black women are the 'mob wife' aesthetic

we are the visual, baby

b*tch better have my money

Welcome to the thirty-fifth issue of Black Girl Perfume Club! Let’s dive right in.

With the rise of several micro-trends over the past few months, I felt like I was being punk’d a bit by the so-called mob wife aesthetic. The fact that the prestige television show ‘The Sopranos’ is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, I’m honestly not surprised to see these kinds of looks resurface.

Fur coats, animal print, big hair and dark sunglasses were never just a “trend” in my household, it was a lifestyle. My mother, a beautician, would leave the house in pointy-toed sky-high leather boots, black Gucci shades, and a plush mini mink on a near-daily basis, setting the standard for how a Black woman of luxury should dress in her eyes. With Lil’ Kim’s ‘La Bella Mafia’ blasting on her stereo, Black women in my community were our own type of “mob wives.”

Going back even further, my great-grandmother and her sisters-in-law would sport hair teased to the gods, fly minks, and super-sexy sheer nylons, puffing on cigarettes held by cherry red nails from the 50s into the late 80s.

It’s actually kind of funny to see the rest of pop culture catch on the ostentatious looks that I’m so used to seeing Black women sporting on a regular basis. But you can’t have luxurious looks without the fragrance to match. Read on for my six picks for your inner bella mafia.

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This Week’s Fragrance Diary

• Billie Eilish ‘No. 1’ - Worn to BIble study.

• Chris Collins ‘Lust Oud Delice’ - Worn out to a bar.

• Giardini di Toscana ‘Bianco Latte’ - Worn to church.

New Releases

• DefineMe ‘Ken’ - A masculine follow-up to their cult ‘Barbie’ perfume.

• Creed ‘Queen of Silk’ - A Chinese-inspired fruity floral.

• Phlur ‘Strawberry Letter’ - Juicy, fresh off the vine strawberry and apple blossom.