VideoA hand model’s tale: Hongkonger on her love of manual labour
We talk to a Hong Kong model about her expressive, emotional hands, and the dedication needed to hold the same position for hours on end
The human hand can be powerfully expressive and lucrative, if you are a hand model with more than just slender fingers.
“I have the advantage of doing dance for more than 10 years, so movement-wise or expression-wise, I think I have an advantage,” says hand model and market researcher Bettina Ding, 30.
“I realised that the hands in Hong Kong adverts weren’t too good, and I looked at mine and thought, oh they’re really good, so why not – why shouldn’t I become a hand model?” says Ding, whose hand modelling career began in 2014.
All her life, people have told her that she had nice hands, and so it made sense to improve the quality of hands in Hong Kong advertising. Locally, she says, there is scant focus on how hands look. The typical client balks at hiring a proper hand model.
“Or they’ll just get, you know, someone they know to give a hand.” However, hand model hands are markedly different, according to Ding.
“The nail beds are longer, the fingers are more elongated, the emotion is a lot more elegant, I guess. And you can express different moods with your hands.”
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For instance, in a jewellery shot, a hand model may express an elegant, soothing mood. Whereas, for a smartphone advertisement, quick, sharp movements may be needed, according to Ding.