Roman Empire
what it means
From a viral 2023 trend where women asked men how often they thought about the Roman Empire, and the answers were startling. It now means any recurring private preoccupation.
The thing you think about far more often than anyone would expect.
the origin story
A trend that began on TikTok and Instagram in September 2023, initially traced to an Instagram post by a Roman history account.
It became one of the biggest trends of 2023, generating enormous discussion about gendered preoccupations. The construction outlived the original question: "that's my Roman Empire" now works for any topic you revisit unprompted.
in the wild
How often do you think about the Roman Empire?
Genuinely a few times a week.
What?
I still think about that failed group project from 2019.
That's your Roman Empire.
how to use it
- Describing a recurring private preoccupation
- Referencing 2023 internet culture
- Casual conversation
- Professionally
- As a gendered generalisation
- Where the reference has aged out
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receipts
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