Exposed and Debriefed

In response to the 1994 Republican campaign Contract with America that ushered in the first GOP House majority in over 42 years, Ligorano Reese screen printed men’s and women’s cotton briefs with the face of Newt Gingrich on the crotch and the Contract with America legislative agenda on the seat. The underwear became an overnight sensation when elected officials in Washington received them and became so infamous the Republican National Committee threatened the artists with copyright and trademark infringement. Exposed and Debriefed chronicles that story. 

 The video begins with a mashup of Ronald Reagan’s Morning In America television ad “Prouder, Stronger, Better” from the installation Pillars of the Clean Order and concludes with newspaper, television and radio stories highlighting the underwear’s media impact.