walking like a female

[Megan.]

Hi there it's megan i don't think i have covered this topic before if i have im sorry i am having a trip out with my parents as megan in a couple of weeks and i am having trouble walking like a female can anyone give me any advice on how to walk in heels or flats i think i will be wearing flats for the day thanks megan.

[noeleena]

Hi,

Oh dear......Okay i know its a bit harder for men to surposedly walk like / how women walk yet many women walk like men , i never walked like a man as in the swaying motion type of way ,shoulders,
my self my hips move a bit left to right and back be a little more free in body movement not ridgid

have some flow light and nibble on your feet..feet dont point out wards allmost in line though ...not...stepped in like your crossing one foot over the other as they on the cat walk do apart from stupid and does not look right not a natrural walk,

not like some young lass's who did the cat walk like they had heavy boots on and clomped down the walkway, and head down

i have my own style, in flate's allmost all the time, and wear boots a lot, .one other detail glide along as if your on ice skates

Light and nibble and flowing like a long dress and just let it happen dont try and do a forced walk.

...noeleena...

[Wildaboutheels]

1] Forget anything you have ever seen those "runway models" do. Nothing to do with Reality in any way, shape or form. [Personally, I find it ridiculous looking]

2] Forget most of what you read here at this Forum. I have seen some really strange suggestions. [JMO]

3] Go and have a look see at the link that folks are constantly providing here. It's extra good and shows the truth about the actual MOTION of the FEmale [and male] bodies without all those DISTRACTIONS that women often utilize to make themselves more attractive. You know - all the same stuff - that the ladies here use.

4] Go sit at any crowded mall and just WATCH people walking for an hour. You might only need 10 minutes to see "enough". Enough to know that no 2 women walk alike. It's NOT possible for them to walk certain ways w/o looking foolish. Same goes for men trying to emulate them.

I think what is probably far better is to remove the "maleness" from your arm carriage.The video makes that difference easy to see. Change at least a few of the parameters in the video and watch how easy it becomes to tell males from females [For both legs and arms] Far better is to have a helper do it but cover the sliders so YOU can't see the changes. It should be obvious what your helper did with the adjustments.

http://www.biomotionlab.ca/Demos/BMLwalker.html

AND... just in case you somehow miss it, the WIDTH between hipbones is THE controlling factor and accounts for most of the leg motion while our arms help counter our leg motion. Obviously, neither men or women can change that distance between their hipbones.

[Cheryl T]

Shorten your stride, women don't stretch their legs that much.
Slow your gait...think of yourself shopping...too much to look at.
Indian style (somewhat)...one foot in front of the other helps to sway the hips.
Practice moving from your hips, not your waist.

[Marcelle]

Hi Megan,

As guys we tend to walk more with our shoulders (swagger) and this can be a hard habit to break. If you concentrate on walking more upright, thighs and hips forward, arms slightly moving but not over exaggerated, smaller steps and slight cross of foot in front of the other you should be fine. As WAH said . . . stay away from the "runway model" wiggle as it does not look natural (just watch women in public venues, and you will see very few if any walk like that). Practice and observation are your best friends.

Hugs

Isha

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Megan, Google walking in high heels.

[celeste26]

Heavy heel hitting the sidewalk is the male sort of walking. When making long strides it is necessary. It is basically impossible to do it the wrong way when walking in heels because you will end up falling if you try it that way. But by shortening the stride and placing the feet more evenly (flat) at each step it gives the body a chance to give it that sway.

Shoes designed for men usually have big round cushy area to place the vast majority of our weight onto maybe 3-4 sq inches. But try that with a spike heel that is .25 sq inches and you understand how risky it is.

[Jenniferathome]

Megan, just spend some time people watching. Sit at an outdoor cafe and just watch. Real women do not walk like models. They walk for efficiency, just like men. The biggest difference is stride. Smaller steps causes all kinds of changes. And wear low or no heels your first time out.

[Beverley Sims]

Megan,
Wear flats and follow some of the advice you read here, if you try to follow it all you will continually run into walls and doors trying to concentrate.
It does come with a lot of practice, I assure you.

[Adriana Moretti]

meg......check this thread out....

http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?212091-Walk-Like-a-Woman&highlight=walk

[Chari]

Good advice and info from previous posts! Please consider an oldie, but goodie - your posture should be straight, head/neck erect, shoulders back, chest out, keep your elbows close to your sides, your hands a bit limp, and take smaller steps. Remember also that the higher the heel, the greater change to the angle of your body weight. Enjoy.

[Aly Cat]

When men walk, its heel to toe steps. Heel down first, followed by the pad of the foot. It straightens the hip motion rendering it nonexistent. If you watch women, youll notice their steps are lighter. Not all the weight is put on the heel. Shift your weight to the front pad of your foot. Keep your heels light on the ground. It will create a swaying motion in your hips. Do this when you are wearing flats. Heels on the other hand....well, they force you to walk on the pad of your foot and not the heel, automatically generating the swaying motion of the hips. The bottom half of your body is only one half of the equation though.

