77. Hand Models

Summary

The Economics of Everyday Things: Episode 77 – Hand Models

Hosted by Zachary Crockett | Released January 20, 2025

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Introduction: The World of Hand Modeling

In this episode of The Economics of Everyday Things, host Zachary Crockett delves into the niche yet lucrative profession of hand modeling. While often overlooked, hand models play a pivotal role in advertising, bringing products to life through meticulously crafted visuals. The episode unpacks the intricacies of this specialized field, exploring the demands, rewards, and economic implications of being a hand model.

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Ellen Sarat: From Traditional Modeling to Hand Modeling

Ellen Sarat, a seasoned professional with a 30-year career in traditional modeling, serves as the episode's central figure. Throughout her career, Sarat graced billboards, print ads, and national TV commercials for major brands like Coca-Cola, American Express, Avon, and Clorox. Despite her extensive experience, Sarat found her true calling in hand modeling.

Ellen Sarat [01:31]: "During her 30 year career in modeling, Ellen Sarat was everywhere. She was on billboards, in print ads, and in national TV commercials for brands like Coca Cola, American Express, Avon and Clorox."

Sarat recounts her transition from full-body modeling to focusing exclusively on her hands, a decision driven by the growing demand for specialized body part modeling in advertising.

Ellen Sarat [05:41]: "I grew up dancing, but dance jobs generally are part time, so it was also waitressing and catering and doing all those sorts of things. She looked me over and she said to me, you can be a foot model."

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The Role and Importance of Hand Models in Advertising

Hand models are integral to various advertising mediums, often showcased in recipes, jewelry ads, nail polish commercials, and more. Their work ensures that products are presented in the most appealing manner possible, emphasizing aesthetics and functionality.

Ellen Sarat [02:16]: "If you start paying attention, you see hands everywhere. You see hands on a lot of recipes, a lot of print ads for jewelry or nail polishes, commercials for food where the hands are in and out serving things."

Zachary Crockett [03:16]: "If you look at enough ads, you'll notice that many of them feature isolated body parts. A makeup brand might show off its eyeliner with a close up of a pair of eyes... These faceless jobs are called parts modeling."

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Parts Models Agency and Industry Insights

Dani Corwin, Managing Director of Parts Models, provides an insider perspective on the industry. Established in 1986, Parts Models represents approximately 200 models, catering to diverse client needs ranging from hands and legs to specific facial features.

Dani Corwin [04:31]: "We're talking about hands, legs, feet, facial features, lips or eyes... it's a very, very, very important part of the modeling industry."

Corwin explains the diverse demands within parts modeling, highlighting the nuances between "fashion hands" and "commercial hands."

Dani Corwin [07:34]: "There are what we would term more fashion hands or more commercial hands... The average viewer can look at that hand and relate to that hand."

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Requirements and Skills for Aspiring Hand Models

Becoming a hand model necessitates more than just aesthetically pleasing hands. Models must maintain flawless skin, healthy nails, and exhibit the ability to showcase products adeptly during shoots. The profession requires rigorous maintenance routines and lifestyle adjustments to ensure hands remain impeccable at all times.

Ellen Sarat [07:04]: "You have to have beautiful skin tone. The fingers have to look beautiful in comparison to the base part of your hand... They have to be strong, they have to grow, well, poreless, veinless, hairless."

Additionally, hand models must master specific poses and techniques to effectively highlight the products they are endorsing.

Zachary Crockett [09:03]: "In the hand modeling world, there are certain recurring poses that models have to master. For starters, the sexy hand pose."

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Economic Aspects: Earnings and Opportunities

Hand modeling can be financially rewarding, especially for those who secure high-profile gigs. Rates vary significantly based on the project's nature, ranging from $150 per hour for print work to upwards of $650 for video commercials under union rates.

Ellen Sarat [16:10]: "Different jobs, you can get paid radically differently... from like $250 or $350 for big advertising campaigns."

