Walking

[JennyS.]

I thought I was doing a pretty good job of walking until I just video taped myself. Ugh. But, watching that and watching tv made me realize a few little things. If I keep my elboes close to my body and slightly bent, my shoulders back (almost thrusting my chest)... and open, but relaxed hands that do not face back, it looks more feminine. Also, when I rub my knees together and sort of kick out with my feet with each step, that helps too. Lastly, I noticed that the head should be up and confident.
Has this already been covered?

[Mary Jane1]

Try these two sites if you haven't already.


http://www.geocities.com/westhollywood/5885/walk.html

or

http://www.tgtoday.com/makeupandfashion/walking.html


They're both good refreshers. Happy steps.

[TSchapes]

I just saw this post here somewhere and bookmarked it.

This is the goal from the site:

We are working on several aspects of visual perception and cognition. Our major interest is focussed on questions concerning the biology and psychology of social recognition. That is:

. life detection
. conspecific recognition
. gender recognition
. individual recognition
. recognition of an agent's actions
. recognition of emotions, personality traits and intentionality

There is a demo application called the BMLwalker where you can adjust the walking stick figure between male & female, happy vs sad, light vs heavy. It is just fun to play with!

Bio Motion Lab (http://www.biomotionlab.ca/)

[Kristen Marie]

Hi Jenny,

Once I videotaped myself walking from 4 different angles......yuck. I then took radical corrective action and reshot the same anges...and what a difference. It was still bad, but it wasn't yuck! The reality is that it is the way others see us. Clearly in my mind I don't look like I do in the video, but I clearly do in real life.

[PatriciaT]

I sometimes notice my self walking when I pass a large mirror. Yech!
Gotta work on this.

Patricia :o

[ColleenW]

Hi Jenny -

I never thought about videotaping but should probably give it a try. I do find that when walking behind a woman I find myself trying to imitate the way she walks.

Colleen

[Amy Hepker]

Try walking in line, one about a foot in front of the other and walking on your tip toes. You know like walking on a line.

[joann07]

As I make my observations of women, I always make a mental note of their mannerisms when they walk. They say that you should sway your hips and walk with one foot in front of the other, but from what I've observed, most typical women don't really do that.
You only notice that when supermodels strut the cat walk because they want to look hot and sexy. I've noticed that most women sway their butts, and not so much hip, and walk with both feet side by side.
Also, women tend to walk a little slower, with their backs straight and head up, swing their arms a little more, and are more graceful.
I always keep that in mind when I'm out and about.

Hugs!

[Parker0429]

I agree with Joann. I do concentrate on stepping with one foot more in front of the other and that will result in a natural hip sway. Also, with heels, I work on having the toe area of my pumps contact the walking surface slightly before the heel. I've realized this gives me a straighter leg while walking, I'm more stable and one benefit is it also straightens my back and improves my posture. I thoroughly enjoy walking in heels. I love how my legs feel, the tightness of my calf muscles. I wouldn't be dressed w/o a 3" to 3 & 1/2" heeled pump or slingback, maybe even sandals.

[DianaGomez]

Just so you are not too hard on yourself, check out a lot of GGs at the mall and you will see that some walk atrouciously! Its actually weird!

[Gisele]

Where I work I get to see women of all ages walk up and down isles. Let me tell you about 1 out of 50 will walk like a woman. Most look like men from the back on how they walk. I would say that most of the older women do still walk like ladies.

I am thinking that the womans walk is going out of style.:straightface:

Then again, so is their dressing. I see more women shopping in the mens dept than in the womens.

So it has been said that we need to dress so we can blend in with women?

I guess we need to start shopping in the mens dept.! LOL!!:doh:

[Michelle04240]

Mary Jane - Great resources
Tracy - That was cool.

I have been working on my walk. I did a short video a few weeks back. Not bad I guess. I too have noticed when out and thinking about watching how women walk, as Beth said they walk in all kinds of ways. Almost never like the picture you have in your head.

