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A woman has claimed she can earn up to four figures a day working as a professional model - but only showing one body part. Her hands have featured in campaigns run by huge global brands like Dior and Chanel, she says. Avisha Tewani began working in the industry in 2020, after previously working as a freelance stylist, which she continues to do alongside running her own business and modelling. After helping a family member on a shoot for wedding and engagement rings, she submitted the photos to an agent and was working “within the first week or two” of being signed. Since then, the 35-year-old has worked with big names like Starbucks , Coca-Cola , Absolut Vodka and Kylie Cosmetics . To ensure her hands stay in perfect condition, Avisha says she's had to stop cycling in her hometown of New York City and wears gloves when doing the dishes. Earning anywhere from $300 (£230) to $3,000 (£2,303) per day on set, she has branched out to modelling other body parts, including her legs, feet, ears and neck. Avisha, a professional hand model, from New York City, USA, said: "I just did a quick Google search, put in ‘hand model New York City’ and reached out to the first agent, and she basically had me working within the first week or two of working with her." However, this career came with a few lifestyle changes. She said: "I had to give away my membership for my city bike, as I previously got into accidents, and I fractured my elbow and wrist. I couldn’t take the chance anymore. "I used to love boxing as a workout but I stopped doing that as I don’t want to damage anything in my hands. If I’m doing any sort of workout, I wear lifting gloves to help prevent any calluses. "I used to never wear gloves doing the dishes but now I do more often. Generally, I’m not walking around with gloves on all day, every day – I know people that do that". Since she was signed to her agent in August 2020 Avisha’s work has "snowballed", and she now works with multiple agents who work with specific body parts like her legs, ears and her neck. With jobs being booked as late as 7am on the day of the shoot, Avisha claimed that “it is really tough" and it isn't "just holding things". Working anywhere from two to 12 hours on set, depending on the client's requirements, Avisha says the crew can often range from five people to a 35-strong company. She said: "The client doesn't know exactly what they're looking for either. They are relying on you to show your creativity and make the product look appealing, show the branding and make sure your hand looks nice. "To give an example, sometimes a brand may only have one or two samples of product open, like a lipstick, you have to twist it, try it on, do something with it. But there are only two samples, so you have to make sure you get it right. Before a shoot day, Avisha will spend the day prepping her hands with a manicure to the clients’ taste and being "really careful" when going about her day so as not to damage her hands. She said: "I can be paid anywhere between $300 and $400 a day to $2,500 to $3,000 - it depends on the client and what they're looking for. Actors and the modelling industry have union rates as well. "If it’s a commercial or something with a larger company or a more global thing, they give you a usage fee included. So I could have a day rate on the lower side and a usage fee – the check can be $3,000. "Being a middle skin tone person right now is a very good thing for the industry. A lot of things are changing, and a lot of clients are looking for the ambiguous look or the middle skin tone. I’m getting more work, which I’m very grateful for".
