Phillips New Style 800 hair dryer set

Title

Year/Period

1980s

Region

Singapore

Object Type

boxes (containers), commercial packaging, assorted trays, hair dryers

Material

plastic (material), paper (fiber product), ink

Technique

forming (physical activity), printing (process)

Dimension

22.0 x 33.3 x 4.6 cm Refer to individual parts

Accession No.

2024-00228

Collection of

National Museum of Singapore

Credit Line

Gift of Low Wai Yin

Hairstyles in Singapore during the 1980s followed the trends of the West which favoured volume and curls. The 1980s was the era of ‘big hair’ with blow drying and finger shaping with wax was a key method used to finish hair. This Phillips New Style 800 hairdryer was one of the tools available for a woman to achieve a salon-style hairstyle at home. This hair dryer was gifted to the donor, Low Wai Yin, on the occasion of her wedding in 1987. While cash gifts in red packets (hong bao) were given by all guests, gifts in-kind were given only by close family and friends.