When Office Supplies Became Resistance
Rea,
Your project about the lipstick rebellion during World War II shows how something as simple as makeup became a powerful symbol of resistance. I’d like to tell you about another story where an everyday object became a secret message of defiance - the Norwegian paper clip resistance.
When Nazi Germany invaded Norway in April 1940, they quickly banned all Norwegian patriotic symbols. The beloved red, white, and blue Norwegian flag was forbidden. Singing the national anthem could lead to arrest. Even wearing national colors could bring harsh punishment. The occupiers wanted to erase Norwegian identity and replace it with Nazi ideology.
But Norwegians found a way to show their patriotism and resistance using something so ordinary that Nazi soldiers wouldn’t notice - paper clips. What made paper clips special? They were invented by Johan Vaaler, a Norwegian patent clerk, in 1899. Though the design was slightly different from modern paper clips, Norwegians were proud of this invention and considered it a symbol of their ingenuity.
Soon after the occupation began, Norwegians started wearing paper clips on their lapels, collars, or cuffs. A single paper clip might seem meaningless, but to Norwegians, it carried a powerful message: “We are bound together.” Just as paper clips hold papers together, this symbol reminded people they remained connected as Norwegians despite the occupation.
The resistance spread quickly. By 1941, an estimated 40% of Norwegians in occupied areas wore paper clips. The genius of this symbol was its deniability - if questioned, people could simply say they needed to keep papers together. But everyone knew the real meaning.
The paper clip resistance wasn’t just about wearing a symbol. It was part of a larger Norwegian civil resistance movement that included teachers refusing to join the Nazi teachers’ union (over 1,000 were sent to concentration camps for this), clergy resigning their positions rather than supporting Nazi policies, and ordinary citizens performing small daily acts of defiance.
As the occupation continued, the Nazis eventually figured out the paper clip’s significance. Wearing one became more dangerous, with some people facing interrogation or even imprisonment. But the movement had already succeeded in boosting morale and creating a sense of silent solidarity among Norwegians.
After the war ended in 1945, the paper clip story became a powerful reminder that resistance doesn’t always require weapons or violence. Sometimes the smallest objects can carry the biggest meanings when people agree to give them significance.
Love, Abba
