Show Us Your Hands
For some people, hands are just there.
For others, hands hold something more. It could be stories, insecurities or a visual reminder of a family members hand’. We ventured out with a simple set up and a poster reading “show us your hands”, the result was something more than we had expected. The finished product is a varied look at people’s hands. Paired with some questions, and answers that gives insight into how people feel about their hands.
Team:
Concept and editing by: SOPHIE FALLON
Photography by: LUCIE WILLIAMSNOVA
Production by: RHYS TRIMBLE
(1) LOUISE
(What do you think of your hands?)
- I hate them, they're like stumps, they're like sausages.
(What's your favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- I like they've all got their own digits; I use them a lot. My least favourite thing is nail varnish chipping and them looking like sausages.
(Do your hands play a part in your self-expression?)
- Oh yeah, oh yeah. If I feel like punching somebody.
(Do you have any scars or marks that have a story?)
- One is from falling down the stairs in a castle, I had to get a metal plate in my arm. I have two or three more thar very small, you can't really see them. Then one here, when I got the plate out, they managed to pinch a nerve. Had to have four operations. It was super annoying, but they feel really good now, and I do a lot of drawing, so I need my hands, so I was out of work for about eight months, had to move back in with my parents.
(2) ABEL
(Do you think about your hands?)
- Yeah, I keep them lotioned.
(How do you feel about your hands?)
- They're kinda small.
(Your favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- Don't have one.
(Do your hands play a part in your self-expression?)
- I use them for work. I do production in Medtronic.
(Any scars or marks on your hands?)
- No.
(3) KRISTEN
(Do you think about your hands?)
- I've actually never thought about them, I have no impression of them.
(How do you feel about your hands?)
- I don't dislike them. They're part of me.
(Your favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- Um, I don't like that my nails never grow evenly. My nails are always half short, half long. My mother has great nails, I always wish I had my mom's nails.
(Do your hands play a part in your self-expression?)
- Well, they help me do my job, I'm an administrator. I was once complimented on my hands when I was in 8th grade for being graceful with them but that's about it.
(Any scars or marks on your hands?)
- I have a scar that I got when I was an itty-bitty baby. On my wrist, I put my hand through a glass door.
(4) LUCIA
(Do you think about your hands?)
- No.
(How do you feel about your hands?)
- I don't have an opinion on them. They probably aren't conventionally attractive but that doesn't bother me.
(Your favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- My favourite is that I love how small they are, it's great for working, with technical things I can really get my hands in there and be delicate. My least favourite are maybe the proportions; how small they are can make them look chubby.
(Do your hands play a part in your self-expression?)
- Yes, I do product design here and I was working as a technician for a textile company so.
(Any scars or marks on your hands?)
- Yes, I have one from when I was 7, I fell down a hill on concrete, and I remembered it so well. It's been there ever since; it doesn't bother me.
(5) ZARA
(Do you think about your hands?)
- No.
(You feel confident about your hands?)
- Sure!
(That's good, I know a lot of people don't like their hands)
- Really!?
(Favourite thing about your hands?)
- I've got long fingers.
(Do your hands play a part in your self-expression?)
- Yeah, I wear rings and nail varnish.
(Any scars or marks that tell a story?)
- Yeah, I stabbed myself with a scissors when making an advent calendar in primary school, and there's another one form my home economics exam where I peeled my finger with a vegetable peeler.
(6) SHEA
(Do you think about your hands?)
- No.
(How do you feel about your hands?)
- Yes.
(You’re favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- What I can do with them, I fix things, play things!
(Do your hands play a part in your self-expression?)
- Yes.
(Any scars or marks on your hands?)
- Loads. One bent finger, two bent fingers, white scar, another bent finger... Another scar there. One there where I got sepsis, you can’t see.
(7) RHYS
(Do you think about your hands?) - Yeah, a lot.
(How do you feel about your hands?)
- Generally, I like them, I'm a former nail biter, so not biting them and seeing that can be not fucked up is pretty nice.
(Your favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- My thumbs, I wish the nails were a bit longer, the nail beds.
(Do your hands play a part in your self-expression?)
- Yeah, I wear a Claddagh ring, and I talk with my hands a lot, I like to use my hands to express myself.
(Any scars or marks on your hands?)
- Well, since my Claddagh ring is really shit, you can see there that I've got a black mark from where my ring is. If I ever break up with my girlfriend I guess I'm stuck with that forever so. I have a burn mark somewhere; my sister burnt me with a sausage roll because I pissed her off.
(8) EDITH
(Do you think about your hands?)
- Sometimes.
(What do you think about them?)
- Sometimes I like them, when they’re doing things. When I’m wearing rings and stuff, I don’t like them so much.
(Your favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- I like them, when they draw and the hand eye coordination I really liked.
(Do your hands play a part in your self – expression?)
- Yes. I draw, and I talk with my hands.
(Do you have any scars or marks on your hands?)
- Yeah, my cats scratched me. Not much scars but, age. The hands have changed since I was a little girl, I’m now an older woman. The passage of time.
(9) CAT
(Do you think about your hands?)
- I do.
