Caitlin Dodge of Caitie Nicole: Why We Need More Women Founders & Here Is What We Are Doing To Make That Happen
In our society, women are taught to conform to make men comfortable. Whether it is the dress code we grow up with in our schools, the need to stay silent when we are interrupted, and keeping ourself quiet when we should be loud and proud about what we are doing. During my time at the corporate fashion company, I was told to “smile more” and be less direct about my work, because then the higher ups would like me more and want to see more of my work. I was even silenced after my rape. I believe this is the root of the lack of women founders. We have been so conditioned to bury ourselves behind men that we don’t step out and let ourselves shine. It has started from such a young age, and only festers until someone gets mad.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Caitlin Dodge.
Caitie Nicole Dodge is a Nashville based fashion designer who strives to empower women through design and art. She has a background in victim advocacy for survivors of sexual assault, where she was inspired to start her line CAITIE NICOLE as a way to reclaim her name and show other women that they can do the same and create clothes that allow women to reclaim their bodies.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I have always loved fashion. I was always following my own path, and the best way for me to stand out was my style. So it was a natural progression that I went to school for fashion design, and ended up working for a large corporate fashion company for four years. While working for the company, I was drugged and sexually assaulted by my manager during a mandatory corporate dinner. After the assault, the manager threatened to fire me if I spoke up or went to the police. At this time in my life, I was not in a healthy mindset, or a healthy relationship, so I kept quiet and tried to keep my job. About six months later, I found out he had done the same thing to a coworker of mine. This realization that I was not the only one who had gone through this abuse set off a fight in me, and I decided to try and expose what this man was doing. Through that exposure, we found that this was a companywide treatment that was happening with multiple women and managers. This is still an ongoing investigation. While I was going through all of this, a friend of mine from school confided in me that she had been assaulted while working for a luxury brand in New York by the creative director. This is a
man that walks the runway at the end of the show, is in the public eye, and attends the Met Gala. It changed my mind about what fashion really is, and what it represents. It wasn’t an art anymore; it was a trap.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
That is how I ended up working in the Human Sex Trafficking Sector of a District Attorneys Office. I didn’t know what was next, or if I would ever be able to work in fashion again. But I was so lucky to have escaped something that could have been much worse, and I think about all those women that still go through that abuse. CAITIE NICOLE started as a healing journey for me, a way to reclaim my name from my attacker. It has helped me re-examine my passion and my dream. I have always wanted to create clothes that make women feel like their best selves, so here I am.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I do not think I have a most interesting story, but I have met some of the most interesting people. The AVA Naked Dress was thought up and inspired by a sex worker I was working with at the District Attorney’s office that called herself Ava. She would tell me how much she hated her body after all she went through, and how she wishes she could be naked without truly being naked. Not be so exposed, but still feel and believe she is beautiful. She inspired me to create this dress, and I have named it after her. Last time I talked to her, she had a career and bought a house, and I have never been more happy for a person’s growth.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My partner in life, Cameron, has been my biggest supporter. He pushed me to continue with my passion and dreams, despite the trauma that had come with it at the beginning of my career. He taught me to reclaim my name and my body from my attacker, and showed me how to rise above it all, all while stepping back and letting me shine. I met him while I was going through the transitionary period of leaving the fashion industry and working as a victim advocate, and his passion for his own artistic endeavors really inspired me to continue on my own path.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
A book that I absolutely love, and that really shows growth in a person, is “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls. Her story on her tumultuous upbringing and toxic parents, and how she grew from that and became the writer she is today, is so inspiring to me. The strength she had her entire life is so beautiful, and got me through some really dark times in my own life. I have turned to that book as a source of comfort many times over the years.
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
“Healing doesn’t happen in a straight line.” I have heard it over and over from many sources, most recently from the Kacey Musgraves song “Justified” , but this quote resonated with my journey from fashion into survivor advocacy, and then blending the two together. It really brings into perspective that life and healing are not black and white, but a range of colors (much like the rainbow bias that is a CAITIE NICOLE staple).
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
In our society, women are taught to conform to make men comfortable. Whether it is the dress code we grow up with in our schools, the need to stay silent when we are interrupted, and keeping ourself quiet when we should be loud and proud about what we are doing. During my time at the corporate fashion company, I was told to “smile more” and be less direct about my work, because then the higher ups would like me more and want to see more of my work. I was even silenced after my rape. I believe this is the root of the lack of women founders. We have been so conditioned to bury ourselves behind men that we don’t step out and let ourselves shine. It has started from such a young age, and only festers until someone gets mad.
Can you share with our readers what you are doing to help empower women to become founders?
I am focused on the overall empowerment of women and reclaiming their names and bodies from trauma. Sexual assault, especially in the workplace, is unnaturally rampant and an epidemic in the USA right now, and that is not okay. Only about 3% of cases have truly seen justice, as women are constantly silenced after assault, whether by police, the justice system, their family, or their workplace. That period of healing after trauma like that is where a lot of women get lost. It is so impossible to pick yourself up and go to work, socialize, and just function in normal society, yet it is just expected. If there is any way to empower women in this time of healing, I believe we would be able to stand up stronger and speak louder.
This might be intuitive to you but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?
Simply put, maybe if more women would be founders, there would be less sexual assault, less trauma, and more belief in women.
Can you please share 5 things that can be done or should be done to help empower more women to become founders?
5 things : Number one — Believe Women. Believe in their ideas, believe their stories. Number two — stop sexualizing and assaulting women. This shouldn’t have to be said, but for some reason must be said. Number three — work on how our society sees women from a young age. Like I mentioned about the dress code in school, young girls are taught that it is their fault when a man harms a woman. I remember getting a dress code violation in school for wearing a V-neck top and being told that it “distracts the boys”. That is not my problem, my body is not an object used for their distraction. During the trial for my rape, I was asked what I was wearing. A turtleneck. Why does it matter. That is why the ALLIE dress in my collection has such a deep V to it. Number four — get mad. Get mad about this epidemic in the USA. Get mad that your girlfriend had to heal from her assault before she trusted you because nobody else believed her. Get mad that companies are covering up for managers that are acting this way, and firing women who speak up. Number five — heal. Heal from the past traumas and be braver than you ever have been before.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I want the #metoo movement back, but not just for Hollywood. I would love to see a huge strike of women walk out of their places of work to show just how the world cannot function without us, so stop treating us like this.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Tory Burch is a huge influence to me as a fashion designer. She raises women up, and helps fund women businesses because she truly believes in us, and knows what it is like to be a woman in a man’s industry.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Shop online at caitienicole.com , Instagram @caitienicole, and TikTok @caitienicoleluxury
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Caitlin Dodge of Caitie Nicole: Why We Need More Women Founders & Here Is What We Are Doing To Make… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.