Lazily moving through a morning routine, studying in warm cafes, and living a slow life with every enjoyable aspect one can add to it. Leading a ‘romantic life’ has been a rising conversation among young generations on social media. Romanticizing a life is the art of being physically and emotionally in the present entirely, enjoying the present, and seeing beauty in the ordinary.
Over the last few years, beginning amid a worldwide pandemic, the phrase “Romanticize your life” has risen in popularity during a harrowing moment in most people’s lives. The words and lifestyle have continued to reign active in 2024 even as the pandemic has ended. Originally, the phrase ‘to romanticize’ meant to make something more appealing than it truly is, but most may interpret it as simply seeing life as something more beautiful than as it is given to us.
“I guess romanticizing things adds joy to an otherwise boring or mundane task.” says freshman, Alex Elston. A big talking point of the rise in romanticizing has been to romanticize school and make something many students dread more enjoyable and easier to complete. This can be by buying cute back-to-school supplies or bringing a coffee into the early morning classes. Adding aesthetic values to studying for a test and curating a special playlist is recommended on
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“I add little things to do so my days feel special or important just small things that no one else is doing” Elston describes, romanticizing something doesn’t have to be hard or expensive. Just being more pensive and observant of the little things can make life appear more beautiful. She says that just being more attentive can be more beneficial than anything.
“I think that finding happiness or “romanticizing” your days can make things that you find boring a little more exciting” Elston comments on whether she believes that romanticizing can be detrimental to the youth of today. Arguments have been made against the seemingly harmless practice saying it can make people delusional about how life is. It can invalidate hard feelings someone may have over life and make one grieve a life they can’t have or create unrealistic expectations. But if done in moderation the practice can reap benefits for many students finding it difficult to get out of bed and go to school every day.
“I absolutely think this trend is affected by those things people who might be feeling depressed or anxious about their lives tend to participate in this trend more often,” Elston expresses. “But I think there is a fine line between romanticizing and pretending your problems don’t exist” This trend may be blamed for the mass rise in depression and anxiety in teenagers and young adults. According to Ballad Brief, depression and anxiety diagnoses have increased by 63% from 2005 to 2017 and feelings of hopelessness and sadness have reportedly gone up in young people. In a world that teenagers could very well witness crumble in their lifetimes, a world that is full of hate and hurt- after years of being told they hold no power to change their world, teenagers could be looking for ways to quiet the screaming and make life more enjoyable.
Romanticizing doesn’t just have to be because of unhappiness or anxiety, though the original definition might suggest it can’t be used otherwise, the new trend slightly shakes up the original meaning. Many may just want to pull more gratitude into their life and appreciate the simple pleasures humans are given. It isn’t always eliminating the hardships one may be going through, but just not making life all about the bad. Noticing the more vigorous aspects of one’s daily routine and focusing on the little joys or small wins everyone experiences in their day-to-day life.
“To find joy in small things and spend less time dwelling.” says a freshman in college. She believes the trend is very much affected by the rise in mental health problems in Gen Z. Adding romanticized aspects to life can distract someone from the real burdens of life. Not always good, everyone needs to face the good and bad parts of life or it can create a delusional view of one’s life, but when it comes to young people sometimes they just need it to be quieted a little, something to busy them or add a little more joy.
The college freshman also believes this trend affects young girls and women. “Female adolescents were more than twice as likely as their male peers to report feelings of anxiety (31% vs. 12%) and depression (25% vs. 10%) during the survey period.” KFF.org found from surveys they had conducted this year. This trend of anxiety and mental illness could cause the trend of romanticizing to be a larger part of women’s lives than men’s. This is why mostly just women are the ones talking about this fad, the want to make life prettier and more appealing is not a new thing though, especially for women.
Wisdom isn’t just provided but earned by experiencing life. Students don’t have to change every part of their lives and education to romanticize it and hold on to the mundane glories. Just look around and notice small things- leaves swept into piles by the wind, friends’ moods daily, and growth in the grass in the backyard. Being happy isn’t something that people on social media can gift someone, but romanticizing the smaller aspects can help someone see the beauty in the mundane.
