NEW YORK, Jan 26 — Could the ‘clean girl’ and ‘quiet luxury’ trends be a thing of the past? In 2024, TikTokers are showing an appetite for much more ostentatious trends, like the "mob wife” aesthetic and "loud budgeting.” Gone are the days of discreet, understated luxury, as social media users turn to fashion and beauty looks worthy of a Sopranos character, while not hesitating to share the state of their finances with other TikTokers.

Far from the discretion and elegance of the "quiet luxury” trend that proved popular in 2023 on social networks, make way for the "mob wife” aesthetic. Think heavy makeup — especially eyeshadow-laden lids and very red lips — French manicures on long, square nails, highly lacquered hairstyles, (faux) fur coats, black outfits embellished with gold jewellery, large sunglasses and leopard print. All this forms part of the stereotypical "mob wife” paraphernalia.

This trend has been taking hold on TikTok recently. The #mobwife hashtag has some 152.3 million views. Users share their makeup and clothing tips, and even their tricks for adopting the stance and attitude of these fascinating gangster women.

This ‘mob wife era’ coincides with the 25th anniversary of the TV show, The Sopranos. In fact, the most referenced icons of this trend are Carmela Soprano and Adriana La Cerva, two characters from the cult HBO drama, played on screen by Edie Falco and Drea de Matteo.

These are strong, confident, glamorous and wealthy women who have seduced internet users with their powerful attitude, fearlessly asserting themselves in a tough world. And this ‘girl boss’ attitude seems to appeal.

The end of discretion?

This new trend on TikTok is at odds with the values promoted by current fashion and beauty trends, such as "clean girl” skincare and "quiet luxury” fashion, which call for discretion and restraint. In this first month of 2024, the opposite seems to be true. People are going all out, showing themselves off and making themselves heard loud and clear on social networks.

This can be seen with another trend, dubbed ‘loud budgeting.’ "Loud budgeting is a financial strategy where you share your money aspirations directly and not so quietly with the people in your life,” explains Derek Ober, financial advisor at Northwestern Mutual, speaking to HuffPost. "It’s a public commitment. Loud budgeting centers around the idea of telling others why you’re choosing not to spend money on something, and being transparent about the reason you are saving.”

On TikTok, this concept is all the rage. The hashtag #loudbudgeting alone has amassed 10.8 million views. Videos from content creators come thick and fast, featuring advice on how to go about establishing and sticking to your budget, or ideas for low-cost recipes to help you spend less. The idea is to speak out loud and clear, without shame or taboo, about the state of your finances (often in the red) and to share everything with other users. — ETX Studio