The Tragic Truth About E. Jean Carroll's Hairstyle During Donald Trump Trial

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This article includes discussion of sexual assault. 

E. Jean Carroll's hairstyle at her 2023 sexual assault and defamation trial against Donald Trump served a tragic purpose. In one of the biggest lawsuits brought against the Trump family, the then-80-year-old writer claimed that the president had sexually assaulted her in a New York department store dressing room around 1996. While reflecting on the lawsuit in her 2025 memoir, "Not My Type," Carroll acknowledged that she was concerned about the jury's reaction to her appearance since three decades had passed since the assault, writing, "Nobody's gonna believe an 80-year-old woman was ever attractive enough to assault." 

So, Carroll got her team's thoughts on cutting her hair into a chic bob to match the same style she had at the time of the sexual assault. However, her lawyer reassured the author that she would only have to show a photo of herself from back then to jury members to overcome this problem. However, jury consultant Reiko Hasuike, alongside Carroll's lawyer, saw her perspective when they witnessed a mock trial that gave them a better idea of how they'd react to her testimony.

With her team on board, she got the original cut from her original stylist. Carroll's reservations were only natural, given that Trump also tried perpetuating the deeply problematic notion that she wasn't "attractive enough to assault." For instance, in a 2019 interview with The Hill, he denied her allegations and snarked, "She's not my type." Suffice it to say that the title of her memoir likely stung Trump, who was ultimately found liable for sexual abuse in the Carroll verdict.

According to NBC News, in Donald Trump's deposition for his 2023 trial, the divisive politician once again argued that he wouldn't have sexually assaulted E. Jean Carroll because she was "not [his] type." The columnist's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, clarified the supposed meaning behind Trump's proclamation during her closing arguments, saying, "In other words, she wasn't attractive enough to sexually assault." Kaplan also showed the jurors a video from his deposition where the former "Apprentice" host mistook a photo of Carroll for his first wife, model Marla Maples. 

Although the Republican politician blamed the mix-up on the image's poor quality, Kaplan insisted that wasn't the case, asserting that Carroll was "exactly his type." Of course, Trump is no stranger to making demeaning comments about women who stand up to him. In 2016, Jessica Leeds told the New York Times that the president had groped her while she was on a plane with him in the 1970s. As the New York Times later reported, he had a nonchalant attitude to the grave accusations, quipping at a 2016 campaign event, "That would not be my first choice." 

Trump's distasteful remarks were met with laughs, prompting him to elaborate, "Check out her Facebook, you'll understand." It seemed Carroll was all too familiar with the real estate mogul's tactics by the time of her trial. In "Not My Type," she recalled a conversation she had with her hairstylist: "I had to be the one to egg Trump on because I'm too old and unattractive to attack." Carroll continued bruising Trump's ego after the trial, even summing up his busted makeup in two perfect words.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).