Clothes, hair, and makeup are important aspects of your feminine image. But your body language and movements say more about you than you probably realize!
It doesn’t matter how good you look… If your walk and movements give off a masculine vibe (or worse, are exaggerated and unnatural), then you’re probably not making the impression you hoped for.
Do you want to learn how to walk more feminine? Here are 5 common MTF movement mistakes to avoid – and what to do instead.
1. Over-Exaggerated Hip Swinging
There’s nothing more alluring than the sexy sway of a woman’s hips as she walks. But you should never overdo this. In fact, if you are consciously swinging your hips, it’s probably too much.
A better approach is to simply put on a pair of high heels and walk naturally. Heels automatically cause your hips to sway. The key is to relax your body and go with the flow.
2. Stiff Body Movements
Stiff isn’t sexy. As I mentioned earlier, the secret to fluid, feminine movements is to relax your body.
Tense muscles translate to stiff, masculine body movements. Focus on relaxing your body instead. Do stretching exercises to help release built-up tension.
3. Poor Posture
Your posture is the foundation for your movements. Here are two posture mistakes to avoid:
- Slouching: If you’re tall, you might be tempted to slouch to downplay your height. Don’t. Slouching isn’t attractive and it definitely doesn’t make you look more feminine.
- Arching your back: On the other extreme, avoid exaggerating your posture by arching your back and sticking your butt out. While you might think this looks “sexy,” it actually looks silly.
The fix for both of these mistakes is to stand tall with natural, lifted posture. This makes you look confident and feminine.
4. Stocky Shoulder Movements
Men carry their weight in their upper bodies, while a woman’s center of gravity is in her hips. In men, this often translates into strong upper body movements.
As you can see in the video above, the hallmark of a masculine walk is “stocky” shoulder movements. Compare that to the graceful sway of the women’s hips.
To counteract this tendency:
- Keep your shoulders down and back. If you feel your shoulders coming forward, literally roll them back into place.
- Focus on keeping your shoulders still while relaxing the hips. This will help transfer the movement to your lower body.
- Keep your body weight neutral (or even slightly back) instead of leaning forward. This helps downplay the look of your shoulders.
5. Taking Up Too Much Space
There are many differences between male and female body language. One of the biggest differences is that men take up more space with their bodies while women tend to keep the space more closed.
How does this translate into movement?
- When men walk, they typically have a space between their arms and body, while a woman’s hands brush her hips.
- Men’s steps are longer and there’s often more space between the feet.
To correct this, rotate your elbows in so your arms stay closer to your body. Keep your feet closer together and take shorter steps when you walk.
Mastering your feminine walk
Now that you know the most common mistakes, here’s another example of a feminine walk to study and emulate. Notice the graceful posture, gently swinging hips, and relaxed body movements:
How feminine are YOUR body movements? Do you struggle with this or are you one of the lucky girls who are naturally graceful?
Please share in the comments below!
Love,
Lucille
P.S. Would you like to learn more advanced feminine movement strategies? My Stepping Out Secrets Program will show you how to master all the elements of a beautiful feminine image, including: moves, curves, fashion, beauty, voice, confidence, and more! Click here for all the details.
It seems to me that when I am feeling feminine my movements and posture naturally become more girl-like, without my having to think about it. I think we naturally inherit a full set of behaviors, both masculine and feminine, but for most men the feminine behaviors are consciously or unconsciously blocked. We simply have to allow them to emerge.
Hi Lucille honey goodness girlfriend I think I got most of my movements feminized I think I’m a natural really I guess early life till age 11 I was female just the ultimate Tom boy I guess after this is when I really started learning to cover it up or get beat up the next 45 years trying to undo the first eleven years of training I didn’t succeed really now at 56 it all is coming back quickly after 5 months in transition and 3 full time now my male side is still required at times for the moment it is really getting hard to go back even for just a little while I want to end this back and forth crap all I want to do is rub my male side out rub him out see Lol&loL he died and left me in charge who’s he fooling I was always in charge really Lol&loL Love MJ
I have to add something amusing. John Wayne, super macho tough guy, was famous for the “John Wayne walk”. But if you look closely, he rotates his hips, keeps his shoulders more still, and keeps his feet more in front of one another, while staying rather relaxed. Good girly strolling style, and they loved it!
OMG! This segment was so helpful! I find that if I just slow down while wearing high heels (and short skirts *blush*), my movements become so natural and dare I say… sexy! Thanks so much Lucille! Love ya hun!
Well-l-l, here’s my 20 cents (it was 2 cents, but you know, inflation…): I have six guidelines, plus a bit more, in order of importance. This applies to being still as well as moving, actually. It’s better to master (mistress?) one then go on to the next.
1. Be aware of your center. This awareness unconsciously affects your presentation. Usually a few inches below your navel. Just practice that awareness until it’s automatic, but not intrusive. Honest, it’s good advice.
2. Stand tall, but not stiffly. See some specifics below.
3. Keep your joints loose, but not sloppily, of course. Practice being relaxed.
4. Head up, shoulders back, but remember to stay loose.
5. Tummy in, as much as you can comfortably. This often follows from No. 1 above, anyway.
6. Thighs together.
Extra:
I’s usually better to take smaller steps. But if you can do it when appropriate, long, slow steps are really sexy. Of course, it’s boring to try being sexy all the time. Use judgement.
And of course, SMILE.
By the way, those were SUCH great videos!
There is so much helpful information here! Thank you so much to everyone that offered something! I am struggling with these kinds of issues and I really enjoy reading what all of you have posted. I am so jealous of all you beautiful ladies that look so amazing, do such a wonderful job with your makeup, and can walk like a model! Can someone tell me how to look shorter? I’m 6’01” which makes me very self-conscious. I try to smile when someone walks toward me like Steve suggested which seems to help a lot. I am also going to concentrate on keeping my palms up like Angie said! Anyway, than you again to everyone, I’ve enjoyed reading all of your stories and tips. They are a huge help for me! Best wishes to all of you!
Kathy
Thank you to everyone that has provided such helpful information! I am so jealous of all you ladies that look so amazing and know your stuff. It’s a big help to people like me that struggle with these issues. I really like the “palms up” tip and the reminder to smile. Now if someone could tell me how to look shorter I would appreciate that! Being 6’01” is the thing that makes me self-conscious. Thank you again everyone! Best wishes to you all!
Kathy
Hello Everyone!
So many great tips here, it’s a huge help for someone like me that struggles with these issues. Thank you to everyone that has offered their insight. I am very jealous of all you ladies that can pull of the look and the walk so naturally, and the makeup!! Thanks to all of you though I can keep working on these things which will build my confidence. I really like what Steve said about smiling, that really does help I think. I just wish I wasn’t 6’01”, that’s my biggest concern. Anyway, thank you again to all of you for your help and inspiration! Best wishes to all of you!
Kathy