The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer. Every generation swears love isn’t what it used to be. Your grandma might tell you about handwritten letters sealed with a kiss and spritzed with perfume.
Your parents might get misty-eyed over the memory of mix tapes, long landline calls that lasted until the sun came up, or surprise flowers just because.
Here in 2025, we have dating apps that feel more like rummaging through a sale section than window shopping for Mr. Right and relationships that vanish faster than whatever you just sent on Snapchat.
But does that really mean romance is dead, or has it simply evolved?
I don’t think romance has ever been a one-size-fits-all kind of thing, as it’s always been influenced by time and culture.
What your grandparents considered swoon-worthy might feel outdated now, but that doesn’t point to the love stories of today being less real or meaningful. It just means the way we express love has shifted.
For some, romance still looks like candlelit dinners, handwritten notes, and grand public gestures. For others, it’s remembering how you take your coffee without asking, or putting your phone away when your partner’s telling you about their day.
It’s sending them a meme because it reminded you of an inside joke from months ago. Those little, unglamorous moments of showing up, listening, and noticing are what keep a relationship alive long after the butterflies settle down and the sparks fade away.
Of course, modern dating can feel transactional at times. Swiping left or right has replaced chance meetings, and ghosting is practically a national sport.
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We’ve traded commitment talks for vague lines like “Let’s just see what happens.” But those changes don’t mean romance has disappeared: we have to look for it in different places.
And maybe that’s the thing. Romance today is often quieter, less about putting on a show and more about how someone treats you when nobody’s watching.
It’s in the “text me when you get home” messages. It’s in making sure there’s an extra blanket on the couch when they know you’re coming over.
It’s in learning their favorite snack and keeping it stocked just in case. In some ways, romance might be more alive than ever because now it’s intentional.
In a world full of options, distractions, and easy outs, choosing someone and continuing to choose them every day is a powerful statement.
You can scroll past hundreds of faces, but when you decide to stop scrolling because one person feels like home, that is not accidental (it’s commitment).
The gestures might have changed, but the heart behind them hasn’t. Love has always been about making someone feel seen, understood, and valued. Whether that’s through a sonnet or a thinking of you text, the meaning is the same.
So, is romance dead? Not even close. It has just traded roses for your favorite takeout, high heels for sneakers, and Shakespearean love letters for 1 a.m. voice notes.
It’s alive in the little things, tucked into the moments you might miss if you’re too busy looking for the movie version of love.
If you pay attention, you’ll find it. It’s still everywhere.
By Bre Avery Zacharski
Hi, I'm Bre, Chip Chick's CEO! I have a degree in Textile/Surface Design from The Fashion Institute of Technology, and... More about Bre Avery Zacharski
