Rose McGowan Explains Why She Wore This Sheer Dress to the VMAs in 1998

Rose McGowan is opening up about that completely sheer and see-through dress that she wore to the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards.

The Charmed actress, who was just 25 at the time, says that the dress was a response to being sexually assaulted.

“I did that for a reason. It was my first public appearance after being raped,” Rose said in an interview for the I Weigh 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.”

Rose accused Harvey Weinstein of raping her in 1997 and she was one of the first to speak up against him, sparking the #MeToo movement and the launch of Time’s Up.

During an interview last year on Dr. Oz‘s show, Rose also talked about the iconic dress. She said, “I’ve never worn something like that before or since. That was a political statement. … Of course, there was no Twitter at the time or Instagram, no way to speak for yourself.”