In recent months, something that has repeatedly popped up on my For You Page on TikTok has been a simple phrase: “how to romanticize your life.” The videos, usually adorned with pretty colors, matching sets, and a seemingly perfect life, left me wondering: What does this romanticizing actually mean?
When looking at the actual definition of romanticism, a key factor is an emphasis on emotion and imagination. Looking at feelings and passion, and using them as the source of creativity. On TikTok, when you scroll through all the different videos of “romanticizing your life,” they all look the same or highlight the same things, which contradicts a secondary characteristic: individualism, the celebration of the artist as a unique and creative genius. When we all do it the same way, we aren’t truly romanticizing what our life looks like. I wanted to focus on creating my own way to romanticize fall without TikTok telling me what I should be doing. These are some ways that I’ve been trying to create a more romantic fall for myself.
First: I’m a big music person. I love creating a playlist in order to show how I’m feeling and make it memorable for a season of my life. I currently have two in my rotation—the first one called October, where I just add whatever songs I’m loving at the moment, which is a lot of Olivia Dean lately. My second playlist is called fall, and it is full of jazz, which makes even the gloomiest moments feel less so.
My second thing I’m adding is making little rituals feel more special. My hand lotion lives next to my bed, so when I use it, I know it’s time for me to go to sleep. I also enjoy curating a “color palette” for the year. This is something that both lives on my Pinterest board and in what I’m buying. I always look to buy things that feel timeless and like something I would wear forever. Currently, I’m really looking for warming colors—reds, browns, and then stripes.
The last thing I’ve been making sure to do is create time for being crafty. Being in school and focusing on my studies is something that’s important, but can’t control my life and my time entirely. Having time to create things brings joy and also allows me to spend time doing things that I enjoy.
The art of romanticizing is something that has become a conversation covering my social media, but these are the ways I’m hoping to spread some joy into my gloomy Seattle fall.