Furthermore, working in video can amplify earnings due to multiple uses of the same footage, allowing models to receive repeated payments for a single day's work.

Ellen Sarat [17:17]: "You could be doing the same shot that they're going to use in six different commercials and suddenly you're getting six times your day rate just for one day."

Importantly, unlike traditional models, hand models are not typically bound by exclusive contracts, granting them the flexibility to work with multiple brands simultaneously without conflicts of interest.

Ellen Sarat [17:52]: "I could be doing Burger King one day in McDonald's the next day."

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Challenges and Lifestyle of Hand Models

Despite the potential for high earnings, hand modeling is not a stable full-time career for most. Models must constantly maintain their hands' appearance, often wearing gloves and exercising extreme caution to prevent injuries that could jeopardize their careers.

Ellen Sarat [15:05]: "I wear gloves all the time... My hands look 20, 25. These are hands that have never been in the sun since I was in my young 20s."

The profession demands a vigilant lifestyle, with models taking measures to protect their hands from everyday hazards.

Ellen Sarat [15:36]: "I'm careful around sharp knives. I'm careful around boiling water... I'm careful around the things like wine glasses breaking."

Additionally, hand models often require insurance to safeguard against potential accidents that could occur despite their precautions.

Ellen Sarat [16:01]: "I did have Lloyd's of London for a while. It was like a million dollars or something. So, yeah, if I lost my hand, I going to be able to use that insurance."

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Conclusion: The Economics Behind Hand Modeling

Hand modeling, though a niche sector within the broader modeling industry, holds significant economic value. It offers lucrative opportunities for those who excel in the field, balancing high earnings with the challenges of maintaining impeccable hand aesthetics. While most hand models supplement their income through other means, exceptional individuals like Ellen Sarat can achieve remarkable financial success.

Ellen Sarat [19:24]: "Not quite, but probably upper management. Maybe like low six figures."

As Zachary Crockett wraps up the episode, the intricate relationship between specialized talent and advertising efficacy becomes evident, highlighting how everyday professions contribute to the larger economic tapestry.

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Notable Quotes:

• Ellen Sarat [05:41]: "I grew up dancing, but dance jobs generally are part time... So I booked this Dr. Scholz job and suddenly I was going from like $3 an hour as a waitress to $350 an hour as a foot model."

• Zachary Crockett [09:35]: "In the hand modeling world, there are certain recurring poses that models have to master."

• Ellen Sarat [17:34]: "Most people can't recognize hands from commercial to commercial."

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This episode offers a comprehensive exploration of hand modeling, shedding light on its economic significance, the dedication required, and the unique challenges faced by those who specialize in this artistic niche.

Transcript

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[D]

I did a lot of the early Apple phones. I did Citibank and all sorts of things that were 20 stories up and huge across Manhattan. You know, my husband's watching a football game or something and then suddenly Papa John's is there and there's me.

[C]

But if you saw Seurat on the street, you wouldn't recognize her because she never showed her face in any of her work.

[D]

They called me queen of the close up, the it of cuticles, the supermodel of hands.

[C]

Until recently, Seurat was one of the nation's top hand models. That might not sound like a serious job, but professionals like her play a prominent role in advertising.

[D]

If you start paying attention, you see hands everywhere. You see hands on a lot of recipes, a lot of print ads for jewelry or nail polishes, commercials for food where the hands are in and out serving things. Nobody can have these picture perfect hands unless you're taking care of your hands full time. So a hand model always has to be called in. If There's a close up.

[C]

It's a profession that requires flawless nail beds, extreme maintenance routines, and some serious lifestyle adjustments. But for those who can cut it in the business, there is no shortage of well paying gigs.

[E]

We work with beverage companies, we work with food companies, with watch companies, with jewelry companies, handbag companies. I tell everybody if you need a hand, you know who to contact. And luckily, luckily, a lot of people do need hands.

