Gwynne Shotwell mentions in this video that she saw a mechanical engineer’s talk when she was young and loved her suit. She said she’s hesitant to tell that story, but considers it an important topic because it is ultimately what inspired her to go into STEM.
I think her hesitance is due to the fact that men don’t understand and might ridicule her. For a young lady, seeing a successful woman in STEM bucking the stereotypes, just being herself, and not conforming to male standards changes their perception of the field. Maybe a lot of men shrug when they see Rita’s sparkly dress, but it’s inspirational to many girls with aspirations in STEM.