This year, why not redefine romance? From solo candlelit dinners to celebrating friendships, love doesn’t need a partner to feel special. Life’s sweetest moments can – and should – be romanticised, just for you.
With a growing social media trend of self-love and acceptance, emerging alongside cute reels promoting solo dates, is it time to romanticise to life? Especially in 2025, I think it is time we remember that romance isn’t exclusive to a set of ideals.
Whilst many enjoy solo restaurant or café trips while travelling and under the guise of anonymity – this habit tends to fade once we return home. After all, who knows who might spot you and judge your “lonely” outing? But why does anyone need to wait for a significant other to enjoy a candlelit dinner? More to the point, why can’t we romanticise date nights with our friends or even just ourselves?
Why do swanky restaurants have to wait for group outings on birthdays or for a significant other to arrive on the scene? The fact is, romance can exist in so many forms and no one less pure or poignant than the other. The conditioned idea we’re fed through romantic films that life or even romance begins once we find a partner, is, in my opinion a waste. Whilst singledom is often frowned upon, especially past a certain age, it’s only natural some of us may shy away from celebrating it *See Bridget Jones’ Diary*, for instance. A successful, homeowning and intelligent woman, who was deemed a failure just because her life lacked a romantic partner and not only this, but her friends and family couldn’t see past this either. For example, when was there a single moment Bridget was asked about her job or even herself?
Not only in love but in life overall, pushing the pressure of “the one” is such a cliché—harmful, belittling even. The odds are it’ll happen. I mean if psychopaths in prison can find a partner through strictly regulated letter writing, then I have no doubt the average Joe or Jo can. Think of all the people in history who lived fulfilling, rich lives without coupling up before the end. Do their achievements count for nothing, a whole 90 years of activity and experience ignored as they remained a singular entity?
One thing that often gets overlooked is that even after finding a partner, you shouldn’t neglect to romanticise your platonic relationships. Your friends aren’t just there as backup plans for when romance fails; they deserve love and appreciation too. So why save the “good” restaurants or experiences just for dates? Let your friends know you love them, too. We often get so caught up in the notion that our ultimate goal is to find someone to *share* our life with that we forget—we’re already sharing it. The ones who have been there every step of the way? That, if we’re lucky enough, is a type of romance, too—one of the most enduring kinds.
I for one know that after moving abroad it is the friendships I cherish and new ones I seek after moving to a new town. Relationships can be great and enduring nonetheless, but your friends and family are the basis on which you stand and if that doesn’t warrant a night of red wine, spaghetti, and candles, then I don’t know what else does.
So this year, whether single, taken, somewhere in between, or however you define your relationships, let’s view romance as a pick-me-up, instead of an exclusive act, life might seem a little rosier that way.
P.S. You deserve the same, you’re doing great! So, go and treat yourself to a little romance, whatever that means to you.
Disgraceful Magazine 