[C]

For the Freakonomics radio network, this is the economics of everyday things. I'm Zachary Crockett. Today, hand models. If you look at enough ads, you'll notice that many of them feature isolated body parts. A makeup brand might show off its eyeliner with a close up of a pair of eyes. A deodorant commercial might feature a well manicured armpit. And a jeweler might show an elegant hand, fingers outstretched, to showcase a $30,000 diamond ring. These faceless jobs are called parts modeling. As in body parts. It's a robust but lesser known side of the modeling industry. And when a brand needs someone with just the right set of eyes, armpits or hands, they often turn to one of the most powerful people in the trade.

[E]

My name is Dani Corwin, and I'm the managing director of parts models.

[C]

Corwin started her agency, Parts Models, in New York City back in 1986 after realizing that traditional modeling agencies often couldn't fulfill an advertiser's particular requests. Today, her agency represents around 200 models.

[E]

We're talking about hands, legs, feet, facial features, lips or eyes. You know, whatever things that a client would need for a photo shoot. I would say we're probably the stepchildren of the modeling industry because we're the ones that people really don't think about. But it's a very, very, very important part of the modeling industry.

[C]

Corwin says there's a demand for just about any body part you can imagine, but none more than hands.

[E]

If you start looking at magazines or TV commercials and you see the hands pointing to something or holding something or swiping something, bracelets, rings, bananas, I mean, anything, all of a sudden you realize all the hands that are in advertising.

[C]

For Corwin, finding a great hand model is a challenge. Very few people have what it takes. But years ago, when Ellen Surratt walked into her office, Corwin knew she was in the presence of a star.

[D]

I grew up dancing, but dance jobs generally are part time, so it was also waitressing and catering and doing all those sorts of things. She looked me over and she said to me, you can be a foot model. And so, like, the next day she called me and said, go to this audition for Dr. Scholz. I went and they looked at 50 pairs of feet, and it turned out I had really good feet. I had that nice sequential sweep down the toe line from the big toe all the way to the baby toe. And I had nice long toes that weren't smushed at all. So I booked this Dr. Scholz job and suddenly I was going from like $3 an hour as a waitress to $350 an hour as a foot model.

[C]

But Seurat soon realized that there were only so many advertisements featuring feet. The real money was in hands. So she went back to Corwin to see if she had what it took.

[D]

She said, go home and really take care of them for a while. And so I had to figure out for myself how to clarify the skin, how to make the nails nice and strong and the cuticles really lay where they should and the nails growing well and being that nice, healthy pink and the nice, healthy white of the moon.

[C]

The first requirement of being a hand model is having nice hands, exceptionally nice hands.

[D]

You have to have beautiful skin tone. The fingers have to look beautiful in comparison to the base part of your hand. And you have to really have flawless skin. And you have to have nails that really speak well. The pink has to show, the white has to show. They have to be strong, they have to grow, well, poreless, veinless, hairless, kind of like they're asleep. They're like a sleeping beauty. Just to look so beautiful without veins and without the bones popping up.

[C]

Those are basics that apply to all hopeful hand models. But Corwin says that when it comes to aesthetics, different jobs call for different types of hands.

[E]

There are what we would term more fashion hands or more commercial hands. The fashion hands, I would say, would be a little bit more elegant, longer, leaner. The commercial types of hands are a little bit more you and me. The average viewer can look at that hand and relate to that hand. If you're shooting a beer commercial, you want a hand that's really representative of a baseball fan, a football fan, or if you're shooting a food product, somebody who's used to being in the kitchen. Yeah, that's a hand I can relate to. That person really knows how to chop those onions.

[C]

But Corwin says that having good looking hands is only half the job. The other part is knowing how to properly showcase a product.

[E]

A good hand model will know, for example, how to hold a pen and not cover the logo on the pen, how to hold a Bottle. How do you pour that liquid into a glass so it doesn't splash everywhere?

