's Day. I'm definitely sappy enough to want to celebrate it, but I like to appreciate the small things - make something special, find something small but meaningful, etc.