(What do you think about them?)
- That one doesn't work. laughs
(Your favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- That all I can do is this wonky middle finger it's annoying but it's also really funny sometimes.
(Do your hands play a part in your self-expression?)
- Yes. I can't wear jewellery because I do a lot of mechanic stuff on my bike and it always gets caught. It's annoying have to film stuff sometimes but I kind of got used to it.
(Do you have scars or marks?)
- Not really, just a bunch of little cuts.
(Is there a story behind your finger?)
- Yes, I was making a college project with a blunt blade which, you should not do, and I cut my tendon. Two surgeries later it's this.
(10) JAMES
(Do you think about your hands?)
- No.
(How do you feel about your hands?)
- I think they’re handy out *laughs*.
(You’re favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- I like how useful they are, and I like that they hold my watch and my bracelet. Least favourite? When they get covered in ink, I guess.
(Do your hands play a part in your self-expression?)
- Yes, making clothes, making prints. Self-expression so that includes giving the middle finger, yes.
(Any scars or marks on your hands?)
- Yeah, 33.6cm in the length of the print I’m developing at the moment.
(11) SOL
(Do you think about your hands?)
- Nope, not really.
(How do you feel about your hands?)
- I like them, yeah, pretty regular hands.
(You’re favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- My favourite thing is my bendy thumbs, ‘cause, show them off and people get freaked out *laughs*.
(Do your hands play a part in your self-expression?)
- Speaking, like, doing presentations and stuff, might move them around a bit.
(Any scars or marks on your hands?)
- ... No
(12) EDDIE
(Do you think about your hands?)
- Not too often but I have been since recently, I don’t know why but it’s been looking a bit wrinkly, I guess I’m okay with it.
(How do you feel about your hands)
- I don’t know if I think about my hands because I have other parts of my body that I think of more often but, I’m okay with my hands.
(Your favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- I have this double nail; my mum was born with it too. On her toe she doesn’t have a nail, it’s just a dot, so I feel like that's probably why I have a double nail in my middle finger. It’s thick just a line, but it’s very subtle. I used to be insecure about it, because I don’t know. It looks weird when I put nail polish on, but I like it because it’s from my mom. My least favourite is how fat my fingers are *laughs*, when I wear rings, you can see the fat popping out.
(Do your hands play a part in your self – expression?)
- Yes, I wear jewellery and using cameras in my course.
(Any scars or marks on your hands?)
- I have a burn mark; I was putting water inside my hot water bottle and the water exploded out.
(1) DONAL
(Do you think about your hands?)
- Yeah, I do actually.
(How do you feel about your hands?)
- I have a skin complaint from time to time with dryness the skin opens itself, they're okay-ish now, but my hands are an important part of my body, so I dig them, yes, quite a lot. Without hands, I'd have a much different life.
(Your favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- Well, my least, when the skin opens up because the bleeding can be embarrassing, my favourite is that they still are working.
(Do your hands play a part in your self-expression?)
- Yes, it's my work. I'm a film and a documentary maker.
(Any scars or marks on your hands?)
- Yes, many many years ago now I was in a nightclub talking to this girl, but she had a boyfriend and he attacked me, but I survived.
(2) LUCIE
(Do you think about your hands?)
- Yes, a lot.
(How do you feel about your hands)
- I’m really, self-conscious about my hands, fist of it because I have eczema, and it shows up a lot on my hands. Second of all, because they’re really short and stubby, and my thumbs are really round, and I do not like it.
(Your favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- They’re very useful, I do a lot of handy works, crocheting, knitting, drawing, bead-working, so they are handy.
(Do your hands play a part in your self–expression?)
- Yeah, for sure.
(Any scars or marks on your hands?)
- Not really scars, I do have the eczema. I have on scar, or line, somewhere, from archery. I got it from the from the string, cause, when I would let go of my teeny tiny bows when I was a kid, it would sling my hand, and I think that’s where I got the scars.
(3) PATRICK
(Do you think about your hands?)
- Eh, more than I should yeah. I had a repetitive strain injury on and off for years, just from um I used to work with glass, then took a few months off, so now I look after them as much as I can, except I’ve got superglue all on my hands now so.
(How do you feel about your hands?)
- Love them, love them, they’re how I make my money, so yeah, I wouldn’t do much without them to be honest.
(You’re favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- My favourite, let me think about that... they’re pretty good, they can do a lot. The fingers aren’t as strong as they should be, I couldn’t do anything like rock climbing, so that’d be great if they were stronger, or pottery and stuff, I find it really tiring, but that’s it really.
(Do your hands play a part in your self-expression?)
- Yeah, I’m a technician here. I do anything that needs to be done, I guess. A lot of wood related activities, I’d say.
(Any scars or marks on your hands?)
- I’ve got a cool one somewhere, you can’t really see it anymore... I’ve got some cuts.
(5) JAMIE
(Do you think about your hands?)
- Yeah.
(What do you think of them?)
- I think they're pretty good.
(What's your favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- They're pretty long but they're pretty skinny.
(Do your hands play a part in your self-expression?)
- No.
(Any scars or marks on your hands?)
