I’ll be honest: I struggle to love summer. The weather is hot, the fashion options are limited, and, unlike when I was in school, I don’t even get a guaranteed vacation. However, I realized I could reduce my anxiety about the season if I started romanticizing it. More specifically, I needed to start pretending my life was a rom-com. After all, these movies aren’t just about romantic love: They’re about living in the moment, feeling confident, being a good friend, and embracing adventure—all things I want to channel this summer. While real life can’t always be as picturesque as film, we can still take inspiration from rom-coms to make life feel more fun and meaningful.
So, whether you love the season or not, here are 14 summer activities that will make your life feel like a rom-com.
1. Start your day with the perfect rom-com playlist
I automatically associate specific songs with certain films: “Perfect Day” with Legally Blonde, “Suddenly I See” with The Devil Wears Prada, and “I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City” with You’ve Got Mail. To channel that hopeful rom-com energy, start your summer mornings off by listening to the soundtracks from your favorite films, turning on a rom-com Spotify playlist, or creating your own. Listening to rom-com music while getting ready in the morning always fills me with a sense of excitement about the day—like my story, too, is just beginning.
2. Go analog
I have a theory: The ‘90s and early 2000s aren’t just considered the “golden era” of romantic comedies because of the top-tier rom and the com. We’re also attracted to the technology from that era and nostalgic for a time before the all-consuming smartphone. Remember when Anne Hathaway throws her flip phone in the fountain at the end of The Devil Wears Prada? Yeah, that would never happen nowadays. While you don’t necessarily need to ditch your screens altogether, you can easily borrow a few analog habits from your favorite rom-coms, like using a Filofax-style planner (27 Dresses), listening to music on vinyl (High Fidelity), or playing cards (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days).
3. Find your main character outfit
Every rom-com heroine has their signature outfit, whether it’s Cher Horowitz’s plaid ensemble or Andie Anderson’s butter yellow gown. To be clear: You don’t need a whole wardrobe change to embrace your main character uniform. Just find one summer outfit you feel great in —for me, it’s a Nancy Meyers-esque button-down dress — and wear it when you need a confidence boost.
4. Host a dinner party
All the best rom-coms seem to have a dinner party scene, where truths are revealed and relationships develop, and summer is the perfect time to host your own. Invite a few friends over and whip up dishes with fresh summer ingredients, like steak salad, panzanella, and cherry tomato pasta. While you should aim to keep things simple (hosting a dinner party can go from fun to stressful in minutes), you can always zhuzh things up with a cute tablecloth, taper candles, and flowers. Even if you screw up the cooking, like Bridget Jones’s tragic blue soup, your guests will always remember it.
5. Keep a diary (or start writing letters)
Somehow, almost every 2000s rom-com heroine was a journalist living in New York City, and even those who weren’t still liked to write. Even if you don’t consider yourself a writer, it’s an easy habit to steal from your favorite movies that can help romanticize your own life. Write about what’s going on in your life, whether it’s in a diary, through letters, or via lengthy emails with a loved one. If you’re thinking, “but my life isn’t interesting enough to write about,” that’s kind of the point. Recording your experiences is a way to force yourself into believing your life is meaningful. What you write doesn’t have to be particularly profound. It can be just daily reflections, like the funny interaction you had at the fro-yo shop or an awkward moment at work. However, writing can also be a vehicle to process your feelings. As Meg Ryan’s character says in You’ve Got Mail, use your letters or diary entries to send your cosmic questions out into the void and see what answers you might find.
6. Run errands with your friends
I love how rom-com characters incorporate their friends into their everyday routines. After all, deep talks about work, life, and relationships don’t have to happen exclusively over dinner and drinks. Plus, it can take weeks for schedules to align to even plan something like that. Instead, schedule an “errands day” where you and a friend get together to check off tasks you’d both have to do anyway. The best conversations can happen while grocery shopping, standing in line at the post office, or shopping for a new AC unit.
