Mob Wife Aesthetic
2.8.24
Chronically Online
By Hope Rasa
“Clean girl is out, mob wife is in”— that’s what social media is saying. The internet has found its newest aesthetic obsession; the mob wife. The fashion side of TikTok is all about dressing like a wealthy Italian-American woman, for example, Carmella Soprano from “The Sopranos”. The “mob wife aesthetic”, as it's called, is an example of a microtrend, a fad (usually spread online) that gains and then loses its popularity in the blink of an eye.
Search “mob wife aesthetic” on Pinterest and this still of the character Carmella Soprano from the HBO show “The Sopranos” is the first result.
TikTok users are uploading tutorials teaching others how to pull off the “mob wife” look. The look consists of a fur coat, heavy dark makeup and lots of bling. They frequently have big hair, french or red-painted nails and a cigarette in hand.
Another top result for “mob wife aesthetic” on Pinterest.
This collage of models and movie/television characters that embody the “mob wife aesthetic”. Notice the same image of Carmella Soprano from before on the left. The caption to this post on Pinterest contains a link to buy all the clothing seen here. (Credit to Pinterest user Alex @lifewitharob).
For those of you who haven’t heard of “tomato girl,” search “tomato girl aesthetic” on Pinterest and this is the first result. (Credit to Pinterest user @museapparel)
The typical TikTok fashion trend only lasts a few weeks or months at best. Take “tomato girl," for example. Tomato girl was a TikTok fashion trend back in May—July 2023. It was popular a few months ago, but now? It seems like everyone’s forgotten about it now.
According to Google Trends, Google searches for “tomato girl” experienced popularity in May—July 2023, with a peak from June 25—July 1, followed by a rapid decline.
According to Google Trends, Google searches for “mob wife” have been on the rise since Dec. 31, 2023, still climbing.
People may hold on to a few items, but the vast majority will likely get discarded as soon as a new trend takes over. Trends like the “mob wife aesthetic” encourage overconsumption and overspending to the utmost degree.
This isn’t to say that all fashion and aesthetic trends are evil and we should stop engaging with them. Aesthetics can be fun, fashion can be fun, trends can be fun and we’re not trying to stop you from having fun. It’s important to be critical of the content we consume. Sometimes our favorite trends and aesthetics have problematic elements.
We must accept that and learn to examine even our most beloved internet trends with a critical eye when it comes to over-consumption.
Sure, the “mob wife aesthetic” may be in now, but it’ll be out before you know it. The temporary nature of microtrends, like “tomato girl” and “mob wife,” means that as soon as you’ve gone out and bought the clothes and accessories you need to look like a “tomato girl” or a “mob wife,” the microtrend has already ended. The “mob wife” trend is sending people shopping for pearl necklaces, fur coats and hairspray, but what will they do with all of those items once the trend has died down?