Rose McGowan Says Her Famous Naked VMA's Dress Was a Response to Sexual Assault

Rose McGowan sparked a fashion frenzy that left an indelible mark on pop culture when she hit the red carpet at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards in a completely sheer black beaded dress with a visible thong. Now, more than two decades later, the actress is opening up about the powerful meaning behind her provocative look.

“I did that for a reason. It was my first public appearance after being raped,” McGowan, 45, said in a conversation with actress and activist Jameela Jamil for her I Weigh interview series. “And I thought, it was kind of like Russell Crowe and Gladiator when it comes out in the ring and he’s like, ‘Are you not entertained?’ And that was why I did that. That was my response to being assaulted.”

McGowan accused disgraced mogul Harvey Weinstein of raping her in 1997 years before the Time’s Up and #MeToo movement put women’s rights and harassment at the forefront of cultural conversation. She was one of the first women to speak out in The New York Times and The New Yorker in October when news broke about Weinstein’s decades of alleged sexual misconduct and assault. The former Hollywood producer has since been accused by over 60 women of various forms of sexual assault and misconduct.