Men and the Roman Empire: Breaking Down This Bizarre TikTok Trend
The Roman Empire, with its tales of conquest, power, and glory, has long been a subject of fascination and intrigue. But recently, it’s found a new audience, and it's not where you'd expect. TikTok, the social media platform known for viral dances and lip-syncing, has become an unlikely breeding ground for discussions and memes about this ancient civilization.
TikTok’s latest trend reveals men sharing their obsession with the Roman Empire like a dirty secret. The videos usually start with women asking their husbands and boyfriends, “How often do you think about the Roman Empire?” The answer? Way more than you’d expect.
“About once a day.”
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There was no era more historically significant than the Roman Empire. Its vast territorial expansion, military prowess, and architectural marvels have left an indelible mark on the world. From the grandeur of the Colosseum to the engineering marvels of aqueducts and roads, the Roman Empire's achievements were groundbreaking, even my modern standards. All that glory unsurprisingly draws the attention of the male species, who revel in the lost empire’s tales of conquest and power, which resonate with their own aspirations for success and dominance. The gladiators, emperors, and legions—The Roman Empire was built on testosterone.
According to British historian Hannah Cornwall from Birmingham University, the Roman Empire brings to mind “an image of the Roman legion, the imperial eagle and that sort of military aspect — along with gladiators, which has a long association with masculinity and power.”
Men are, often, drawn to stories of heroism, conquest, and adventure, and the Roman Empire offers a rich tapestry of such tales. The allure of ancient civilizations, with their mysteries and enigmas, provides an escape from the mundane realities of everyday life. The Roman Empire was the ultimate "guy movie," but it actually happened.
Renowned scholar and classicist Dame Mary Beard had an interesting take on the TikTok trend, telling Financial Times, “I wonder if it is the safe way of allowing yourself to be a bit macho (after all it’s 2,000 years ago). I think my job, as a woman who writes about Rome, is to make them see Rome’s softer side.”
There’s no denying the inherent masculinity of the era, but it begs the question of how gender standards and expectations have changed so much that (some) men see the Roman Empire as a portal to a world of unapologetic masculinity—hopefully, minus imperial slavery and female subjugation.
In short, the Roman Empire is to men what Barbieland is to women.
