What Does a Woman Have to Do to Be Believed? Sexual Assault, Accountability & Double Standards with E. Jean Carroll | 363
When a powerful man says, “She’s not my type,” and a jury (actually, multiple juries) finds that man liable for sexual abuse and defamation, that’s not just a headline — that’s a masterclass in what it takes for a woman to be believed in America.
In this episode, writer, journalist, and Not My Type: One Woman vs. a President author E. Jean Carroll joins Nicole to talk about truth, power, paperclips, and what actually happens when you drag a president into court and win. Twice.
We talk about the facts, the stories we build around those facts, and why so many people will twist themselves into a pretzel to excuse powerful men while shredding women who speak up.
We get into:
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What actually happened in court — beyond the headlines, hot takes, and Twitter warriors
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How clothes became her armor and why what she wore in court mattered more than you’d think
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The “not my type” moment, the infamous deposition photo, and how Trump accidentally proved his own lie
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Why her sexual history was dragged into the trial — and how she took back that narrative with joy
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Trauma responses, laughter in the dressing room, and why “if you didn’t scream it doesn’t count” is garbage
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How mock juries forced her legal team to reckon with ageism, beauty standards, and who we think is “believable”
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What she plans to do with the tens of millions awarded in damages — and why giving it away is part of her resistance strategy
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The big questions this case raises: What does a woman have to do to be believed? And what does a powerful man have to do to be held accountable?
Because this isn’t just E. Jean Carroll’s story. It’s a mirror held up to how we treat women, power, and truth — and a reminder that one 80-something woman can still change the story for all of us.
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Connect with E Jean:
Book: https://static.macmillan.com/static/smp/not-my-type-9781250381682/
Substack: https://ejeancarroll.substack.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/ejeancarroll1/
X: https://x.com/ejeancarroll?lang=en
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