Some girls are soft, and some are edgy, but I am a romantic girl. I say romance in the sense of how I view life and how I see the beauty in everything around me. With a mom who loves all things literature, music, and art, I was raised with inherent romance. I was the 7-year-old watching the 6-hour 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice and falling in love. It wasn’t just the fashion or the music; it was how the trees swayed and how Lizzie ran with the crescendo of the soundtrack in the background. To me, it was never about the love interests. It was about the beauty of the characters and the simple things. There was a mystic appeal in Lizzie reading a book in a field of flowers. Jane Austen was the first person to introduce me to inherent romance.
When I watch a rom-com or read a romance book, I don’t really think about the actual love story. I think about the romance of the small things in life: dashing into a coffee shop as the rain pours outside and the lit candle wick shaking back and forth as a soundtrack plays. This part of me has been deeply impacted by art, the things I see, listen to, and touch. I was the kid that chose walking through an art gallery over playing at the playground. I wasn’t a bougie kid; I just loved the romantic nature of walking while art surrounded me.
As I walk through an airport, I will put on Kali Uchi’s “Melting,” tricking myself into thinking I’m walking through a flower market instead. Romanticizing life does not have to be connected to actual romance. You can romanticize life while single, with a partner, or with friends in mind. Romance is often construed as romantic love, with things that are sexy and include a partner. I see romance in the way the rain hits flowers, the way golden hour lights up your room, and the way music sounds on a beautiful day.
Seeing inherent romance does not mean life is always beautiful, it just means you see the beauty in everyday things. You want the small moments to be beautiful big moments. It means being the girl who still makes valentines even if her friends think it’s weird, having an elaborate dinner party just because you want to, and romanticizing every moment of your favorite tv show.
Inherent romance can be found in sad things as well. When I picture romantic sadness, I picture “Cellophane” by FKA Twigs. The music video is captivating and intelligent, with Twigs singing and the visuals paired with the music have a romantic nature to them. It’s a beauty that is sewn throughout the work, in the positive, the negative, and the neutral parts.
I’m often told that I see the world through rose-colored glasses; although that’s true, there is nothing wrong with it. There is beauty in finding the inherent romance in life. If picturing myself in a movie while walking down the street brings me peace, I will continue. What is inherently romantic to you?
Words by Annika Petersen.
Graphics by Joe Tankersley.