[C]

A final photograph of a hand holding a pill in an ad might look simple enough, but if you were to zoom out, you'd see all kinds of contortions. To set up that perfect shot, they'll.

[D]

Say, okay, this is a pharmaceutical. You're going to be holding a Tylenol. But you get there and it's like, oh my gosh. To get into the position they need you to, you have to be hanging upside down with your hand backwards. And being under the camera, you have to be able to sort of think upside down and backwards. You're being asked to hold a position and then do little tiny micro variations on that theme so that they can get a million different looks and angles and so on. So that's really much more about staying still and being able to do these little tiny manipulations.

[C]

In the hand modeling world, there are certain recurring poses that models have to master. For starters, the sexy hand pose.

[D]

If you look through a bunch of hand model portfolios, there's sort of like this graceful kind of sexy look that all hand models can do really easily. It's sort of a profile of one hand and you're pulling the other hand down in a nice, really kind of sensual way.

[C]

And then there's the so called pizza poll. The moment in a commercial for Domino's or Papa John's where someone picks up a piece of pizza and it has that perfect cheesy resistance.

[D]

Those are sometimes the hardest jobs, the pizza pull, because it's all about the timing. So the food stylists are trying to get the cheese just the right temperature. They'll bring it to set and then they'll be using the blowtorch to continue to make it just the right texture. And you have to swoop in and just so gently put your hand right underneath the crust and just beautifully place your thumb on it. And then you just luxuriously pull it so that it's just getting that beautiful long stretch and then it just releases and you pull the pizza out of the shot and it's perfect.

[C]

It might seem like a pretty sweet gig to be paid hundreds of dollars to hold up over the counter drugs and pizza slices. But the hand model's job doesn't end when they leave the shoot.

[D]

You have to be committed to keeping them looking that nice all the time, which is a 24 hour a day.

[C]

Job that's coming up.

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The Economics of Everyday Things is sponsored by NetSuite what does the future hold for business? Ask nine experts and you'll get ten answers. Bull market. Bear market rates will rise or fall. Can someone please invent a crystal ball? Until then, over 40,000 businesses have future proofed their business with NetSuite by Oracle, the number one cloud ERP bringing accounting, financial management, inventory and HR into one fluid platform with one unified business management suite. There's one source of truth giving you the visibility and control you need to make quick decisions. With real time insights and forecasting, you're peering into the future with actionable data. When you're closing the books in days, not weeks, you're spending less time looking backwards and more time on what's next. Whether your company's earning millions or even hundreds of millions, NetSuite helps you respond to immediate challenges and seize your biggest opportunities. Speaking of opportunity, download the CFO's guide to AI and machine learning at netsuite.com everyday things. The guide is free to you at netsuite.com everydaythings netsuite.com everydaythings the economics of Everyday Things is sponsored by Indeed. With Indeed. There's no need to search for candidates, you'll just match Indeed doesn't just help you hire faster. 93% of employers agree Indeed delivers the highest quality matches compared to other job sites, according to a recent Indeed survey. Ditch the busy work. Use Indeed to connect with candidates faster by scheduling, screening and messaging. Leveraging over 140 million qualifications and preferences every day, Indeed's matching engine is constantly learning from your preferences, so the more you use Indeed the better it gets. And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit. To get your jobs more visibility@ Indeed.com everyday things, just go to Indeed.com everyday things right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com everyday things terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? You need Indeed. In popular culture, hand Modeling has often been the butt of jokes. In the movie Zoolander, a model keeps his prized hand inside a hyperbaric chamber to prevent aging. And in an episode of Seinfeld, an agent recruits George Costanza for his hands, which leads him to start wearing protective oven mitts.

[D]

Let me see your hands. You can look at them, but do not touch them.

[C]

Ellen Surratt says there's actually a little truth in this comedy.

[D]

Any little thing can happen, right? A dog or cat or something can scratch you really easily. One little paper cut, and you could lose a job.