[joann07]

.
.
I have been working on my walk. I did a short video a few weeks back. Not bad I guess. I too have noticed when out and thinking about watching how women walk, as Beth said they walk in all kinds of ways. Almost never like the picture you have in your head.

Yes. You hit it on the mark.
As I also mentioned before, by just going out and observing the women, whether it's at the mall or wherever, is a good way of learning, developing, and perfecting your feminine walk.
You'll realize that women don't have that typical supermodel walk.

[jessielee]

dear Jenny,
miss your frisky former avatar!
spent the day skiing with my GD, genetic daughter, enjoying watching such a panoply of sports fashions and body types.
around here, mountain town, a lot of the girls are out showing they're as tough or moreso than the boys. i agree. outdoor athletics has become extremely "liberated" and equally represented.
byproduct is the runway walk has become disdained as the stuff of princesses, Hollywood types and other manipulators.
GGs are people, people walk to get around, its not some show for GMs.
like the "cowboy way" it is function over fashion mistaken for fashion.
however!
we are built so wonderfully different.
and even not trying to, perhaps in Carhartts or Levis, the casual, unintedned wiggle or sway that comes naturally with build,
that is what i would emulate.
that being said, i have seen some very nice walking footage by members on Youtube.com
very impressive.
i look up to you
and to you GGs.
how i would love to be in your shoes
and walking your walk.
green-eyed (envious),
jessie

[Angie G]

I think I do a good job of walking I'll have to tape myself and see :hugs:
Angie

[JennyS.]

dear Jenny,
miss your frisky former avatar!
spent the day skiing with my GD, genetic daughter, enjoying watching such a panoply of sports fashions and body types.
around here, mountain town, a lot of the girls are out showing they're as tough or moreso than the boys. i agree. outdoor athletics has become extremely "liberated" and equally represented.
byproduct is the runway walk has become disdained as the stuff of princesses, Hollywood types and other manipulators.
GGs are people, people walk to get around, its not some show for GMs.
like the "cowboy way" it is function over fashion mistaken for fashion.
however!
we are built so wonderfully different.
and even not trying to, perhaps in Carhartts or Levis, the casual, unintedned wiggle or sway that comes naturally with build,
that is what i would emulate.
that being said, i have seen some very nice walking footage by members on Youtube.com
very impressive.
i look up to you
and to you GGs.
how i would love to be in your shoes
and walking your walk.
green-eyed (envious),
jessie

Jessie... Guess I just got a little freaked out with the full face picture!

[shirley1]

all anyone needs to do is study women and then practice their mannerisms thats what i do all the time at home - well maybe not all the time only when en femme but walking in heels forces you to walk more femininely just to keep your balance - i have a problem with my arms cant seem to swing them in a natural femme way so i cross or fold them when walking i see plenty of ggs do this round by me - not all ggs walk the same - i have said this before but i notice many ggs tend to bend their wrists back behind them while swinging their arms in an outwards direction behind them while walking certainly where i live in birmingham england - so i would never listen or take any notice of what the experts say - i just study the ggs i see everyday for guidence

[victoriamwilliams1]

Like Beth said I too have seen very few women walk like women and dress like women. I looked at my walk and noticed I walk like a truck driver when by myself but when around people I tend to pay attention to my walk. I too study women and I have noticed the same in some of them.

[TGMarla]

Here's an observation: Women don't worry about how they walk. They just walk. As guys, we don't worry that we're doing the "guy walk", and women don't worry about whether they are "walking like women", either. Wearing high heels kind of forces one to walk a certain way, and with any kind of "practice", it becomes second nature. I've been wearing high heels for so long now, I don't even think about how I'm walking. I just walk, and the mechanics of it all takes care of itself. This is why women walk the way they do: they've been walking in heels for so long, they don't even think about it anymore. Over time, this works for us, too.

I think if you force it, it will look unnatural, and be more noticable in public.