Loud and proud, the mob-wife aesthetic has a hit on the mainstream idea of aesthetic cores.

With a statement red lip and fur galore, the mob-wife aesthetic is infiltrating the fashion scene. The aesthetic has taken on the tone of mob-wife powerhouses, leaving little to the imagination regarding their flashy fashion and even flashier attitudes. 

Almost exactly opposite to the “clean girl” aesthetic and quiet luxury movement, the mob-wife aesthetic takes a bold approach by blurring the lines between fashion dos and don’ts. With animal prints, fur coats and heavy accessorizing (heirloom jewelry, no doubt), these bombshell women are taking back their power within the world by any means necessary. 

This new aesthetic’s origins trace back to TikToker Kayla Trivieri, self-described “NYC Mob Wife”. With over 6.3 million profile likes, Trivieri alluded to the mob-wife aesthetic as a sheltering space for those who don’t identify with the minimalistic quiet luxury trends in a Harper’s Bazaar interview.

The modern mob-wives have even caught the attention of Francis Ford Coppola, famed director of “The Godfather”, stating in an Instagram post “I hear the mob-wife aesthetic is making a comeback”.

With the Y2K aesthetic, and many other core aesthetics, taking on a younger feeling and vibe, the mob-wife aesthetic is here for the women embracing their mature and powerful side – allowing older Gen Z goers to participate in aesthetic trends without feeling “too old” to join in the dress-up-fun.

Heavily inspired by movie-depicted mob-wife characters such as Carmela Soprano and Michelle Pfeiffer’s portrayal of Elvira Hancock in “Scarface,” this new trend raises questions as to whether or not the “cores” are a dying breed—or rather being killed off for good. The larger-than-life aesthetic’s entire existence is an antagonist against the core lexicon we have adopted as a society.

While the days of cottagecore, balletcore, gorpcore and etcetera are not quite gone yet, the mob-wife aesthetic is one of the first known “derivatives” of the commonly followed aesthetic pathways.

According to TikToker James In The City, “The clean girlies drink Pinot Grigio. The mob-wives will hurl a dirty martini in your face. There’s a difference sweetie,” and they are doing just that to the “cores” we know and love. Whether you agree with this new aesthetic phraseology or not, the mob-wife aesthetic is the beginning of the end of the aesthetic categorization that we have followed for so long.

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Hi! I’m Annie Gleydura, A Magazine’s editor-in-chief. My staff and I are committed to bringing you the most important and entertaining news from the realms of fashion, beauty and culture. We are full-time students and hard-working journalists. While we get support from the student media fee and earned revenue such as advertising, both of those continue to decline. Your generous gift of any amount will help enhance our student experience as we grow into working professionals. Please go here to donate to A Magazine.