TikTok: if you’re not familiar with it by now, you’ve been living under a rock. It’s the social media platform everyone loves and everyone else loves to hate; it’s been banned, unbanned and nearly banned again, it’s been the genesis of a million trends – and to the surprise of a great many luddites, it’s responsible for a major resurgence in old-school romanticism. How on earth did we get here? How has the home of the Apple Dance become a fountain for a romantic revival?
1. The Nostalgia Algorithm
TikTok’s famous For You page seemed, at the outset of the platform, to be a lesson in chaos: “what do you mean you can’t choose what you’re seeing?”. But quickly, it became the new standard for all social media platforms, demonstrating as it does the power of algorithm-based content feeds. Popular trends are recognised and amplified, allowing wider audiences to latch on to the same dopamine-dealing content as everyone else; if it has viral potential, the For You page will realize it.
This has happened for dances, ‘challenges’, fast food orders and even wedding proposals – so it stands to reason that romantic movements (the sole concern of TikTok’s key age demographic) are ripe to be impacted by the trend-amplifying power of the For You page. Indeed, nostalgic and sentimental content has started to rule the romantic roost, with “romance throwbacks” resurfacing in TikTok trends.
2. From Coquette to Cottagecore
Nostalgia means something different depending on who you ask – but nostalgic vibes are broad and easy to recognise. TikTok’s algorithm has amplified them all, with romantic visual aesthetics spanning centuries all vying for the same rose-tinted space. Sad as it is for some to recognise, Y2K is now as nostalgic a vibe as lace!
3. Romantic Content That Sells: Small Gestures, Big Engagement
It isn’t just vibes driving this throwback romantic revival, though. Creators, influencers and brands alike are driving social media engagement through actions as well as aesthetics – namely, through reviving the romantic gesture.
Handwritten letters, mixtape playlists, surprise gifts; all are quietly meaningful gestures that swerve the cardinal sin of being “cringe” or “extra”. There’s even been a resurgence of youngsters using promise rings as part of their romantic expressionism – a somewhat-ironic throwback to the overt romanticism of 20th century teen media.
4. Why “Old-School Romance” Resurfaces Now
Why exactly is TikTok rewarding such nakedly emotive romantic trends, though – particularly in a generation renowned for its lassez-faire approach to practically everything? Well, there’s a lot going on here. First and foremost, everything is a reflexive instinct on everything that’s come before; derision has a ceiling. Secondly, a number of first-world problems are driving us to be more openly romantic – chief amongst which, perhaps, being dating app fatigue.
That said, it’s hard to talk about romance in 2025 without talking about one of Big Romance’s biggest talking heads: Taylor Swift. Her engagement to Travis Kelce set the internet on fire, closing a long chapter in Swift’s own life immortalized by album after album of heartbreak. We love a win; we love love.
