For many years, gifting bouquets either in platonic or romantic relationships has been the best way to convey deep emotional love and affection for a significant other, or probably a loved one in a person’s life.
The usage of bouquet means different things to various societies’ cultures and traditions, but more importantly, is usually to communicate one of life’s most profound words; which translates either as ‘I love you’ ‘ i accept you’ and ‘I want you’ or ‘i celebrate you’
For starters, bouquets since time memorial represent emotions such as love, devotion, commitment and so many other things. Many people say that flowers can say it all, and the truth is that they really can, but this is not so true for some couples in Nigeria’s cosmopolitan city, Lagos where the essence and importance behind the idea of flower/bouquet gifting has been decimated.
Before we talk about about decimation of bouquets, it is important to understand the idea and premises around flower/bouquet gifting.
What are the types of bouquet and what does it mean
We agreed earlier gifting a bouquet primarily symbolizes love and affection and could mean various things depending on the relationship shared. Bouquet, which comes from the Old French term meaning “clump of trees” is described to be an arrangement of flowers that are the perfect way to show someone that you care about them.
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Bouquets also have decorative purposes and come in types. The two major types are dollar bouquets and flower bouquets.
The disturbing trend of fake bouquets amongst Lagos couples
Over time, young persons, particularly couples in romantic relationships are beginning to deviate from the original idea around bouquet gifting and have veered toward social media seeking validation which invariably has seen a growing trend of spurring vendors of fake dollars/ flower bouquets who are ever ready to paint the delusion of ‘being loved’ and ‘cared for’ to desperate young persons/ couples.
In Lagos and some cities around the country, these vendors, which are gradually becoming a way of life and are fast stretching their claws, pry on people (mostly) insecure, who rather than be themselves or showcase how genuinely loved they are, front a facade on social media to the validation of people who they do not know.
More unsettling is how this abnormality is fast spreading and becoming the norm and the ‘coolest’ thing there is. This is true with the numerous viral fake dollar bouquet stories scattered everywhere on the internet. However, what’s more interesting, is that, some people do not see a big deal in fronting a fake dollar bouquet.
Motive behind the showcase of Fake bouquets?
It varies in both couples and individuals. It could interest you to know that some couples do it to make others envious and to paint their relationship to seem more desirable in the eyes of others. For individuals who gifts themselves fake bouquet, it could be for selfish intention to dupe people, to look gorgeous and to attract wealthy men/women who will spoil them with cash and luxury things.
For others, it could be probably due to peer pressure or feelings of being insecure and unwanted. But the salient question here is, is it worth it?
The idea of bouquet gifting, whether to oneself, a loved one, or a significant partner is to convey emotions, make them/oneself happy or feel surprised and anything outside these premises distorts and erases the essentiality of bouquet gifting.
Most often, couples/Individuals who venture the path of deceit (fake lifestyle) are likely to end up not getting the things they sought out for, out of shame go into hiding.
Showcasing a fake bouquet is going to attract you to fake reactions, fake crap, and fake friends and never the feelings of being loved, appreciated or seen. Just be real with yourself and express love in the most genuinely and beautifully way you can, even if it is not ‘standard’, the world will adjust.
The hardest part in life is trying to show the smile, luxury you know is fake and to hide the tears and feelings of unwantedness that won’t stop.
