Your walk is a critical aspect of your female image. Learning how to walk in a naturally feminine way can do wonders to enhance your overall appearance.
Unfortunately, it’s easy to go from one extreme (a masculine walk) to the other (over-exaggerated hip swinging).
How can you find a happy medium as you master your feminine movements? I’m glad you asked!
In this article, I share 3 simple tips to help you achieve a natural, womanly walk. Read on to learn more!
1. Try the Hip Matrix
A big difference between men and women is that women tend to have more fluid body movements.
That means you can sway your hips all you want – but until you learn how to “loosen up” your body, your feminine walk will look stiff and unnatural.
The Hip Matrix can help with this. Created by movement specialist Rob Brinded, the Hip Matrix exercise is designed to release tension and free up your body movements so you can achieve a flowing, feminine walk.
Watch the video above and then try it for yourself. If you compare your walk before and after, I promise you’ll be amazed by the difference!
P.S. You can learn more about Rob’s approach to feminine movement in my Stepping Out Secrets Program.
2. Practice in High Heels
Women have a lower center of gravity than men due to their wider hips. This creates that sexy hip sway that’s characteristic of a feminine walk.
Forcing your hips to sway usually looks unnatural. Instead, practice walking in high heels. High heels change your center of gravity and exaggerate the forward curve of your spine. This helps release the hips, which naturally feminizes your movements.
You can enhance this effect by trying to keep your shoulders still as you walk. This forces you to use your hips for balance.
Once you’ve mastered hip walking in heels, practice the same movements in flat shoes.
3. Shorten Your Stride
Shortening your stride is another easy and effective way to feminize your walk.
The average woman’s step length (the distance from the toe of one foot to the toe of the opposite foot) is 26”. So if you want to be scientific about it, get out a ruler and measure your steps! Your natural stride is probably longer, so work on taking shorter steps.
Note: The higher your heels are, the shorter your steps should be.
Conclusion
There are other subtle elements that define a feminine walk, but these tips are a great place to start. Give them a try and let me know what you think!
I’d also love to hear about any other movement tips or techniques you’ve found helpful. 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.
What works best for me is getting my posture right. I let my neck get longer, let my shoulders drop and be rounded (I tend to normally have shrugged shoulders), and arms bent. I have to, at first be conscious of keeping my knees a little closer together, and the foot placement and length of stride, as you show above. If I take a few deep breaths to relax, after just a few strides, it all seems to work. I feel that woman love the way they walk, and that it just expresses a general contentment with being feminine. Learn to enjoy yours! I can’t wait to try the hip matrix stretch! I practice yoga, using a woman trainer. She offers similar techniques. (thank you Lucille for all you do!)
Very good advice. You look lovely.
i been trying with walking and practicing in my apt and when i go out when i wear my 3.5″ heels
“… and always, always place one foot in the footprint of the one in front.”
What? If the front foot is making the print, you can’t place the other foot in that spot!!
I think what Kath is trying to say is, place your feet in a straight line as you walk. That is fine, if you want to look as if you are strutting the runway, but if you look at most women as they walk away from you, you will find the heel of each foot strikes just outside a line drawn through the center of the body.
I have found what works for me is to remember to keep my knees close together, and remember to point my toes straight forward. Wearing heels helps, but I have been walking that way for so long, it has become second nature to me. When in “man clothes” I tend to walk splay-footed, which looks very strange when “dressed”. When I was in high school, one of my genetic female classmates walked that way. Everyone used to tease her, saying she walked like a duck. So don’t walk like a duck! LOL
The heel advice is good – and the step length. For me though, the rhymthic relationship between legs, hips and arms is important … worth practicing until it feels natural. Also always angle the lower half of your arms outwards – away from your hips … women have to do this to clear their hips when they walk. When you are wearing jeans and flat shoes, try and think you are wearing a flowing dress with high heels – adn walk the same way no matter what you are wearing. Posture is critical too … shoulder back tummy in, bum out … and always, always place one foot in the footprint of the one in front. Hope that helps somebody! xx
Hello ladies. For those that are just starting to walk in heals start out with low heals. I made the mistake trying high ones and twisted my foot. It took a long time to heal and now I’m comfortable with 4 inch. Love your blog Lucy and all the comments that the ladies submit.
i am very new to dressing and not at all confident about going out. as can be seen by the pic i am not a small person, at 6’2″ and 25st i stand out regardless of what i wear, male or female. i also have great difficulty in sitting with my legs together and heels just exgaggerate the difficulty. i am sure i am not the only oversized corss dresser in the world and would be grateful of any help. thanks Lesley.
A pretty outfit.
Another tip is to be sure to bend the knee because men tend to walk more straight legged than women. When I find myself feeling like I am walking in a too masculine way, I remind myself how feminine I am and my knees just automatically bend more which facilitates my thighs brushing together, my hips swaying and the proper placement of my foot.
What also helps me is that I visualise a straight line in front of me I walk on this line one foot in front of the other, shoulders back , chest out and keeping my elbows close to my waist as possible!