“Wake up, Henry.”
An Italian-American woman from New Jersey may be the brains behind the social media trend dubbed the “mob-wife aesthetic” — a now-viral event that has women posting their fearless style choices inspired by female characters featured in mafia films.
Sarah Arcuri, a social media influencer and author of the novel, “The Owner & The Wife,” posts under the handle @TheSweetPaisana on Instagram and TikTok. That’s where she’s been at the forefront of the style-sharing craze.
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“I think I did start it,” Acuri said with a laugh.
“Truthfully, I don’t know where I got the term ‘mob-wife aesthetic,'” she said.
“I think it’s a combination of two things. Number one is the fashion. I call it a return of bold, loud, ’80s glam. It’s also coupled with this attitude of mob wives being fearless [and] bold.”
Acuri’s posts have attracted millions of fans who share their own mob-wife aesthetic, many of them drawing inspiration from fictional or real-life mob wives who were portrayed by actors in films.
“We have Connie Corleone and Kay’s style [from ‘The Godfather’] and by contrast, Ginger from ‘Casino.’ She’s kind of ’60s glam with the jewels and dresses,” Acuri told Fox News Digital
“Carmela Soprano — she’s known for her French nails, her jewelry, sort of dressing business-casual,” she added.
“What’s fun about this trend is it can go [in any] direction. If you choose one mob wife to draw inspiration [from] and make it your own, it’s not going to be a carbon copy of how someone else interprets the trend,” Acuri said.
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In Oct. 2023, Acuri posted a step-by-step guide on how to dress like a mob wife.
The video garnered nearly 1 million views.
“It was satire, it was fun,” she said. “The sound bite went viral.”
She then started to notice that her mob-wife aesthetic videos from 2022 were trending.
“Now it’s blown up. It’s been in every news outlet. It’s totally taken over.”
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Acuri’s Instagram Highlights feature women embracing the mob-wife aesthetic, which means fur coats, flashy jewelry, animal prints, leather jackets and glamorous makeup.
She calls it “The Mob Wife Movement.”
“It’s all the girls that have been tagging me [for] their mob-wife looks. Real women feel empowered by this trend,” Acuri said.
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Users have offered their takes on the mob-wife aesthetic and Acuri’s “movement,” with some women saying they’ve “been dressing like this forever.”
“I’ve been living in mob glam for probably 40 years,” one woman wrote.
“Mob-wife winter is upon us,” another woman commented.
“Carmela Soprano could not be reached for comment,” another user joked.
“And please tell me what is wrong with this — ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! From a PA Italian woman,” another woman commented.
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Acuri pointed out that some people do criticize the mob-wife aesthetic trend.
They say it may be glorifying a life of crime and glorifying women who “deal with terrible things” — like knowing their husbands make a living through organized crime and dealings with the American Mafia.
“I disagree with that,” Acuri said.
“It’s not at all glorifying what their husbands do. It has nothing to do with the husbands or their activities. This is all about the energy of the wife who runs their home, and they have this strong energy.”
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She added, “And that’s what I see through the women who are tagging me. That is what they’re embodying through this trend.”
Some users argued that the mob-wife aesthetic attaches specific cultures to the mob, but Acuri said the mob-wife aesthetic has little to do with the mob itself.
“Instead, it is a fashion trend encapsulating old-fashioned glamour and bold statement pieces, coupled with the strong, fearless, unapologetic attitude that many fictional and real-life ‘mob wives’ exude.
Acuri stressed that no one should be excluded from the movement.
She said she enjoys keeping it fun and positive for every woman involved.
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“Where you live and grew up and your heritage and background — I think that has a lot to do with how you dress. Italian-American girls in the tri-state area kind of always dressed like this, [but] you don’t have to be Italian-American to dress like this,” Acuri said.
Anyone can read more about the mob-wife aesthetic on Acuri’s blog at the sweetpaisana.com.
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