With the top half of your body, keep your shoulders back as if you are fighting gravity from breasts. Breasts are heavier than they look and women offset that weight by keeping their shoulders back, centering their gravity. Dont go overboard with it obviously, but just keep good posture with shoulders back. Next, bring your elbows in. A lot of women's arm motions are from the elbow down, so when you swing your arms, dont do it as much from the shoulders, but do it mostly from the elbows.

It will take practice of course, but those are the tips I can give. I literally spend all day every day observing women in a retail environment. I obsess over watching how women move because I am transitioning and want to look as naturally female as possible. The link Wildaboutheels posted with the BioMotionLab shows exactly what I am trying to explain about elbows in and all that. I hope a combination of all the advice from everyone here gets you on your way to walking feminine. Just remember, practice, practice, practice!

[docrobbysherry]

What they said above. Plus: I'm not able walk fem in anything other than hi heels. They change my posture, balance, and stride.

I watch runway models. One foot passing in front of the other. Without that crossover gait, I seem to lose all fem hip swing! Never put your heel down first. I used to ruin my spike heels in one day. Had to buy and replace piles of rubber tips. Now, they last me ages!

There is a T girl that I see at the DLV every year. She dresses like, and has the figure of, a top model. But, walks like a cowboy. Legs open and feet far apart when she walks. It completely ruins her otherwise fem appearance in my mind!

[NoraTV]

Shoulders back... shorter steps...

And above all, shoes that fit well.

[sherri]

I'm with Wild, I've seen some pretty silly advice on this subject. Forget the runway thing, nobody in real life walks like that. It isn't so much about pelvic width either, although there are significant physical differences to take into account. Keeping your shoulders still is almost guaranteed to make your torso stiff and make a natural swish nearly impossible. When you practice putting a soft side-to-side sway in your hips, you'll find that a relaxed torso and letting your shoulders rotate front-to-back slightly makes the swish much easier and natural. Straight (but relaxed!) posture and keeping your elbows close to your side also facilitates a swish way more than you might think. Practice practice practice, and when you find the sweet spot practice even more to build muscle memory. Before long it will start coming more naturally.

[Wildaboutheels]

I just discovered a more advanced walker last night. Not sure if it is what others have been posting? This one shows the actual skeleton including the head, hands and feet. You have the option to revert to dots. It think it requires Google or one other "system" [plug in?]

Better hope you are not a sad, heavy, nervous Male. If you are, you are SoL or better plan on some intensive training.

http://rosemary.psyc.queensu.ca/Demos/webgl_walker/webgl_walker.php

You can click on the BML LOGO down in the bottom right corner for further links/info.

You can also ROTATE the thing 180 degrees.

Unfortunately, you can't put 5" heels on it to see what happens.

[Sometimes Steffi]

I've found that walking in a tight, long leg girdle tends to make my walk more feminine. I think it's because it joins my hips to my legs.

[Aylineira]

I practiced a lot in front of reflective surfaces that I can see my stride.

It's all about posture. Shoulders back and keeping a straight back. Don't worry about swaying your hips too much...it should come more naturally with more practice in heels.

Just remember that there are loads of GGs that don't even have a very feminine walk so don't over think it.

[Dana does shopping]

Don't swing your arms, one foot in front of the other, by all means check the lifts on your heels, otherwise tile floors will be your 'Omaha Beach'!

[TinaZ]

I keep the word "fluid"in mind when I'm trying to fem walk. Also, a straight posture always seems to help.

[Launa]

The best way to accomplish this is to get your shoes on and have a GG coach you, its is really the only way other wise you'll take forever to figure it out.

This way can help with 2-3, 15 min lessons. Don't waste your time trying to figure it out on your own.

[Elkeliini]

Hi megan,

I see the problem of getting a feminine walk. It is one of the first things that will give away a cross dresser really... And the problem is, it is all stuck in tiny details and no two girls indeed have the same stride. before you start thinking about sway and oh lalala moments. think of where the movement starts. for us girl and yes I am a GG, it starts from the hips. the hip that moves the leg forward will go slightly sideways. our torso is on minimal part of the forward movement. arms do sway, but not so much as a guys and closer to the body. standing up straight will help posture, but girls can also slouch! first walk in flats than in heels and keep it natural. nobody indeed walks like the catwalk girls, but you can start from there and tone it down for example. if you are better at exaggerating first before finding a natural version. feet will roll naturally too that is from heel to toes and lift. smaller steps will help unnatural small to start can help you nailing that shorter stride with elegance. good luck!

[linda lynn]

I like what have advised in walking like a woman. I have worn about a 2 inch heal and flats. I like the fighting gravity from breasts also and will try it. Thanks so much and I will continue to practice.
Linda Lynn