7. Learn a dance routine
All those 30-second synchronized TikTok dances actually give off major rom-com energy. For some reason, there are an unusual number of romantic comedies where a dance routine serves as a litmus test for a friendship. I’m not even talking about musicals: think of Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo jiving to “Thriller” in 13 Going on 30 or Kate Hudson and Ginnifer Goodwin rocking to “Push It” in Something Borrowed. To recreate your own rom-com dance scene, grab a friend and get grooving, whether that’s alongside a video tutorial at home or at a dance fitness class IRL.
8. Change your hairstyle
At least according to rom-coms, changing up your hairstyle is the perfect way to usher in a new chapter in life. Not only do haircuts embody the “new look, new me” adage, but they literally remove old weight from your body. If you’re craving a fresh start this summer, an appointment at your go-to salon might be just the ticket. You can make a dramatic change, like Gwyneth Paltrow’s blonde pixie cut in Sliding Doors, or just get a fresh trim or color. Just don’t cut breakup bangs… or do! Anything is on the table!
9. Embrace spontaneity
Rom-com heroines know how to break out of their routines and embrace novelty. Wander into that cute bakery you always pass on your way home and pick up a pain au chocolat. Say yes to that party invite you were going to pass on to watch Love Island. Take a last-minute detour to the beach, even if it means jumping into the water fully clothed. The best summer memories are often made outside of your comfort zone (and without a set plan).
10. Have a karaoke night
Karaoke is another quintessential rom-com activity that appears in movies like My Best Friend’s Wedding and 500 Days of Summer. And during the heat of the summer, spending time in an air-conditioned karaoke lounge—or at home with your own karaoke setup—is a great way to escape the scorching temps. Grab some friends, get dressed up, and get out all your feelings by belting your favorite love song (actual singing skills not required).
11. Get out on the water
Whether you live near a lake, river, or ocean, spend an afternoon out on the water for a relaxing summer activity that captures the same cinematic feeling as your favorite movies. Rent a canoe to live out the iconic scene from The Notebook, pedal around in a paddle boat as in 10 Things I Hate About You, or book a spot on a boat cruise. It’s perfect for a fun outing with friends or a romantic summer date idea that feels straight out of the movies.
12. Visit a bookstore
I can’t think of the last time I actually bought something from a bookstore. These days, it’s all too easy to download an e-book with just a few clicks or have a physical copy show up at your doorstep in a matter of days. But I say, no more! Embrace the rom-com spirit by leisurely strolling around a bookstore and picking out your next read the old-fashioned way. If you need a recommendation for your next summer read, try Pride & Prejudice, an OG rom-com that’s often referenced in modern films, or grab a book inspired by one of your favorites, like First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison if you love Sleepless in Seattle or You, Again by Kate Goldbeck for When Harry Met Sally fans.
13. Try a new summer sport
How often do we stop ourselves from trying something new because we’re afraid of looking foolish? Rom-coms have taught me not to be afraid of embarrassing myself or, at the very least, how to push through that feeling. If life feels boring lately, it may be time to challenge yourself with something you’ve never done before, like picking up a new sport. A few ideas that are perfect for summer: roller-skating, playing pickleball, joining a softball team, or surfing. Pick one and take the opportunity to fall on your butt, make a fool of yourself, and do it for the plot.
READ: 32 Summer Hobbies That Are Perfect for Warmer Weather
14. Take a language learning class
If your summer plans don’t include jetting off to Tuscany to take an Italian lover, you can still incorporate some of the excitement of travel into your own routines, and learning a new language is a great place to start. Instead of relying on apps like Duolingo, find an in-person language class near you, like a continuing education course at a local college. After all, a rom-com-worthy life happens out in the real world, not on an app. You can enhance your immersion further by listening to music in your language of choice, watching foreign films, or learning to cook regional dishes.
The post 14 Ways to Make Your Life Feel Like a Rom-Com This Summer appeared first on The Everygirl.
