Everything is not romantic

Stub • 97 Words • Love/Romance • 03/22/2025

⚠️ This post contains a rougher cut of my thoughts on the topic and may be updated in the future. Please forgive any mistakes or lack of polish!

This article is part of the Abolishing Romance Anthology.

This article is part of the Reimagining Relationships Anthology.

Everything is romantic by Charli xcx or is it?

Romance originally refers to ‘Roman-ish’ as in the romance languages like Spanish, French, and Italian.

Now we romanticize our lives and pursue romantic relationships with other people

• The idea of romance as sweeping feelings comes from literary tradition

If our relationship with our friends are more intimate than “normal”, we might call it romantic or resembling romance, but why is this the term that we must reach for? I strive for a time where we don’t have to invoke this concept to convey the depth of the connection.