Juliet Cano

The Sopranos pulled in 12 million weekly viewers at its peak, so like most of America from 1999 to 2007, my family spent many Sunday nights in front of the TV waiting to see who lived and who got clipped. For me it was also a time to revel in the beauty aesthetic I hadn’t really seen before on television. What I saw on my screen—in all its glorious Italian American gaudiness—mirrored the women I saw at the malls, ShopRite, the cleaners, and the boardwalk down the shore. Today the women of The Sopranos are all over my social feeds—almost as honest in their excess as they were when the HBO series premiered 25 years ago.

5 Nail Trends Set to Shade 2024, According to the Experts

Aesthetically, 2023 was a balanced scale, one side weighing quiet luxury and practiced minimalism, the other laden with cores, from Barbie to mermaid. And along the way, artists and creators alike dreamed up the manicures to match. From French revolutions and milky topcoats to surrealist art and tone-on-tone takes, nail trends found power through subtlety, even the most expressive of additions applied with an effective air of artistic restraint. And as for 2024? The year is slated to welcome all things light and bright.

The Red-Nail Theory Didn’t Work the Way I Thought It Would

Red is a high-energy color. It’s sensual and romantic, exerting dominance, passion, and confidence. Christian Louboutin, Taylor Swift, and Jessica Rabbit all identify with the color—and more recently, single girls of TikTok do too.