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.
Great advice, as always. Walking in heels certainly helps.
The trick is walking naturally and not emphasising hip movements,
Thanks,
Jacqui
When I first started wearing high heels,I didnt really have to much of a problem as the heels were not to high.
I have noticed that heels does make you feel very feminine and a very important part of becoming a woman and a flowing dress or skirt I did watch the video but didnt notice how the ladies arms were,to busy looking at the dresses and shoes lol
I was thinking as I looked at your video. I guess I have never pushed my walk that far but I also know that my walk is more feminine than not. I have always had wide hips as early as my teen years. My mother use to complain about having to buy pants one to two sizes larger to fit over my hips and then adjust the waist. I have been on estrogen of different types since I was twenty-two and I am considerably older now. Because of my hips I have always walked with a sway to my gait. I try to tone it down in public but it is noticeably there. These days I wear long jean skirts most of the time and they fit snugly around my hips. This makes e very much aware of my walk and some times, because I like the way it feels, I make it more noticeable but never overly so. Still when ever you send me something I learn a little more about how to make it better so thanks Lucille I hope you continue to send me new things.
Really wonderful advice! Thank you, Lucille! Back straight but not stiff, shoulders back but not too much, arms relaxed with palms of hands turned slightly out, and the best one I think is to walk as if you are walking to music–looking at those who approach you.
I love this!
OH! a little PS on my last comment. If you notice the girl on the right in the video, you’ll see what I mean about the way the arms are turned outward as compared to a guy’s arms. There’s also much more arm swing than a guy too which also adds to natural hip sway. Like a golf swing, it gets your arms out of the way of your hips! LOL!
I find two rules work best for movement:
1. Be economical. Most men are the proverbial “bull in the china shop.” Make minimal, precise movements. No need to go overboard and be “prissy.”
2. Move because you enjoy movement – imagine you’re moving to music – not rocking about like an autistic epileptic, but have fun moving – let some enthusiasm into your movement. Smile while you’re moving and watch the other person, not yourself.
Most women are more empathetic than most men for one simple reason: they pay attention.
“Move because you enjoy movement.” – GREAT TIP!
Hello All!
I found that in addition to Lucille’s tips that if you turn your arms in the same direction as GG’s carry theirs it helps with the waist movement as well and it makes relaxing the body a little easier. Women carry their arms with their palms turned slightly toward the front of the body, like a 1/4 turn away from each side. It’s something guys have to make themself do. I do it all the time and it takes conscience effort to do it but it helps with my hip motion. I’ve been studying that women also have their feet turned to the outside when they walk in flats. I am experimenting with that too as to how it relates to hip sway. Perhaps someone will come up with an answer before I do. Just wanted to add this little tidbit FYI as to what I’ve found. Have a great rest of the weekend!
Hugs to all,
Kelli Lynne
Excellent points, Kelli! Yes, it’s also important to note the direction of the palms.
Hi All
I found spending a whole walking the city streets in heels soon found me relaxed and walking with cofindance, found looking for my and others reflection helped. With others i could see if i was being noticed and i wasnt which ment to me that i was passable
Thanks Sharon