1. to make something seem exotic, foreign, or strangely attractive; to portray or treat something as exotic
Usage: often used critically to describe the act of romanticizing or misrepresenting other cultures

Examples

• The travel magazine tends to exoticize rural communities rather than showing their everyday realities.
• Fashion designers often exoticize non-Western aesthetics in their collections.
• The film exoticizes the island setting, presenting it as a paradise rather than a real place with real problems.
• Critics argue that the museum exoticizes artifacts from indigenous cultures.
• Marketing campaigns sometimes exoticize foreign cuisines to appeal to adventurous consumers.
• The author was accused of exoticizing the protagonist's background for dramatic effect.