Underpants, 'No Nukes'

These anti-nuclear protest underpants were made by international underwear giant Jockey under licence in New Zealand, and were sold through local department stores.

They demonstrate the depth and breadth of anti-nuclear sentiment in New Zealand during the 1980s when France was still testing nuclear weapons in French Polynesia. Between 1966 and 1996, the French carried out about 190 nuclear tests at Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls. Most tests were hundreds of times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. They caused reef damage, landslides, subsidence, radioactive emissions, and fish poisoning.

The underpants were possibly made in response to the French bombing and sinking of the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior which was about to sail to protest at Moruroa in July 1985.

Regardless of their context, it is interesting to note that the belittling image of the frog (representing the French) was sold as commercial fashion; again demonstrating the depth of anti-nuclear feeling in New Zealand at that time.

The intimate and hidden nature of underpants makes them an unusual platform for protest. Usually T-shirts are more likely to be printed in this way so that messages can be seen and shared.