Should I hire a model?

This is a debate for lots of small creative businesses, especially if you make things that are meant to be worn.  I was reading a marketing book (always in my quest for knowledge) and it said that you should think of hiring a model for your images.  Then I thought,  well who would this model be?  Would she represent my customers?  Do I have to do this to show aspiration?  Or quality?

See,  I struggle with this.  Even London Fashion Week have seen the light by using some young, some older, different body shapes, non conforming, normal people modelling their clothes.

I hope that you will agree with me.  The more photographs shown of normal, non photoshopped images, the more we will get used to our own image.

Even friends have offered their daughters, or nieces for my photographs.  But they are missing the point.  Are we really at an age when people over certain age should become invisible.  Customers often say, 'oh don't look at my hands' 'I hate this and that'.  But they have normal hands, necks, ears.  I actually had a customer who said her ears were too small.  Too small for what?  

In my mind, my customers are a beautiful lot of all ages.  Sassy, confident and know what suits them.  They have their own sense of style and have no trouble visualising what an item would look like on themselves.

So, for now the images I take on myself are purely so that you can see how it can be worn, the size and I leave the rest for you to see it on yourselves.

I may change my mind in the future though.  This battle seems to go around in circles!  

Alison x