- Yeah, I saw a piece of led stuck in my thumb when I was 8 and it never went away.
(5) CONNOR
(Do you think about your hands?)
- I think about my hands, yeah, sometimes actually.
(How do you feel about your hands?)
- Uh, I like them, I think I have long fingers, which makes it good for like, I guess playing instruments, piano, that kind of stuff. I used to play piano, I play drums and guitar, but I bite my nails, so I do think about that a lot. I like my hands, generally.
(You’re favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- My hands? I don’t think about them that deeply, well, I did say it, I think I have nice sized hands.
(Do your hands play a part in your self-expression?)
- Yeah, I make films, I have to carry a lot of stuff, and I like using my hands for that.
(Any scars or marks on your hands?)
- I have cuts.
(6) EVIE
(Do you think about your hands?)
- Yes
(How do you feel about your hands?)
- I like my hands, but apparently, they're very small and my nail lady doesn't like me because I always end up bleeding because they're soft.
(Your favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- My favourite is that I use them to draw, and my least favourite is that they hurt.
(Do your hands play a part in your self-expression?)
- Yeah, I'm an artist and I do film, so I use cameras and stuff.
(Any scars or marks on your hands?)
- Yeah, my cat, we were tryna get her into the crate to take her to the vet and she cut me. My other cat she was playing and cut my hand.
(7) JANICE
(Do you think about your hands?)
- Yeah, because I eat my nails. Now, I can stop but you know if I'm stressed or anxious.
(How do you feel about your hands?)
- I like them if I let my nails grow, and if I moisturize my hands because I love bleach, so my hands get very dry.
(Your favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- least favourite, my nails. My favourite, the shape.
(Do your hands play a part in your self-expression?)
- No.
(Any scars or marks on your hands?)
- No.
(8) MANUS
(Do you think about your hands?)
- All the time, I’m fixated on them.
(You’re favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- Least favourite thing is my fingernails absorb dirt quite easily, which drives me absolutely bananas.
(Do your hands play a part in your self-expression?)
- I move them when I speak, a lot.
(Any scars or marks on your hands?)
- I have no idea, I don’t think so.
(9) BETHANE
(Do you think about your hands?)
- Yeah, I do, like, I’m always fidgeting with my rings all the time.
(How do you feel about your hands?)
- I don’t like them, I think they’re too veiny, too long. I thought it’s a bit masculine, the veins.
(Your favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- my least favourite is my fingernails, I don’t like them very much, and my veins I don’t like. My favourite, my ring finger.
(Do your hands play a part in your self-expression?)
- I suppose they do. I’m doing cinematography so working with the camera, I like to do art, I like to draw, I like to paint. I used to do boxing as well, so I used to wrap my hands, so I have all these marks on my hands because of that.
(Any scars or marks on your hands?)
- From wrapping my hands before matches and fights, my fingers would be really cut up, and I used to be very insecure about it. I thought “aw, that doesn’t look very nice.” Yeah, and I have these marks on my hands from lifting weights.
(10) LIAM
(Do you think about your hands?)
- Yes.
(How do you feel about your hands?)
- I like my hands.
(You’re favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- I... now that I think about it, I feel kind of indifferent about my hands, I don’t have any specific, I do kind of like my nails, they’re a little bit long right now.
(Do your hands play a part in your self-expression?)
- Not particularly... Well, I do set design so that is a huge part of it now that I think about it.
(Any scars or marks on your hands?)
- I have a little scar, got it from cycling, a caravan hit me. It squinched my hand between the handlebars and the caravan. I was very lucky, if I was another inch further into the road, I probably would’ve died. That’s from six years ago.
(11) SOPHIE
Do you think about your hands?
- Yes, a lot of the time.
What do you think about them?
- I don’t like them. I bite my nails, I pick my fingers, I have cuts from my cats, and I have very visible blue – ish, purple veins, that I think are too visible. I’ve been told my middle fingers are wonky.
How do you feel about your hands?
- I care about them; I think I’ve tried to moisturize them but then I don’t like to pick up things because they get all moisturize-y... I like them, I think they’re a mix of my parents' hands.
What your favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?
- my favourite thing is that I think my fingers are skinny. I like the skinniness of them, and my least favourite things would probably be my nails. How much I pick them. Sometimes they bleed and I try to cover them.
Do your hands play a part in your self – expression?
- Yes, I wear my rings, I don’t do my nails because I can’t commit.
Do you have any scars or marks on your hands?
- Ummm, I’ve never thought about it. I don’t think I do.
(12) CILLIAN
(Do you think about your hands?)
- Yeah, sometimes, yeah.
(How do you feel about your hands?)
- I care about how they look; I think that good hands are an underrated part of your body.
(Your favourite and least favourite thing about your hands?)
- My favourite thing is, usually I keep the right hands nails grow long for the guitar, so I think it's a cool look, but the downside is that they grow out kinda weird, yeah.
(Do your hands play a part in your self-expression?)
- Yeah, I guess, honestly, yeah, I suppose a worry about them a lot more now that I play guitar and piano.
(Any scars or marks on your hands?)
- My fingers are calloused.