Hands That Reveal Identity

written by Trinisha Govindasami, Student Psychologist

Talking to one of the patrons about how he was part of a gang and left the gang to work in the mines. He lifted his hands to us and said, ‘When you look at these hands, they soft, you could not tell that I worked in the mines. My hands have worked hard, and that’s what I want others to see.’

A little later, I walked across the room and saw someone else’s body map, on which was written ‘dangerous.’ I asked ‘Is this how you feel about yourself, or is this how others feel about you?’ He showed me his callous, rough hands, and he said, ‘Isn’t this how others see me?’ It was interesting to me how both men used their hands to reflect on themselves and what it may reveal about who they are and their life story. These two interactions revealed to me how hands can be powerful symbols of identity. These men both used their hands to show me something about their narratives and how they make sense of themselves. In this paper, I want to reflect on the inferences of a hard worker versus a dangerous person seemed to be made on the basis of the physical appearance of the hands. 

Hands seem to be more than merely body parts; instead, they hold living anecdotes of our lives and our identity. Hard, calloused, rough hands are symbols of survival aspects such as hard labour and exposure. Soft hands may symbolise privilege for those who experience comfort instead of struggle. This contrast allowed me to reflect on how the construction of identity is not only psychological but also influenced by social structures. The texture and look of someone’s hands become a way in which society understands and places that individual into a particular category.

"Soft hands may symbolise privilege...

rough hands can hold negative connotations

in society"

Van Loon et al (2025) posit that the mere definition of homelessness is influenced according to societal norms, discourse and power dynamics. As such, it plays a crucial role in the way individuals understand their own identity and the perpetuation of systemic inequality. Through this understanding, rough hands can hold negative connotations in society and can be associated with aspects like poverty and manual labour, which attaches a stigma to the unhoused community. Socio-cultural influences that result in this stigma include economic inequality, that frame manual labour as cheap labour and views the unhoused community as lazy, rather than acknowledging systemic injustice. Further, societal norms and the media idolise wealth and relaxation, undermining manual work and reinforcing the exclusion of the unhoused community. In spite of this, for some, having rough hands can be indicative of resilience and survival.

McCarthy (2013) suggests that ‘homelessness’ is often framed as a singular concept, as it does not consider individual experiences and places everyone who is experiencing homelessness into a stigmatised category, which is reductive and harmful. It became evident while speaking with these men that they contest and negotiate these imposed identities. This idea of ‘rough hands vs soft hands’ emphasises that the unhoused community are not a passive recipient of hegemonic discourses, but they enforce their individual agency (McCarthy, 2013). 

"...within the unhoused community, rough hands have different meanings and are rather reframed as markers of perseverance, autonomy, and humanity."

The inferences made about identity based on the physical appearance of the hands are interesting. Society can link those rough hands with something negative, erasing individuality and lack of respect for human dignity. This aligns and reinforces stereotypes that seem to associate manual labour with aspects such as poverty and failure. Although within the unhoused community, rough hands have different meanings and are rather reframed as markers of perseverance, autonomy, and humanity. They reveal a catalyst for an individual to tell you their story of where they come from and where they are now. In this way, rough hands became a way for me to connect with the patrons and understand their worldview better. 

In contrast, soft hands also hold their own interpretations. They are often seen as more physically desirable and can indicate privilege and comfort. When I look at my own hands, I see callouses but they are a result of playing the guitar and lifting weights at the gym. They may not be particularly ‘smooth’, but they still served as a reminder to me of my own positionality that I hold in the space. McCarthy (2013) suggests that identity is expressed through the body. As such, allowing me to reflect on perhaps what my own hands may say about my identity and how I experience myself. Contrasting rough and soft hands highlights how societal constructions can attach harmful, stigmatising meanings to some physical attributes, while favouring/privileging others.

References 

McCarthy, L. (2013). Homelessness and identity: A critical review of the literature and theory. People, Place and Policy Online, 7(1), 46–58. https://doi.org/10.3351/ppp.0007.0001.0004 

Van Loon, C., Oudshoorn, A., Mantler, T., Gittings, L., Kerman, N., & Ariba, O. (2025). Rethinking homelessness: A scoping review of social constructions and meanings. Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/10530789.2025.2506841