Written by Isabella Lacy-Halteman. Photo courtesy of Abby Chadwick and Isabella Halteman.
Romanticize: (verb) deal with or describe in an idealized or unrealistic fashion; make (something) seem better or more appealing than it really is.
In an attempt to fight a replication of that episode of Spongebob where Squidward goes to live in Tentacle Acres and goes crazy living every day exactly the same, romanticizing your life is the internet’s biggest recommendation. From doing your never-ending pile of homework in an aesthetically pleasing overpriced coffee shop to cropping out the trash on the curb in the picture you took from your walk home from class, romanticizing can help you feel better about the mundane areas of your long days. But how far can you go before becoming delusional?
TikTok quickly became a favorite distraction for a wide range of ages while we were all stuck at home in 2020, successfully getting us all addicted; three years later, it is still a large part of many people’s lives. While romanticizing was definitely not started on the app, it became a trend for people to document how they look at their day through rose-colored glasses. There are entire accounts of people waking up at 5 AM to clean their entire house, which seems to be straight out of a Pinterest board, do their 18-step skincare routine, and make a breakfast that deserves a Michelin star all before the afternoon comes around. These accounts are often paired with many questions, such as: do I need to live like that to be successful? Do they ever have an off day? Are these people even real? Watching other people live how you wish your life was may seem to boost your motivation, but it usually does the opposite.
Another form of romanticization, much more attainable, is going about your day how you usually would but looking for the silver lining in it all. For example, you may have to be up for work before the sun, but once you get there, you sit in your car and see the sunrise. Or you’re stuck at the library to finish a ten-page paper you haven’t started, but you found a comfy chair in a quiet corner that faces a window. This side of romanticizing is also big on the clock app, much more popular with teenagers and college students just trying to get through their days. “Photo diaries,” some call them, where they’ll snap a picture of their POV dragging themselves out of bed, making their coffee, and dressing up for the day. Those videos don’t come with a creeping feeling of shame attached; people just cause them to make their ordinary days feel special. And if that makes you feel better about your day, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Next time you feel like you are burning out on the same routine, maybe try to look at it from a different perspective and find the sparkle in your everyday tasks.
