Hand Modeling

Earlier today, my mom showed a YouTube video to me and my sister Carolyn. My whole family had been making references to the "hand model" this past weekend, and I was curious to know what they were talking about. Here's the video that we watched (I guarantee it's worth the whole 10 minutes):


Ellen Sirot is the country's most famous hand model. She also models her feet and legs. The video will tell you more about her lifestyle and habits and explain what she does. I looked her up on Google and found her personal website. I was just reading her "Hand Care Expert" section in which she explains the importance of hand care. These words stuck out to me:

What do your hands say about you? Do they convey what you would like them to? Or do they reveal more than you would like?

What do my hands say about me? Those words are stuck in my head right now. In the video, Ellen explains that she does not do any work. She doesn't do the dishes, take out the trash, cook or clean. On her website, she states that she hasn't touched a piece of paper in the past ten years. She wears elbow-length gloves 24/7 and avoids any activity that will build muscle in her hands. She also doesn't allow her hands to get wet.

What do my hands say about me? I look down at my hands and notice that they are pretty ugly right now. I tend to have very predominant veins (is that the right word?) that stick out and are quite lumpy. I don't moisturize, really. My hands get washed about 20 times every day. I have scars on my knuckles from the time I knocked my hand against a door. I also have two scars on my wrist (same size, shape and in the EXACT same place) from the times I burnt myself while taking cookies out of the oven. I have a callus from writing. My nails aren't manicured. My cuticles are not the best. And I have very strong hands. They give a lot of back massages.

What do my hands say about me? I want to use my hands to serve others. I want to use them to give hugs, to comfort the hurting, to love others and help others. I want to use them to flip the pages of books, pick up animals or hold young children. I want to use them to cook for friends, clean up the house, wrap a present, decorate a Christmas tree, give massages and type on this laptop. I want to be able to drive, take a bath or shower, carry my own suitcase and not be so afraid of getting burned that it prevents me from baking cookies.

Think about your hands: they are used for so many things! I can't imagine a life where I can't use them in the way that I would like. Ellen is certainly missing out on so much. Apparently she is married - how does that work? I use my hands so much to show people that I care about them. And what about children? I doubt that she has children. I don't know that this is what she is doing, but can you imagine caring so much about your hands that you sacrifice having children and raising a family? If you hear of a friend who has had major surgery and can't take care of their family would you care so much about your hands that you don't cook them a meal and offer to look after their kids? Imagine not being able to go to the beach or go swimming. How do you read? Do you have a personal reader? I'm trying to figure this out. Do you think that Ellen is happy? Do you think she ever wants to take off those gloves and go to the park or jump in a pool? Well, I guess that your hands would get hurt VERY easily after being protected for so long. Reading a book would probably make them bleed.

I am just trying to imagine a life like that. It seems so pointless and empty. I prefer a life that leaves scars on my hands, builds up my hand muscles, tears up my cuticles, breaks my nails and dries out my skin. It's way more fun.

-Katie