[C]

Even though her hand modeling days are mostly behind her, Seurat still goes to great lengths to keep her hands in top shape.

[D]

I wear gloves all the time. I'm no spring chicken, we could say, but my hands look 20, 25. These are hands that have never been in the sun since I was in my young 20s.

[C]

Do people ever ask you why you're wearing gloves, like, at the grocery store?

[D]

Like, a thousand times a day. So I'm very used to this. People either think I'm a germaphobe or I'm, you know, maybe a little crazy.

[C]

And she exercises extreme caution when it comes to routine daily tasks.

[D]

I'm careful around sharp knives. I'm careful around boiling water. I'm careful around fire. I'm careful around the things like wine glasses breaking. That's a big one. I only use stemless wine glasses. I had a baby in the middle of my hand modeling career. All the bathing and stuff like that, my husband did most of that.

[C]

In the event that something ever did happen to them, Seurat's hands were protected by an insurance policy.

[D]

I did have Lloyd's of London for a while. It was like a million dollars or something. So, yeah, if I lost my hand, I going to be able to use that insurance.

[C]

If a hand model is willing to put in all of this time and work, they can see a pretty good payoff.

[D]

Different jobs, you can get paid radically differently. The lower level jobs are usually working for the magazines. Say, $150 for a day, and your day could be 10 hours, right? You're there all day. You don't get paid too much, but you get these beautiful photographs. So that's really what all new hand models usually have to start that lower level and build up their portfolio. And then from there, you could do things like catalogs or pharmaceuticals where you might be getting paid $150 an hour, $200 an hour, and then it goes up from there to like $250 or $350 for big advertising campaigns.

[C]

Working in video can be even more lucrative. Many serious hand models are members of SAG Aftra, a labor union that represents entertainers. For a filmed commercial, the rate is set at around $650 for an eight hour day on set. But a brand might end up using the footage in multiple commercials. And when they do, the model gets paid the day rate for each use.

[D]

You could be doing the same shot that they're going to use in six different commercials and suddenly you're getting six times your day rate just for one day. Some hand models were buying cars and buying houses. With all the TV jobs that were going on.

[C]

Hand models enjoy another financial advantage. Models who show their faces in ads often have to sign exclusive deals. If they work for one cologne brand, they have to agree not to work with any competitors. But a hand model isn't bound by the same rules.

[D]

I could be doing Burger King one day in McDonald's the next day.

[C]

So Burger King never saw your hand in an ad and said, ugh. Ellen double crossed us.

[D]

No. Most people can't recognize hands from commercial to commercial.

[C]

Dani Corwin, the hand model agent, makes money by taking a cut of each job her models book. 10% for video work and 20% for print. But she's quick to say that even though hand models are paid well, most of them don't earn a full time living from handwork alone.

[E]

It's not a nine to five job and it's not a five day a week job. So the jobs come in day by day. I mean, there are times when it's very busy and the model could be very busy and there are times when you're basically staring at the wall. I find that a lot of models do supplement their income.

[D]

There's very few hand models who actually make a full time living as hand models. Our joke is like you can count them on one hand, right?

[C]

But if you can manage to be the queen of the close up the it of cuticles, the supermodel of hands, well, you just might be an exception.

[D]

There's probably five women and there's five men who may not do anything else except hand modeling.

[C]

And you were right in there.

[D]

I was the queen of the tiny handful.

[C]

At the peak of the demand for your hand modeling career, were you making like a doctor or a lawyer salary?

[D]

Not quite, but probably upper management. Maybe like low six figures. I mean, considering I had been a dancer, I was making a lot.

[C]

For the economics of everyday things, I'm Zachary Crockett. This episode was produced by Neil and Sarah Lilly and mixed by Jeremy Johnston. We had help from Daniel Moritz Rapson. Do you ever scout people in public for their hands?

[E]

I really have enough people coming to us that I don't have to go out on the street and say, hey, wait a minute. Have you ever thought about being a hand model?

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