Mob Mentality: The Rise of the Mob Wife Aesthetic
It’s time to clean out your clean girl accoutrement; a new aesthetic is here– the mob wife. The polar opposite of the refined, subtle clean girl aesthetic which dominated social media for quite some time, the mob wife is gaudy, bold, and unapologetic.
Schiaparelli Spring/Summer 2024. Getty Images.
TikTok, ever the catalyst for microtrends, is now flooding our feeds with images of brazen all-black outfits punctuated by chunky gold jewelry and fabulous faux furs.
Fashion has always reflected changing attitudes in society, and the mob wife trend is no different. The girlish, pink-obsessed coquette and Barbiecore aesthetics that pervaded our feeds some months ago presented a sweet and playful view of femininity. On the contrary, the mob wife is sexier, more mature, wiser in the ways of the world and knows how to get what she wants. This feminine archetype leans more into the realms of power and intrigue. Of course, this trend is nothing new. Women have been dressing like mob wives for decades prior to the very existence of TikTok.
Edie Falco in “The Sopranos.” Alamy
Drawing inspiration from the wives of fictional mob bosses, the mob wife aesthetic is all about animal prints, striking makeup, loud jewelry, black leather, and, of course, fur (faux or otherwise). Think iconic TV and film characters like Edie Falco’s Carmela Soprano in “The Soprano’s” and Lorraine Bracco’s Karen Hill in “Goodfellas.”
Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco in Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas.” Warner Bros. Courtesy Everett Collection.
While this mob wife mania might be a natural pendulum swing away from the muted refinement of quiet luxury, some argue that the trend was a plot concocted by HBO as a publicity stunt to accompany its simultaneous promo for the 25th anniversary of “The Sopranos’” debut. HBO spokesman Jason Mulderig did not admit to creating the trend, but referred to it in a statement as “a testament to ‘The Sopranos’ and its enduring impact on culture.”
Luar Autumn/Winter 2023 via Vogue.co.uk.
Invariably, there are those who consider the mob wife aesthetic as a glorification of criminality and shady dealings. The self-proclaimed Mob Wife Aesthetic CEO, Sarah Jordan Arcuri, who goes by @thesweetpaisana on TikTok, disagrees with this perspective. Many TikTok users seem worn out by trends in general, claiming that they feel contrived and inauthentic. As she says, “there is a little bit of aesthetic fatigue on social media.” Further, “every little microtrend is labeled.”
Luar Autumn/Winter 2023 via Vogue.co.uk.
Despite the internet’s eagerness to label every fashion trend, TikTok users and fashion enthusiasts are under no obligation to adopt the mob wife aesthetic if they choose not to. This aesthetic (along with the many other microtrends popularized by social media) merely represents society’s collective affinity for playing dress up, trying on new personas, and experimenting with various aspects of their personalities. Ultimately, fashion is all about exploring one’s identity, whether that’s a clean girl, a coquette, a mob wife, or anything in between.
Article by Ren Wilson, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
RELATED STORIES
