Luxury for Love: How Meaningful Gift Giving is Being Confused for Expensive Miscellany

In recent years, it has become increasingly common for people to look to social media for lifestyle, art, fashion, and especially gift inspiration around holidays. Even with the people closest to us, brainstorming ideas can be incredibly difficult. Finding time to search for a quality present, let alone something they would want, can be even harder. A gift’s utility or price range will vary based on the person giving it, but the priority should be giving something thoughtful and individualized, especially if it is for someone special.

Be that as it may, there seems to be a large group of influencers across popular social media outlets pushing a different, more concerning narrative. Their posts suggest individuals should put less emphasis on giving from the heart and more emphasis on the price of the item given. Recently, I came across a number of Instagram posts featuring photos of incredibly generalized gift ideas with prices that are difficult to justify. This was especially prevalent as people shopped for their loved ones for Valentine’s Day.

One of the reels that stood out to me for its sheer absurdity was posted by aesthetic lifestyle influencer “__cosmogirls” who has more than 37,000 followers on Instagram. In the headline and caption of the photos, they write “Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas for Her.” The photos consist of commonly gifted items like candles, nail polish, and hairclips. At first glance, these items seem small and simple—ones that just about any woman would like—but upon further examination, it’s clear that the emphasis the creator places is on luxury. Everything was not only brand-name but also from high-end labels, for items that were not unique by any means.

I did some research on the items featured and was shocked to see the prices. The Diptyque “Rose” candle cost $235 and the Forever June clips were $18 for a pack of two. For a select group of people, $253 for two presents might seem average, but for the majority it is difficult to justify spending such a large amount on two items that are not personal, not meaningful, and valued solely for the brand tied to them. Of course, these things could be somewhat personalized if they had to do with the person’s favorite color, or scent, but the extent to which they are customizable is highly limited for their price points. Other gifts suggested by the creator include Chanel nail polish ($33), a Dior eyeshadow palette ($75), Glossier You perfume ($85), and a Dior lip balm ($42). 

For six items that are not overtly unique or heartfelt, the total cost was $488. This price is difficult to justify, as quality cannot always be expected from luxury brands, especially for things that they don’t specialize in, like Dior for makeup and Chanel for nail polish. Of course, if the luxury item is something you’ve repeatedly been asking for, then the present might be thoughtful and meaningful. The problem is when influencers imply that gifts at these price points are commonplace and signify “good” gift giving. That messaging misconstrues the true value of a present by establishing a relationship between cost and meaning.

So what does make a good gift? A gift should speak for itself. It should be thoughtful, specific to the individual, and does not need to be expensive to be significant. Although it is nice to receive an item from a highly regarded brand, it should not be made the standard. More than that, love should not be quantified by a price tag, but should instead be measured through actions, words, and feelings.

We need to take note of the damaging impacts that this whole ideology can have on people’s expectations of both gift giving and relationships. It can be so easy to get caught up in the trendiness of brand-name items and product suggestions from our favorite influencers, but it’s important to remember that a present’s true significance comes from the heart. As the year progresses, I encourage you to branch out and try gifting mindfully. For the right person, that will be more than enough to show how much you care.