Men may think about the Roman Empire more than women realize. This seemingly random fact that was brought about by a TikTok trend has many women thrown for a loop.

But is it real?

The trend has gained worldwide popularity, with celebrities like Ryan Reynolds posting about it and food chains like Panera capitalizing off of it, by making a Roman Empire menu that features eight items. The trend entails women asking their boyfriends, husbands, or other men in their lives, how many times a day they think about the Roman Empire. Their answers have a wide range, with some men stating they never think about the ancient empire, to others saying “weekly,” to others who said they ponder the ancient regime multiple times a day.

According to The Washington Post, Artur Hulu, a 32-year-old Roman reenactor and history influencer from Sweden, prompted this trend. Known as “Gauis Flavius” online, Hulu posted the following to Instagram: “Ladies, many of you do not realize how often men think about the Roman Empire… You will be surprised by their answers!”

Hulu stated in an interview that he posed the question on TikTok upon noticing an inequality between men and women regarding their interest in Roman history. Some feel that his observation has seemingly been proven correct by the widespread trend this question has sparked.

Upon being asked the viral question, many men have argued that it’s a vital part of our history, with others stating, “What’s there not to think about?” In user Georgia Ferraris’ (@georgiaferraris) TikTok account, her boyfriend states that he thinks about the Roman Empire “technically everyday,” noting “If you speak English, you’re thinking about the Roman Empire.”

While some men seem to be extremely passionate about the subject, others are just as out of the loop as women seem to be. TODAY’s Al Roker recently said, “I haven’t thought about it since I took Latin.”

Students at FCHS seem to reflect the general trend. Freshman Tyler Finchman states that he thinks about the Romans, “Oh, at least eight times a day.” But not everyone shares his frequency in thinking about the matter. Eighth grader Caleb Moler says he almost never thinks about it. “Well, only if I’m learning about it or something,” he said.

The reality, however, may become more apparent if you ask this same question of adults. “My students told me to ask my husband how often he thinks about Ancient Rome. So I did,” said FCHS Journalism teacher Elizabeth Pellicane. “First, he was stumped. ‘Why are you asking me? I don’t know…maybe a month ago?’ he said.

“Then I asked my dad the same thing. He said ‘Never,’” said Pellicane. “The fact that this trend was started by an influencer tells you everything you need to know about whether this is a real thing or a TikTok-generated trend,” she added.

It may be that the determining factor of how much a person thinks about the Roman Empire is like most things: based less on one’s gender than on one’s interest in the topic.

“[Although] I really only started thinking about it once the trend started, I find myself thinking about it on a regular basis now,” said junior Jessie Dillon. “Regarding the whole idea that only men think about it, I think that just depends on age range. Guys I’ve talked to about [it] know nothing about the Roman Empire,” Dillon added.