Rose McGowan Wore Her Famous ‘Naked Dress’ at Her 1st Event Following Her Alleged Assault as a ‘Reclamation’ of Her Own Body
Rose McGowan was one of the biggest stars of the ’90s, starring in Charmed, Scream, and Jawbreaker. She was equally known for her celebrity style, especially a revealing dress she wore to the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards. However, the “naked dress” was not only a daring fashion statement but also a “reclamation” of her body following an alleged sexual assault.
Rose McGowan was among the first to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault
McGowan is one of many women who’ve accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault. The actor claimed the movie mogul assaulted her at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival, and her outspoken allegations against him made her a pariah in Hollywood. McGowan blames Weinstein for tanking her once-promising acting career.
“It got to the point, if I said to someone, ‘I want a tuna sandwich,’ you’d see this look: ‘Oh my God, it’s that crazy lady,’” McGowan told The Guardian in 2020. She said she was “constantly gaslit,” which caused her to “sometimes short-circuit.”
However, the Scream star wasn’t the only woman who accused Weinstein of sexual assault. In the past few years, over 100 women came forward with stories about the movie industry giant dating back to the 1970s.
Stories about Weinstein came to light in 2017 when a New York Times investigation revealed he had paid off multiple women over the years to stay silent. A few days later, the New Yorker published the accounts of many women who claimed he had assaulted them.
Weinstein was found guilty of rape and sexual assault in 2020 and is serving a 23-year sentence.
The designer behind Rose McGowan’s ‘naked dress’
Though Rose McGowan is known today for her outspoken advocacy for rape and sexual assault survivors, she was once one of Hollywood’s hottest young stars. The actor was famous for her edgy roles and bold outfit choices.
Her most memorable look is arguably her 1998 VMAs dress. The black mesh dress was backless, with only a few sparkling strings draped across her backside and upper legs.
Maja Hanson designed the now-famous dress. And the designer credits McGowan for kickstarting the sheer-dress trend that’s now old hat on red carpets.
“Those kinds of looks were happening on the runway at the time, but I think she was the person who took it from the runway to the red carpet,” Hanson told Page Six in 2020. “I don’t remember anyone doing it before her. Other people have worn similar things since then, but she was the first to really have that ‘wow’ moment.”
Why the dress was a ‘reclamation’ for the actor
In addition, Hanson revealed she didn’t know Rose McGowan planned to wear the dress to the awards show. The designer also dressed the actor’s date, Marilyn Manson, and while he was getting fitted, McGown found the dress and asked if she could borrow it. The rest is fashion history.
The dress wasn’t just a “wow” moment for McGowan. Her VMAs appearance was her first public event since her alleged assault, and in her 2018 memoir, Brave, the actor called it “a reclamation of my own body after my assault.”
How to get help: In the U.S., call the RAINN National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 to connect with a trained staff member from a sexual assault service provider in your area.
