Romanticizing Life: What Does It Really Mean?
We’ve all heard it: “Romanticize your life.” It’s the go-to advice for twenty-somethings trying to make sense of delayed dreams, burnout, and the everyday monotony of being Not Quite There Yet.
“Romanticize your life” It looks cute on TikTok. It sounds empowering on Pinterest. But what does it really mean to romanticize your life—especially when you don’t feel like the main character?
Is Romanticizing Just Another Trend?
At first glance, “romanticizing” feels synonymous with aestheticizing—buying a new candle, journaling with moody lo-fi in the background, or walking through a farmer’s market in slow motion.
And don’t get me wrong—there’s power in creating atmosphere. But when life feels messy, mundane, or chaotic, romanticizing shouldn’t mean pretending it’s perfect. It should mean finding beauty, agency, or softness despite the imperfection.
Society as a whole has lost the art of seeing the beauty in life.
Romanticizing ≠ Escapism
Let’s be clear: romanticizing life isn’t about ignoring reality.
It’s not about slapping a soft-focus filter over struggle or pretending every moment is Instagram-worthy.
In fact, it’s the opposite.
Romanticizing life is about presence.
It’s about looking at the ordinary and choosing to see meaning.
It’s brushing your hair like you’re in a coming-of-age montage—even if you’re crying over student loan emails.
It’s drinking coffee in silence and calling that self-care—not because it’s trendy, but because it gives you 5 minutes of peace.
It’s a Form of Rewriting the Narrative
Romanticizing is subtle resistance.
It says: I might not have control over everything, but I can control how I show up.
In a world that constantly tells you to optimize, monetize, or glow up, romanticizing life is about softening into yourself.
You can’t skip the middle, so you might as well make it cinematic.
How It Shows Up in Real Life:
Wearing your favorite outfit just to go to the grocery store
Lighting a candle while answering emails (even if you’re dreading the reply)
Making a playlist that turns your walk into a movie scene
Saying “no” more often and reclaiming your peace
Writing down the random thing that made you smile this week
Romanticizing your life won’t solve everything but it can shift how you move through the world.
It’s not pretending you’re okay.
It’s saying: Even though things are uncertain, I can still create small joy, small meaning, and small softness.
And that? That’s a kind of healing.
Final Thoughts
Romanticizing life isn’t about aesthetics. It’s how we reframe boredom, chaos, loneliness, or burnout—and make space for beauty in the everyday. Because your life isn’t a trailer for something better. This is the story. So you might as well give it a killer soundtrack.
Here are a few people that I admire for romanticizing their life that share how they do it online: Maya Beatriz, Cameron Nuttall, Myo, and Ava Jules.
Tell Me: What does romanticizing your life look like for you right now?
Drop your answer in the comments, or reply with:
Your current “main character” moment
The song that makes you feel like you're in a movie
A small ritual you do just for you