The heart is a rather funnily-shaped organ that is absolutely crucial to life. We can live without a functioning brain (although it’s rather difficult) but not without a heart. As physician Sherwin B. Nuland writes in How We Die, the cease of cardiac activity is the universal signifier of death, no matter the cause.
It’s no surprise, then, that hearts have gained a prominent role in the zeitgeist. They symbolize not only life but also love, lust, passion, and anger. The word “heart” also refers to the core of something — the ineffable substance that drives a thing’s existence.
That profundity doesn’t stop us from making silly versions of hearts. Sometimes, it’s easier to keep things simple. Here’s how hearts have been represented in popular culture.
Conversation Hearts
Who doesn’t recall the heartbreak of shyly passing a candy heart reading “Be Mine” to your crush, only to watch him eat it without even a glance at you?
Just me? Okay.
Conversation hearts are one of those food gimmicks that should have died after their first attempt, like Crystal Pepsi or all-peanut butter Reese’s…
