Reaching a crescendo in recent months, the extravagant “mob wife aesthetic,” which, perhaps spurred by the 25th anniversary of the Mafia-centric series “The Sopranos,” has recently secured a chokehold on social media.
Inspired by fictional mob bosses’ girlfriends and wives such as “The Sopranos”’ Adriana La Cerva (Drea de Matteo) and “The Godfather’s” Connie Corleone (Talia Shire), the style is glamorous yet gaudy, emanating nouveau riche wealth.
The mob wife decks herself out with showy animal prints and massive fur coats – elegant additions to any winter outfit. She cakes on her makeup and doesn’t skimp on the eyeliner. Her beauty routine could hardly have less in common than with the almost dewy and fresh “clean girl” look. She piles her hair up high atop her head and stacks on flashy jewelry that you’re sure to associate with her (or, rather, her partner’s) wealth.
Though the mob wife style oozes with the glamor of its fictional influences, it also calls to mind the archetypal character’s passivity. The traditional mob wife is clueless regarding her partner’s shady business deals and romantic escapades with other women. At best, she doesn’t care about her partner’s homicides and infidelities — as long as he can furnish her with material luxuries, she’s content.
This begs the question, is donning thickly winged eyeliner, colossal furry coats and blinding jewelry a celebration of the submissive, superficial and naive woman? Does the trend romanticize being a passive partner, if not a mere sex object, to criminally minded men – as long as they possess the wealth and good looks of Al Pacino as Michael Corleone?
Maybe to an extent, by embracing the aesthetic, we relate to the static archetype— though somewhat superficial, fashion can provide a means for us to cope with the bad, whether that means a failed exam or an adulterous, homicidal husband.
Indeed, a big, furry coat emanates a certain literal and figurative warmth in its grandeur— there is a certain solace in at least having a fashionable outfit on.
Perhaps we can reshape the associations with the mob wife aesthetic as it gains prominence in the fashion world. As with the coquette aesthetic, we can mutate the mob wife look into one associated with confidence and feminine power. Unapologetically excessive makeup, towering hair and attention-grabbing animal prints can suggest the archetypical mob wife’s dramatic flair and confidence without being a superficial way to make up for one’s insecurity and powerlessness.
The best takeaway you can glean from the mob wife trend is to be unafraid to assert yourself through style. Pile your hair into a giant bouffant, step into your highest heels and take up space in a hefty furry coat. Harness the mob boss’s powerful energy in his wife’s luxurious style.
