Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Social Media
  3. News

#My5WordRomanceNovel was trending on Twitter — here are some of our favorites

By

twitter dm update read receipts man holding iphone 6 with on the screen
prykhodov/123RF
Romance isn’t dead, friends. It’s just switched mediums. And it’s gotten shorter. And a little weirder. On Monday, #My5WordRomanceNovel was trending on Twitter, giving us a poignant (and somewhat hilarious) Snapchat — I mean, snapshot — of love in the 21st century. You don’t need Harlequin to get your fix, ladies and gentlemen — sometimes, 140 characters and five words is all it takes.

The hashtag apparently originated with Twitter user @EvolvedGuppy, whose five-word romance novel might have been the most succinct smut ever written: “Eyes lips and hips locked.” But from there, the hashtag really took on a life of its own. From the telltale millennial tweets (“He paid for my Netflix”) to the truly sentimental (“Let’s order another large pizza”) to the simply bizarre (“Catnip toy, cat snacks, sun”), love truly comes in all forms.

Recommended Videos

And while this digital interpretation of snappy romance may seem like a novel version of love, it actually has its roots in highly regarded literature. In fact, it was none other than Ernest Hemingway’s six-word, “For sale: baby shoes, never worn,” that highlighted the possibilities of short prose. And the rest has become Twitter history.

Of course, it wasn’t just regular Twitter users who jumped on the five word romance novel trend — corporations and brands looking to level up their social media presence quickly boarded the hashtag bandwagon, and some met with some pretty entertaining results. There was Qdoba’s “You and Me. Qdoba. Forever.” Then Peanut Butter & Co.’s straightforward “Peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” (which sort of sounds like the best romance novel I’ve ever read). And even brands like Zippo really tried, though “‘Twas LOVE at first light!” is a bit forced, at best.

But who are we to judge?

Check out just a few of our favorites below, and search the hashtag to discover even more hilarious takes on bitesized romance.

the lesbian lovers both survived #My5WordRomanceNovel

— Another Angry Woman (@stavvers) March 28, 2016

Peeing with the door open #My5WordRomanceNovel

— ConorMcAteerMusic (@CMcAteerMusic) March 29, 2016

All good men are fictional #My5WordRomanceNovel -b pic.twitter.com/hLStybPt3O

— Drunk Austen (@Drunk_Austen) March 29, 2016

"I love you"
"I know"#My5WordRomanceNovel #StarWars pic.twitter.com/3OD6cQoUNO

— ~Velyon~ (@darth_sedai) March 28, 2016

He Vacuumed All The Glitter #My5WordRomanceNovel

— American Housewife (@WhatIDoAllDay) March 28, 2016

#My5WordRomanceNovel A large pizza for one.

— Danielle Henderson (@knottyyarn) March 28, 2016

And then they touched butts. #My5WordRomanceNovel

— HappiLeeErin (@HappiLeeErin) March 28, 2016

"After all this time?"

"Always." #My5WordRomanceNovel #HarryPotter pic.twitter.com/kggTfC1cU1

— Always J.K. Rowling (@AlwaysJKRowling) March 28, 2016

You're damaged too? Let's marry. #My5WordRomanceNovel

— Patrick Strudwick (@PatrickStrud) March 28, 2016

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Lulu Chang
Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Bluesky barrels toward 1 million new sign-ups in a day
Bluesky social media app logo.

Social media app Bluesky has picked nearly a million new users just a day after exiting its invitation-only beta and opening to everyone.

In a post on its main rival -- X (formerly Twitter) -- Bluesky shared a chart showing a sudden boost in usage on the app, which can now be downloaded for free for iPhone and Android devices.

Read more
How to make a GIF from a YouTube video
woman sitting and using laptop

Sometimes, whether you're chatting with friends or posting on social media, words just aren't enough -- you need a GIF to fully convey your feelings. If there's a moment from a YouTube video that you want to snip into a GIF, the good news is that you don't need complex software to so it. There are now a bunch of ways to make a GIF from a YouTube video right in your browser.

If you want to use desktop software like Photoshop to make a GIF, then you'll need to download the YouTube video first before you can start making a GIF. However, if you don't want to go through that bother then there are several ways you can make a GIF right in your browser, without the need to download anything. That's ideal if you're working with a low-specced laptop or on a phone, as all the processing to make the GIF is done in the cloud rather than on your machine. With these options you can make quick and fun GIFs from YouTube videos in just a few minutes.
Use GIFs.com for great customization
Step 1: Find the YouTube video that you want to turn into a GIF (perhaps a NASA archive?) and copy its URL.

Read more
I paid Meta to ‘verify’ me — here’s what actually happened
An Instagram profile on an iPhone.

In the fall of 2023 I decided to do a little experiment in the height of the “blue check” hysteria. Twitter had shifted from verifying accounts based (more or less) on merit or importance and instead would let users pay for a blue checkmark. That obviously went (and still goes) badly. Meanwhile, Meta opened its own verification service earlier in the year, called Meta Verified.

Mostly aimed at “creators,” Meta Verified costs $15 a month and helps you “establish your account authenticity and help[s] your community know it’s the real us with a verified badge." It also gives you “proactive account protection” to help fight impersonation by (in part) requiring you to use two-factor authentication. You’ll also get direct account support “from a real person,” and exclusive features like stickers and stars.

Read more