TikTok’s Newest Trend ‘This is my Roman Empire’

It is widely recognized as of this month that men seem to have a peculiar fascination with the Roman Empire. If you’ve ever seen a man lost in thought, his eyes wandering into the distance, you might wonder, “What could he possibly be thinking about?” Chances are, he's thinking about all things Roman.

The broad observation here is that the Roman Empire rarely crosses the minds of most women, unless they happen to be in Rome or a high school history class. In contrast, men, it appears, frequently find themselves pondering its historical allure.

Not so surprising that a trend emerged on TikTok leaving people astonished by all of this. Women would ask their boyfriends, their dads, or any men in their life how often they think about the Roman Empire. For a portion, these thoughts occurred a few times a month, while others found themselves reflecting on it several times a week. Astonishingly, there were even individuals who thought about it daily, including none other than Elon Musk. It became evident that certain men had been captivated by films like Gladiator and Rome, and their fascination never waned.

Certainly, not all men devote their thoughts to ancient Rome. Nevertheless, this trend highlights an intriguing aspect of human nature — the presence of personal obsessions that captivate our minds. Many men, it seems, are particularly drawn to the fascination of the Roman Empire, while women undoubtedly possess their own unique preoccupations.

A TikToker recently pondered this question on the platform: Do women harbor their own equivalent of the Roman Empire? What singular, peculiar concept continually occupies our collective thoughts, and something that we can talk on and on about?

Presently, a multitude of individuals are on TikTok expressing their personal equivalents to the Roman Empire. Predictably, the outcomes are uproarious. Whether it revolves around Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Tom Holland's memorable Lip Sync Battle rendition of ‘Umbrella,’ the Salem Witch trials, Fleetwood Mac’s 1997 live performance of ‘Silver Springs,’ or the Eras Tour, most of us possess our own captivating obsessions that dominate our thoughts. I’ve found myself thinking about each of these at least every other week, so there might be some truth to this trend.

Here are some of my favorites I have seen — and get ready because there are a lot: Pitch Perfect, being kidnapped, Princess Diana, Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds, The Late Late Show Tattoo Roulette with One Direction, Amelia Earhart, Rory and Jess from Gilmore Girls, The Met Gala picture of Phoebe Bridgers, Paul Mescal, and Daisy Edgar Jones, Fleabag, 2014 dystopian movies, Anne Frank, Mamma Mia, the apparently kid from The Ellen Show, Little Women, 2014 Tumblr, and the folklore and evermore storyline. As you can see, myself as well as other girls have knowledge on these topics.

Although men's fixation on the Roman Empire might find its origins in the ancient culture's patriarchal structure, it's impossible to deny the boundless entertainment value of the TikTok girlies’ interpretations of their own “Roman Empires.” After all, we love our silly little obsessions.