By Lauren Hyland
It wasn’t only the Roman Empire that fell in 476 AD, men fell just as hard—an unusual phenomenon sweeps the social media nation and ends up in the minds of men.
The Roman Empire was a powerful realm covering the entire Mediterranean basin, and at its maximum extent, spanned across three continents including parts of the Middle East and Africa. Known for its supreme power, military success, advanced engineering, impressive technologies and more, this empire was an outstanding component of the evolution of human civilization.
Recently across the world of TikTok and Instagram, wives, girlfriends and friends alike have been asking the men in their lives how often they think about the Roman Empire, and the answer is astounding. Most men, from what is gathered on social media, think about this historical setting multiple times a month, week and even day.
Some have tried to explain this odd result, one being a man named Marc, known as The Masculine Edge online, who made a TikTok video racking in over 5.8 million views. He said men love to conquer, and if they’re not conquering, they’re thinking about it. Some commenters agreed, and others suggested it is the fall of said empire they think about, wondering if it will repeat in today’s society.
But how often do Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) students, who have a history class each day, spend their time relishing in Roman battles and architecture? When asked how often he thinks about the Roman Empire, Junior Allen Tran said, “All the time, they’re interesting, they had a big army.”
Another, Sam Brown, when asked the same question said, “At least three times a day. They’re the structure of everything … I just feel as though I’m not doing my duty without the Roman Empire.”
On the other hand, some don’t think about the Roman Empire at all and, personally, I’m not sure why they wouldn’t.
“I never think about it. Who thinks about the Roman Empire?” junior Edison Ty said.
Others agreed with him and his confused manner.
This trend in the form of #romanempire on TikTok has garnered over 1.4 billion views. A new trend branching off of this pertains to women, that trend being, “What are women’s Roman Empire?” A few popular answers to this question range from Tom Holland’s rendition of “Umbrella” by Rihanna on Lip Sync Battle to how often a girl thinks about her ex-best friend. The female equivalent of the Roman Empire phenomenon is undecided as of yet, but suggestions have been limitless, with the hashtag #girlromanempire and variants of such obtaining millions of views and comments.
Overall it has yet to be determined the end all be all reason for this male fascination of an empire that hit its peak 2,000 years ago. But there is no doubt the topic’s captivation of men is noticeable and ever-growing.
