FRANCE: National ironing champion crowned

The search for France's ironing champion came to a climax at the final of the "Golden Iron" competition in Paris on Tuesday (November 28, 2006). Six finalists - two men and four women - from six regional competitions held across the country from mid October lined up to compete for the title. Sponsored by Philips to mark its 50th anniversary, the event was touted as an occasion to pay hommage to the oft-ignored skills of ironers - not just women, but also men. It followed a survey carried out by Philips over five days in March this year on 2028 adults over 16, that found 35% of French consider ironing one of the best ways to relax and escape the pressures of modern life. And the survey also came up with some other, surprising, results: It found that a large proportion of French people consider ironing a demonstration of love, with 64 per cent saying that telling someone you like doing their ironing constitutes a sign of affection. No details were given as to whether it was males or females questioned, however. Tuesday's final consisted of a first round of three sessions, each with two candidates having to iron a shirt in the fastest time. The ironed shirts were placed on male models for judging. While speed was paramount, points were deducted for bad quality ironing. The three winners then went on to the final, this time given a pair of trousers as well as a shirt for ironing and the clothes again placed on male models for judging. The winner, Christophe, ironed a shirt and trousers in 3.02 minutes and was presented with the "Golden Iron" trophy and a holiday in Hawaii. "It's habit I think," he said when asked what his secret was. "It's the fact of doing it every morning and for years since the army. It's simply keeping it up, training, training."

ITN Source | December 3, 2006

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