On Leaving Social Media, and the Unfinished Business That Brought Me Back

How my brand became a box, how I got out, and what comes next.

Have you ever woken up one day and thought to yourself, Who am I, and how did I get here?

It was January of 2024, and my social media career was exploding. Clean girl was out, mob wife was in, and I wound up as the face of the movement. My fur coats and unabashed affinity for The Soprano’s landed me on the cover of the New York Post. The New York Times and The Drew Barrymore Show were in my inbox daily, asking for interviews. I got to work with some dream brands, like Saks Fifth Avenue and Chevrolet.

I rode the momentum all the way until the Carmela craze fizzled out, both for the masses, and myself.

I tried to pivot. Italy. La Dolce Vita. Summer outfits. Daily vlogs. But as summer faded and the first autumn chill hit my bones, I could hear my fur coat collection calling my name. Mob Wife Winter was back, and my audience was all in once again.

The problem was, I wasn’t.

I had so many questions. What was I doing on social media? What was my purpose? What was I chasing? Was it an endless pursuit of likes and views and followers? Was I enriching anyone’s life beyond split seconds of entertainment? But it was this question that stopped me in my tracks: what are you trying to say to the world?

The truth was, I didn’t know anymore.

But I did know one thing: I didn’t want to be forever known as the girl with Carmela Soprano nails and fur coats. Beyond that, The Sweet Paisana, a brand that I started in my early twenties as a vehicle to express my love for all things Italian, became something I no longer recognized. It became a box; a character I had to play even though I’d outgrown it. The person was so different from the persona. In real life, I’m reserved, maybe even a little shy. I dress understated and elegant, and I wear leopard print in small doses. I love music, everything from Eros Ramazzotti to Fleetwood Mac. I’ve always loved reading and I’ve always been proud to be Italian American (culminating in my dream: to write Italian American-centric fiction). What started out as a platform designed bring my works of fiction and its characters to life spiraled into something that no longer reflected who I was.

And so, I shut it down. All the way down.

I deactivated my Instagram, deleted all my TikTok videos, and disappeared. Years worth of work, gone in a couple of clicks. Dramatic? Of course. It’s me. But necessary? In my book, no pun intended, absolutely.

I was overdue for an overhaul. I knew my social media hiatus was just that—a hiatus—but I didn’t want to return until I had a clear answer to that elusive question of what I wanted to say to the world.

I filled my time with new hobbies, like jewelry making. I read whole actual books, reviving my TikTok-ified attention span. I started a gratitude journal, I spent time in scripture. I asked God for clarity. I’ve long had this feeling that my purpose surpasses fleeting fashion trends; I’ve been given gifts, and I want to be a good steward of them. I outlined what will be my 398402937th draft of my second novel, All My Love, Always. I savored time with my family, my husband, and my precious doggies.

And then all of a sudden, I felt this stirring. A knowing. It was time to return.

Authenticity is important to me. Reinvention is necessary. They must exist in tandem. The Sweet Paisana is all grown up. She’s now one and the same with me, the person, Sarah Arcuri. She’s Italian American but that’s not all. She’s a woman in the pursuit of true, authentic confidence and creativity. She’s vast and complex and multifaceted. And she’s unapologetic about it all.

She’s a storyteller.

As we enter into this new era together, I want to thank you for your support, whether you’ve been here a long time or you’ve just joined in. For those of you who found a way to reach out to me during my break, thank you for your care and concern—you don’t know how much I appreciate it.

I will leave you with this. Several times during my morning reflections, I continuously got this scripture:

“Forget about what’s happened;
don’t keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.
It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?
There it is!”

Isaiah 43:16-21 (MSG).

God is doing a new thing in me. He can do a new thing in you, too.

All my love,

Always,

Sarah