TikTok's mob wife style is a trend you can't refuse.
In fact, the Italian mafia-inspired look has become so popular, it's even captured the attention of Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola. Now, that's influence.
"I hear the 'mob wife aesthetic' is making a come back," the legendary filmmaker wrote in part on Instagram. "The style of my sister, Talia Shire's character CONNIE CORLEONE was a sultry, delightful Italian princess."
Coppola summed up the viral mob wife aesthetic perfectly, as the trend encourages the wearer to don big fur coats, animal prints, gaudy jewelry pieces and dramatic makeup.
But much like in the Godfather, the TikTok fad is more than meets the eye.
TikToker Kayla Trivieri—who is credited with kickstarting the mob wife trend last month—described it best. "Being a mob wife is all about standing on business," she told Harper's Bazaar in an interview published Jan. 23. "It's an energy, an aura. It's about being very forward and bold."
According to Trivieri, the mob wife look is for the people who don't identify with minimalistic style of the clean girl or quiet luxury aesthetic.
"The whole Y2K thing felt a little younger," the New York-based content creator told the magazine, "and I think this is a little bit more mature, sexier, and bold."
In Trivieri's viral TikTok, where she declared winter as the official start of mob wife season, she paid homage to Edie Falco's character in The Sopranos.
"Carmela Soprano walked, so you b---hes could run," Trivieri said. "She's got the big hair, the stacks, look at that tennis necklace."
Coincidentally, the hit HBO show—which premiered Jan. 10, 1999—celebrated its 25th anniversary and created a TikTok account the same week Trivieri's video spread like wildfire. Since then, the hashtags #mobwifetrend and #mobwifeaesthetic have been tagged in more than 30,000 videos, amassing millions of views.
But the style is not only attention-grabbing, it's also a powerful tool for transformation. Take it from The Sopranos' Drea De Matteo, who recently shared how her costumes helped her bring Adriana to life.
"I couldn't even do my accent if I didn't have the right thing going on visually," the actress told Variety in an interview published Jan. 31. "I had to really be immersed in the wardrobe and the hair and makeup before I could say my lines properly."
As for how Drea feels about the mob wife trend? She suggested a slight rebrand.
"All these girls that are getting down with the look are a bunch of bossy b---hes," she said. "They don't look like they're vulnerable, meek women. They seem like they're more gangster bitches. So, let's go with the Gangster Goddess."
No matter the name, it's clear the style is here to stay.
After all, mafia culture has been a source of fashion and makeup inspiration for decades, especially with films like The Godfather, Goodfellas and Scarface.
It also helps that the biggest stars are giving the trend a fresh update while keeping it timeless. Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber and Dua Lipa have swapped out their clean girl clothes for gaudy accessories in recent months, wearing sleek dresses with fur coats and statement jewelry.
But despite the fun and playful element of the trend, it has also received criticism. For some, it's considered cultural appropriation, while others have argued it glorifies organized crime.
For TikToker @anonymousally198, a self-proclaimed former mob wife, the aesthetic represents "all different cultures of women who were brought into the crime fold," she told PopSugar in a Feb. 9 interview, "but I believe it's more of a costume made of decades of women's pain and suffering."
She added that the plethora of jewelry that's a staple in the trend is likely "what was given to her from her husband as an 'I'm sorry gift' for not being there, for involving her, for not coming home at night."
@ktrivz manifesting a 24 carat diamond tennis necklace to match my mob wife energy #greenscreen ? original sound - kayla trivieri
On the other hand, Mob Wives creator and executive producer Jennifer Graziano thinks the trend is all about empowerment.
"It's showing that you want to feel powerful and confident just like a real-life mob wife would," she told PopSugar. "And to be quite honest, imitation is the highest form of flattery, so if women—any race or culture—want to partake, I say do it."