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.
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.
https://twitter.com/stavvers/status/714544006819090432
Peeing with the door open #My5WordRomanceNovel
— We Are Aerials (@weareaerials) March 29, 2016
https://twitter.com/Drunk_Austen/status/714629402462584832
"I love you"
"I know"#My5WordRomanceNovel #StarWars pic.twitter.com/3OD6cQoUNO— ~Velyon~ (@darth_sedai) March 28, 2016
https://twitter.com/WhatIDoAllDay/status/714566356948090880
https://twitter.com/knottyyarn/status/714508442522755072
And then they touched butts. #My5WordRomanceNovel
— Erin Lee 🌈 The Guardian🐲 (@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
