Dressing in a Male-Dominated Space

Ashlyn Greer

Some pretty crazy stats for you. Less than 2% of capital goes to female founders. LESS than 2%. In 2024, there are more CEOS NAMED JOHN than there are women CEOs. Read that one again. 

Women couldn’t get a business loan until 1988. A man had to co-sign. That was in most of our lifetimes, if not close to yours. Before that in the 1970s, women couldn’t even get a personal credit card in their own name without having a man co-sign. Even if they were single, divorced, or widowed. 

I know this industry’s stats well because sometimes when I walk into a room of other founders or investors, I’m one of the only women there. Or in the best case scenario, there are a handful of us. It is getting better, and I can feel the shift even in the short 2 years I’ve been in this world, but women are still the minority in a sea of men who have long held the opportunity to control their own financial destiny. 

Maybe you’re also in a field that feels similar. Whether you’re the lone female exec at your company, or at a firm where only a handful of your colleagues are women, you’ve likely encountered some scenarios that leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. As someone who “grew up” in her career in the fashion industry, this has been a new experience for me. Throughout my 20’s, I had the privilege of being surrounded by, mentored to, and led by strong women leaders. Ticking back over my list of bosses, 90% of them were women. I know that’s rare. And what they wore?! Well, it was the fashion industry for most of it, remember! Pushing the envelope a bit was often encouraged, even praised. I remember one such boss whose uniform one season in the early 2010s was a pair of coveted Helmut Lang leather leggings that she wore with chunky jewelry and sky high heels. She was an icon. Other bosses were more demure in their appearance, but nonetheless chic.