Escort 2000 Ronson Portable hairdryer, c. 1970

Category

Museums & Galleries Item

Item no

52281

Title

Escort 2000 Ronson Portable hairdryer, c. 1970

Description

One portable Ronson Escort 2000 hairdryer. The dryer consists of the main unit which the user would hang from a plastic strap around the shoulder. A plastic hose fed the hot air to a plastic floral pattern hood. The dryer came with an assortment of combs, attachments, spare parts and instruction manuals.

Accession number

HH5669/1k/92

The Ronson Escort 2000 hairdryer was made by the company Ronson around 1970. Its innovation was that it was ‘hands free’ thanks to the drying hood. It was marketed as providing freedom to women, but in its advertising images, a woman is shown using her ‘hands free’ time to do the family ironing. She is managing to uphold beauty standards and undertake labour in the home at the same time. This may not look much like freedom from today’s perspective.

From anecdotal evidence it would appear the hairdryer was loud and ineffective, with only a 2m cord! Meaning it wasn't as portable the advertising might lead you to believe.

The Escort was first launched in the late 1960's and was featured in New Scientist in 1971 because it was manufactured out of a new Bayer brand plastic called Novodur.

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