Gone are the days of the TikTok “clean girl aesthetic” with glowy makeup and minimalist clothes. Instead, beauty gurus and fashion icons are now adopting the “mob wife aesthetic,” which screams quiet luxury with fur coats, red lipstick and sunglasses that say “I know a secret that you don’t.” The trend exploded on TikTok at the beginning of January and has expanded as popular brands begin to make something that was once expensive into just another affordable look. But why are people suddenly so enthusiastic about embracing the glamorous look of a criminal?
I think that the investigation begins when you turn on the news or open a newspaper. Over the past few years, the media has been having a field day with various cases of fraud that have come into the limelight. In 2019, Anna Sorokin was convicted of grand larceny and a few other related charges. You might not recognize this name, though, because she used an alias, Anna Delvey, to pretend to be a German heiress. Using this name, she conned wealthy New Yorkers and banks with forged bank statements and “forgotten” payments. All the while, Delvey was living out of her car.
We could also turn to crypto-lord Sam Bankman-Fried, who was found guilty of seven counts of fraud in November and faces sentencing on March 28. Bankman-Fried was behind the $8 billion scheme that defrauded FTX customers and investors. He used the money to buy real estate and fund political campaigns.
Fraud in the media does not stop with the news. Stories of fraud have begun to seep into our Netflix and Hulu watch lists. Conveniently, Anna Sorokin’s scam was quickly turned into a TV dramatization featuring Emmy winner Julia Gardner. The show features the all-too-familiar furry coat and big glasses that we now call the “mob wife aesthetic.”
Perhaps the most familiar crime drama is “The Sopranos,” the highly acclaimed HBO show that pumped out fraud-filled episodes from 1999 to 2007. Viewers looked forward to seeing their favorite Jersey Italian, Tony Soprano, come up with his latest scheme. The people killed along the way were just collateral damage. “The Sopranos” managed to make a grimy and bloody lifestyle seem fun, alluring, and glamorous.
Even the characters fall victim to this facade in “The Sopranos.” For example, Adriana La Cerva, girlfriend and fiance of mobster Christopher, was drawn to the expensive lifestyle Christopher could buy her. He woos her with expensive jewelry and promises of marriage, but blinded by the luxury, Adriana is subject to violent abuse by Christopher. Her hopes and dreams are crushed by the mob wife lifestyle she falls into.
I think the development of the “mob wife aesthetic” is simply a reflection of American culture. The sad fact is that fraud and violent crime are all around us in the media, both fictional and real. You can barely go a day without running into a new scam. This fact is tough for Americans to deal with, especially as our political system continues to devolve. This leaves Americans with the need to develop a way to combat their disappointment and anxiety.
Glamourising that which makes us uncomfortable is no new trend. For years, true crime shows like “Dahmer” have been turning the most terrifying serial killers into TV show characters. Another example is the reaction that TikTok had to the Menendez brothers, a pair of Beverly Hills brothers who murdered their parents after experiencing years of alleged abuse. Rather than confronting the horrors in their home, people on TikTok thirsted over their jawlines and hair.
We have started doing the same things with fraudulent crime. By glorifying the spoils of violent crime with big floppy hats and faux fur coats, Americans have protected themselves from facing the real problem: that people are getting rich by hurting other people.
The implications of this trend are unknown. No one knows if it will be a short-lived event or linger for a year as the “clean girl aesthetic” did. We do know, though, that until we start confronting the problem and condemning these kinds of actions, criminals will continue to get rich, just like Al Capone did in the 1920s.