McGowan's mesh dress, designed by Maja Hanson, at the 1998 VMAs was used as a symbol — a reclamation of power after being sexually assaulted. "Most of the women that are dressed like that on the red carpet, it's a calculated, sexy move to turn people on," McGowan told Yahoo Entertainment in 2020. "Mine was like, 'I'm gonna f*ck with your brain. I'm going to blow your brain up.'"
Iterations of this dress have since appeared on many red carpets, and Amber Rose paid homage by wearing a silver version of the dress to the VMAs in 2014. Rose thanked McGowan in a subsequent tweet, calling her a "fabulous trendsetter" and "truly my inspiration tonight."