People say: ‘This should not be romanticized anymore’

To get straight to the point: I have one for that too. And that's why I opened the Reddit thread with the question: ‘What do people need to stop romanticising?’ Because here it comes, I really find this terrible: public proposals. In movies, it's always portrayed as the ultimate romantic gesture, but I find it so unloving. A proposal should be something between two people, not with a large group where you might not even know many of them. And what if the other person wants to say ‘no’? Well, that's my input. But the Redditors had quite a few good suggestions.

1. ‘Celebrities/famous.’

2. ‘Sleep deprivation and/or being overworked.’

3. ‘France. Don't get me wrong, it's insanely beautiful there... Parts of it, that is. But movies and TV have made people believe it's some kind of fairy tale place where romantic men wait to conquer women and that all women are incredibly sexual and only want a man who can fulfill those needs.’

4. ‘Toxic relationships. I fell into that whole trap of ‘I can save this almost 40-year-old man who is unemployed and an alcoholic with mental problems’ when I was 19, and I can tell you: it was not pleasant.’

5. ‘Jealousy. You know what's really attractive? Trust.’

6. ‘Unhealthy relationships. Like stalking your crush/partner, having constant drama, poor communication and lots of misunderstandings, and just making each other jealous. It's not romantic, it's scary.’

7. ‘Serial killers. And making all the details of what they've done public in the media, so they become even more famous.’

8. ‘People who set aside their own goals and interests for someone else. So yes, the plot of every standard romcom.’

9. ‘OCD. It's not interesting or funny when I arrive late to work because I had to go back up the stairs to check for the fifteenth time if the stove is really off because otherwise I can't get it out of my head that the whole building is going to explode.’

10. ‘Always being busy. I don't understand why it's cool to always be busy and dedicated to making money for all the hours you're awake. When do you enjoy your free time if you're always just stressed and busy?’

11. ‘Poverty. You sometimes read articles with headlines like ‘mother hero works three jobs to pay for her sick son's treatment’. That's not okay, that shouldn't happen.’

12. ‘Depression. It's not like you just write poetry and are ‘mysterious’. It can also mean you don't leave your house for weeks, don't shower, forget to eat or eat too much.’

13. ‘The gangster lifestyle and everything around it. I grew up in Oakland and lost many people to this. About half of all the boys I grew up with are currently locked up serving life sentences, or have been murdered.’

14. ‘Suicide, especially in the music industry. Just because someone released a mediocre album and then passed away doesn't make them a legend.’

15. ‘Your teenage years. Yes, you're young, but that means nothing if you have no control over your own life, no life experience, no money, no mental stability, and no one takes you seriously. I wish people would stop telling teenagers that those are the best years of your life. I was incredibly unhappy as a teenager.’