Social Media Enters Its Mob Wife Era

For most of 2023, social media obsessed over the “clean girl aesthetic.” This vibe centered on fresh makeup styles, neutral colors, and minimalism. Now that 2024 is here, social media has shifted to the over-the-top glamour and attitude of the “mob wife winter.”

This year, HBO’s landmark drama series,The Sopranos celebrated its 25th anniversary. The Sopranos brought viewers into the world of an Italian-American crime family and remains iconic even now. The series starred James Gandolfini as mafia man Tony Soprano and Edie Falco as his wife, Carmela. Maybe not so coincidentally, the latest TikTok aesthetic embraces and celebrates the “mob wife” look.

What is a mob wife?

A mob wife is someone who is married to a member of the mob or the Mafia. The aesthetic focuses a lot on the looks of mob wives from movies and television shows—notably The Sopranos and Goodfellas. Of course, the aesthetic trend isn’t addressing the criminal element or that many of the women in these stories often deal with abuse. As with most social media trends, this aesthetic is only concerned with a certain image.

Along with The Sopranos resurgence, other media has helped fuel the rise of the mob wife. In the world of romance novels and BookTok, books featuring dangerous mob men seducing women have been on the rise. This is especially true amongst dark romance readers. On Spotify, there’s an official playlist called “Femme Fatale” featuring an image of Adriana La Cerva (Drea de Matteo) from The Sopranos. Many users have also created mob wife playlists. Spoiler: there’s a lot of Lana Del Rey.

Mob wife fashion features items made popular by some Italian-American and Slavic-American women; lots of black, fitted clothing with some bright colors and patterns, as well as leather and animal prints. There’s usually some flashy jewelry involved. Big hair and bold makeup complete the outfit. Don’t forget a giant faux fur coat and glamourous boots to stomp all over your enemies in.

What is the mob wife era?

Many online are embracing the bold glam look by saying they are entering their “mob wife era.” To achieve the full mob wife vibe, you need more than just a certain outfit. Much of the appeal of the mob wife is the attitude. Taking cues from fictional mob wives and ones seen on reality TV, you must take no crap from anyone. And if you need to toss a drink in someone’s face, then so be it. You act like a queen because you rule the place. Instead of blending in and going with the flow like a “clean girl,” a mob wife sets the vibe and everyone revolves around her. You may never want to be an actual mob wife, but you can always cosplay as one.

(featured image: HBO)