Dark secret behind Rose McGowan’s infamous nearly naked red carpet appearance

Rose McGowan stunned the world when she turned up to the MTV Awards nearly naked — but the shocking stunt hid a tragic secret.

When Rose McGowan stepped out at the 1998 MTV VMA Video Music Awards wearing a see-through dress with an exposed G-string, she was making more than just a style statement.

“I (wore) that for a reason. It was my first public appearance after being raped,” McGowan, 45, told actress and activist Jameela Jamil for her I Weigh interview series, per People. “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.”

Marilyn Manson and Rose McGowan — her dress made headlines around the world. Picture: Getty

A leader of the #MeToo movement, McGowan was one of the first women to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, alleging he raped her at his hotel during the Sundance Film Festival in 1997. The disgraced Hollywood producer has since been accused by more than 60 women and faces a potential life sentence.

The star now says she wanted to feel like a ‘gladiator’ in the outfit. Picture: Ron Galella/WireImage

The star previously hinted at her deeply symbolic VMAs fashion choice without getting as specific. “I’ve never worn something like that before or since,” she told Dr. Oz last year. “That was a political statement. Of course, there was no Twitter at the time or Instagram, no way to speak for yourself.”

Rose McGowan: ‘I’ve never worn something like that before or since.’ Picture: Ron Galella/WireImage

McGowan also wrote about the headline-making moment in her memoir Brave, released last year — here’s what she had to say:

“The dress raised hell, which, I guess, was my intention of sorts, but what I didn’t anticipate was the global slut-shaming that came afterwards.

“I didn’t realise how seriously everyone would take it. Do these people not understand rebellion and humour?

“I thought, ‘It’s a music awards show’.

“My dress was punk as f**k. This is what it’s about. It was, of course, misinterpreted and sexualised, which was the exact opposite point I was trying to make.

“That’s the thing that other women who have copied me have gotten wrong through the years; when they copy the dress, they do it to be sexy and turn society on. I didn’t do it to be sexy.

“I did it with power, not to titillate or turn on the boys and men of the world.

“I did it as a big middle finger, and there’s the difference. I think that’s why it became such an iconic thing. Every year, every time there’s an awards show, that picture of me pops back up.

“It was my first time having a big scandal, so to speak, a global one, anyway. I say first time because I’ve done it several times since, but that one is the most physically memorable to people.

“For years, I was the actress who wore the dress. Regardless, it took some serious bravery to do that. I was scared, but I just did it anyway. Punk as f**k.”

This story originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission