How in the world can I walk like a guy? Apparently, it's another one of my dead giveaways and I just haven't found any solid info. on what separates a masculine walk from a feminine one.
I TRIED to casually come out to a friend who said there was no way I was a guy because I "walk really girly" among other things that weren't taken as lighthearted :-\.
Anyway, I'd love to get some coaching or advice on how to walk more like a guy because every time I walk now I'm always really aware and it just comes off as awkward and unnatural. It also reminds me about my hips and how I can't help but walk with them rolling slightly....
Any tips guys?
What I did for a while was observe others. Being an animation major helped observation skills quite a bit in my case so I got a lot of chances just to study walking in people in general. Men have very varied walks just like anyone else and even they roll their hips. Since we were born with more generous proportions in that area it is magnified so it is good to be aware of hip motion.
A lot of advice online will tell you to be direct. Walk like you have somewhere to go and don't doddle so much. Be more deliberate and less shy with your steps and use your shoulders more, arms a bit as well. Dont over do it of course.... you may just look obnoxiously perky ;D
Another biggie is when you are standing still don't rest your weight so much on one leg. then your hip will pop out and be accentuated again. Stand more even.
It may be easier to keep in mind there should be some sensitive bits between your legs so no putting your legs together so much.
Uh.... I dunno what other tips I can give right now. There is a lot to it and mindset probably helps too. try not to be so shy. make yourself look too small and its considered feminine in most cases.
You can always imitate different guys walks and practice off of those. You have female anatomy and were raised to walk like one. You have to relearn it so don't worry you cant be the only one with a girly walk here. It may just take time.
Hope this helps.
I've lost count of the forums I've been banned from after saying that MtFs should have female body language so it's nice to hear a FtM who wants to walk like a guy.
I see the difference as being a male walks like a clockwork toy with pelvis remaining level and legs just going back and farwards while some females have pelvises that go up and down as the legs work...the fashion models strutting down a catwalk do this to exaggeration. Girls in a hurry swing their arms out to the side from their elbow.
If a guy does the same it's cos he's effeminate.
To walk male keep the body and pelvis rigid, take longish steps and arms still.
The thing is part of it is your anatomy. I imagine with t and fat redistribution it would be easier.
Also typically, guys walk with their shoulders and girls walk with their hips.
@ Kamren: Yeah I've tried to study animations on youtube and such (I chose this approach because I don't exactly want to be staring down guys, especially from behind!) only to find that it seems a bit overdone in animations and not natural. Also they go too fast to keep up with, what with the hands going one way and the legs another! It's just like trying to keep track of a single rotor blade on a helicopter separately! But I'll definitely try the be-more-confident approach. That seems to be why I've also been somewhat feminine, a shyish, awkward, slouchy walk. I also tend to lead with my toes.....annoying really. Thanks for your advice! I'll take it into practice whenever I can and see how it goes.
@ Lilacwoman: I've searched this forum for masculine walking tips only to be overflowed with tips for you girls! I actually tried reversing the advice but I think that just made me look gawky and un-rhythmed (perhaps I'm being too critical?). The rigid pelvis is something I haven't heard before so I'll definitely try that out thanks for that!
@ Kyle XD: I'm dying to get on T to redistribute all that weight down there to help with the hip rolling! Could you elaborate on the "walk with their shoulders" part? I've heard that elsewhere but I didn't exactly get a proper visual of how the shoulders play a part.
Quote from: Meepit on August 25, 2010, 03:47:07 AM
@ Kamren: Yeah I've tried to study animations on youtube and such (I chose this approach because I don't exactly want to be staring down guys, especially from behind!) only to find that it seems a bit overdone in animations and not natural. Also they go too fast to keep up with, what with the hands going one way and the legs another! It's just like trying to keep track of a single rotor blade on a helicopter separately! But I'll definitely try the be-more-confident approach. That seems to be why I've also been somewhat feminine, a shyish, awkward, slouchy walk. I also tend to lead with my toes.....annoying really. Thanks for your advice! I'll take it into practice whenever I can and see how it goes.
@ Lilacwoman: I search this forum for masculine walking tips only to be overflowed with tips for you girls! I actually tried reversing the advice but I think that just made me look gawky and un-rhythmed (perhaps I'm being too critical?). The rigid pelvis is something I haven't heard before so I'll definitely try that out thanks for that!
@ Kyle XD: I'm dying to get on T to redistribute all that weight down there to help with the hip rolling! Could you elaborate on the "walk with their shoulders" part? I've heard that elsewhere but I didn't exactly get a proper visual of how the shoulders play a part.
Well they use more of their upper body in general.
Quote from: Kyle XD on August 25, 2010, 03:48:11 AM
Well they use more of their upper body in general.
Ahh I see. I think that's another thing T will help me with then....I'm hoping my center of gravity will move and stop the hip rolling.....
Quote from: Meepit on August 25, 2010, 03:47:07 AM
@ Kamren: Yeah I've tried to study animations on youtube and such (I chose this approach because I don't exactly want to be staring down guys, especially from behind!) only to find that it seems a bit overdone in animations and not natural. Also they go too fast to keep up with, what with the hands going one way and the legs another! It's just like trying to keep track of a single rotor blade on a helicopter separately! But I'll definitely try the be-more-confident approach. That seems to be why I've also been somewhat feminine, a shyish, awkward, slouchy walk. I also tend to lead with my toes.....annoying really. Thanks for your advice! I'll take it into practice whenever I can and see how it goes.
No Haha! I didn't mean look at animation. I was just saying working in animation has helped me be observant. Sorry if you misunderstood. I just meant use observational skills to look at real people. I would use video recordings if you are uncomfortable looking at people in public.
This is an old link that might help a bit.
http://www.biomotionlab.ca/Demos/BMLwalker.html (http://www.biomotionlab.ca/Demos/BMLwalker.html)
At least to give you some ideas.
I just wanted to interject that if you're a guy, and you walk a certain way, the fact you're a guy automatically makes it a guys walk.
I wouldn't worry too much about the whole "but you can't be a guy, you walk like a girl!" comment - you will hear 100 thousand reasons why you can't possibly be a guy if the person you're telling isn't ready to accept it.
Walking awkwardly and unnaturally and being self conscience is going to be a lot more damaging than a bit of a hip wiggle.
If Vin Diesel walked like you would everyone suddenly start reading him female?
From what I can see, girls have a rolling sway in the hip area and guys have a kind of twitch--I can't master the twitch because of issues, but I have this walk where my hips sway unbelievably. But I second Jeatyn, too. If someone was to say my walk was girly so I can't be a guy (and I do have a girly walk--if you picture models, that's how I walk) I'd point out guys that walk like me. You can probably point out guys that walk like you, too.
Guys have junk. Guys do not have hips (that is, they have a whole different pelvis shape). There you have why guys walk how they walk. It's not necessarily a "guy walk" it's just anatomy, as a couple others have pointed out. Girls have hips and usually sway a little when they walk.
My take on it? Hips pushed forwards and tilted up slightly (compensates for the different pelivic shape and angle). Pushing them into this position seems to automatically calm the hip-swaying thang too. Don't do it so much that it feels uncomfortable. You don't want to queer your back.
Point knees and toes slightly outwards, with knees bent a little more than you usually would.
Lean back slightly from the hips. Relax shoulders. Walk with purpose.
I have a very feminine back curvature which makes my butt stick out and sway my hips when I walk. Something I do is look at myself in the mirror and then adjust my back so that it makes a straight line all the way down, basically making it so my butt doesn't stick out. If you walk with that line in mind it naturally helps widen your stance and gives you a more masculine stride.
Edit: Papillon, we were typing at the same time and basically described the same thing in different ways. Like you said. Hips pushed forward. That's what I do to straighten my back.
Quote from: Meepit on August 25, 2010, 03:47:07 AM
@ Kamren: Yeah I've tried to study animations on youtube and such (I chose this approach because I don't exactly want to be staring down guys, especially from behind!)
Buy yourself a pair of sunglasses! Sunglasses are great for that kind of things.
But apart from that - don't worry too much. Your walk may change a lot with fat redistribution and muscles building up.
And I know a straight transguy who wiggles a bit as his hips are large (transition completed). It does not even look gay, and even less female. And I also know a couple of bio guys who wiggle a bit for the same reasons.
here's the man walk thing.
first girl I saw when I left home this morning was hurrying along with her bag over her right arm bent at the elbow and her left arm was bent partway and swinging out to the side in time to her steps, absolutely female and impossible to imagine any guy doing that.
this is a way of coming across as a strong guy
http://www.tsbmag.com/2009/02/11/how-to-walk-like-an-alpha-male/ (http://www.tsbmag.com/2009/02/11/how-to-walk-like-an-alpha-male/)
Here's John T doing a walk you can see any day. see he's deliberately lifting his shoulders as he walks. tough guy strut and eyeing all the girls as he goes.
saturdaynightfever intro pickup 01 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okpCx87orOA#)
oops.. didn't know we could post youtube clips on here.
in that clip when John turns to look at the girl in the striped top you can see how her hips are doing the girl thing.
I've always been told the best way to walk like a man is to "walk with your dick."
I learned from a King friend I have. Buy a strap on with harness if you don't have one already and have a friend grab the dick and walk you around the room by pulling it. It'll give you an over exaggerated idea of how to walk like a guy. Your legs will spread apart more, they won't cross, and your hips won't have a feminine swish. It'll really help highlight how different is it to walk like a male than like a female.
I've been told since I was a kid that I "walk like a farmer". I took this as a compliment...however my mom was trying to insult me.
Basically I"ve always walked with my shoulders...think of how girls swivel their hips when they walk...guys sort of swivel their shoulders.
Quote from: Kamren on August 25, 2010, 03:10:08 AM
It may be easier to keep in mind there should be some sensitive bits between your legs so no putting your legs together so much.
THISx10
as far as i've ever noticed, this is the ONLY difference between a boyish girls and a feminine guys walk. yes, i watch how people move and talk. guys stand a big wider because of the bits in between their legs [cause.. crushing them. would hurt. a lot.]
Quote from: zombiesarepeaceful on August 25, 2010, 04:01:47 PM
I've been told since I was a kid that I "walk like a farmer". I took this as a compliment...however my mom was trying to insult me.
My mom was like that too. And when I was 14, she despaired and wanted me to do some sports to get a nicer body language as I had bad coordination. She wanted me to do dancing, ballet or somethng like that. I was like, okay, you're right mom, I need to get the coordination problem fixed. I mean I had both a male and a bad coordination. And I came up one week later with a Ju Jutsu course (martial arts) and she was VERY disappointed. And I was like where is the problem, this will help me get better coordination, smoother movements etc., just as you wished. I did this sport for about two years, and it helped a lot, but she hated it. ;D
Quote from: Fencesitter on August 25, 2010, 06:17:24 PM
My mom was like that too. And when I was 14, she despaired and wanted me to do some sports to get a nicer body language as I had bad coordination. She wanted me to do dancing, ballet or somethng like that. I was like, okay, you're right mom, I need to get the coordination problem fixed. I mean I had both a male and a bad coordination. And I came up one week later with a Ju Jutsu course (martial arts) and she was VERY disappointed. And I was like where is the problem, this will help me get better coordination, smoother movements etc., just as you wished. I did this sport for about two years, and it helped a lot, but she hated it. ;D
nice to know other people have had similar experiances with dance and balance. I had the worst balance for years (still pretty bad today but i can walk in a straight line now)
ballet helped a bit, but i hated it. gymnastics helped a little (not much, was only *good* at floor, and that wasn't great)
Starting karate less than a year ago has done more for my balance than year
s of dance and gymnastics. and it's something I ENJOY xD
Quote from: insanitylives on August 25, 2010, 06:28:52 PM
nice to know other people have had similar experiances with dance and balance. I had the worst balance for years (still pretty bad today but i can walk in a straight line now)
ballet helped a bit, but i hated it. gymnastics helped a little (not much, was only *good* at floor, and that wasn't great)
Starting karate less than a year ago has done more for my balance than years of dance and gymnastics. and it's something I ENJOY xD
Nice to hear you also have "sports issues".
Oh, I never had a problem with balance. I even had a balance so fabulous that it made me famous in my school. But I had trained a lot as a little kid, standing on a ball as "I wanted to join the circus", bycicling with my arms in the air etc. And I could climb like an ape. It was just my coordination which was awful. But dancing always was like - no, I'm not gonna do it. Doing ballet, no way. And I don't like playing the female role in other dances, you know? My ex boyfriend wanted to persuade me to do join a dance course and I was just like - NO I CAN'T. And I would not like either being forced into the male role. The dancing steps are different for girls than for boys and that pisses me off. I can only dance pogo, but that pretty well. Just, I feel too old to dance pogo now. Only other dances I can imagine to do are Capoeira or something like that.
Maybe one day, I'll learn how to do the foxtrott. But I don't feel like I want to learn it. I hate social dances. At least when they're gendered, and most are.
Yes I remember once upon time I was trying to learn too ::)
It's been said already, but sway your shoulders more and walk with your feet angled slightly outwards, don't over do it or you will look ridiculous, it took me years before people stopped making fun of my walk.
Quote from: Meepit on August 25, 2010, 02:25:42 AM
How in the world can I walk like a guy? Apparently, it's another one of my dead giveaways and I just haven't found any solid info. on what separates a masculine walk from a feminine one.
I TRIED to casually come out to a friend who said there was no way I was a guy because I "walk really girly" among other things that weren't taken as lighthearted :-\.
Anyway, I'd love to get some coaching or advice on how to walk more like a guy because every time I walk now I'm always really aware and it just comes off as awkward and unnatural. It also reminds me about my hips and how I can't help but walk with them rolling slightly....
Any tips guys?
Not reading the whole thread so maybe someone has already said some of this, but maybe a couple thoughts from one going the other way will at least give you another spin on it.
As a preliminary thought - it's my understanding that sme unfortunate aspects of anatomy (in the hip area) make it almost automatic that6 you've have the "rotation" thing going on and I'm not sure if what i'm about so say covers that but oh well...
for me, what I tried to avoid was "heavy feet" - that is, when trying to walk like a woman I tend to put the ball of my foot down just slightly ahead of the heel, almost like not6-quite-tiptoes. I'm not sure how well it works overall (I don't have a coach handy) but it "feels right" and i can better work the backside rotation doing this.
when referencing my own experience and how I always walked with what i do now, a guy walks very "heel first" and, if you can imagine, like he's wearing weighted shoes. I can't exactly tell you how to do that, anymore than i can fully explain to a M2F how to walk with "light feet" but if you get it right, you'll feel it.
I think.
First of all, thanks EVERYONE for your insight! I wasn't expecting this many replies and many of you brought up things that really changed the way I looked at the situation.
The biomotionlab link and the videos and link given by lilacwoman were especially helpful because I tend to be a more visual person. Thanks ;D
Stuff I hadn't heard before but definitely seemed to make sense were the "walk with your junk" comments and the various tips on hip angle and general body posture/shape. I too was cursed with somewhat of a female-curved back so this helps a lot!
The idea that really struck me though was the point first brought up by Jeatyn. I think that'll definitely help me be more carefree and confident in my walk.
Thanks again everyone for your advice, you've been more helpful than you probably think! I think we already started a good resource for other guys with walking issues such as mine so this definitely goes beyond helping just me! Now I just have to remember the key points and put it into practice. Wish me luck ::)
when i came out one of the first things some friends and family said was that it now makes sense why i walk 'like a guy'. I'd never really took the time to notice the difference between guy walks and girl walks, and apart from agreeing with what everyone in this thread has said i think the positioning of the feet when you walk is quite important.
I noticed women tend to walk with their feet straight, and men with their toes slightly outward. I just tried to look up sole wear patterns for male/ female but came up with nothing, still it would be interesting to see if there is a gender correlation in sole wear on shoes. I noticed the heels of my shoes have worn dramatically from the outer side, i guess because i'm a toes out walker.
Quote from: Wolf on August 25, 2010, 10:07:59 PM
when i came out one of the first things some friends and family said was that it now makes sense why i walk 'like a guy'. I'd never really took the time to notice the difference between guy walks and girl walks, and apart from agreeing with what everyone in this thread has said i think the positioning of the feet when you walk is quite important.
I noticed women tend to walk with their feet straight, and men with their toes slightly outward. I just tried to look up sole wear patterns for male/ female but came up with nothing, still it would be interesting to see if there is a gender correlation in sole wear on shoes. I noticed the heels of my shoes have worn dramatically from the outer side, i guess because i'm a toes out walker.
There shouldn't be. If the inner edge/big toe area wears out first though, it's a sign you're flat footed (definitely a problem.)
other aspects of man-walking you might think about and study round your towns are, A, do you walk head up and confident or head down and shuffling hoping to pass by unnoticed on the streets?; B, do you walk out on the kerb, the centre or up against the wall?;
if you're worried about trying to hide a big chest its possible you've gotten used to slouching along trying to minimise it but if you're binding successfully and T has given you a bit of maleness about your face you might try striding down the centre of the sidewalk with your head held high and enjoy being seen as a confident guy.
Don't make eye contact with either males or females as they may read you or feel obliged to get defensively offensive with you.
I walk like a camel. But every now and then I have little female givaways. They annoy the hell out of me.
Very interesting thread :)
Quote from: Aiden James on August 25, 2010, 03:24:57 PM
I've always been told the best way to walk like a man is to "walk with your dick."
I learned from a King friend I have. Buy a strap on with harness if you don't have one already and have a friend grab the dick and walk you around the room by pulling it. It'll give you an over exaggerated idea of how to walk like a guy. Your legs will spread apart more, they won't cross, and your hips won't have a feminine swish. It'll really help highlight how different is it to walk like a male than like a female.
Now this is the best one I've read yet. LoL I bet my girlfriend will love this exercise
But yeah...I tend to walk with my shoulders rather than my hips, I don't let my hips move very much. I would also like to point out and I hope that it's not going to offend people but seriously, it shouldn't. We're here to learn how to present as MEN. But make sure you aren't exaggerating your walk, sometimes that can come off as butch dyke, and people will still clock you as a female, just butch. I've seen way too many people over exaggerate and you can TELL they are trying far too hard. Just relax, let your arms relax at your sides, don't bring too much movement to your lower body...not sure if anyone knows or seen people that do that over exaggerated walk but I see it a lot in movies where there's a girl that's supposed to be playing a boy or something, like the movie "Just One of the Guys"...her walk is way over the top in that. Too much movement.
Quote from: Silver on August 26, 2010, 07:23:57 AM
There shouldn't be. If the inner edge/big toe area wears out first though, it's a sign you're flat footed (definitely a problem.)
Nah it's just the heel area. I tried correcting how i stand but it just feels so wrong trying to walk with my feet straight
Like Kamren said, observation helps a lot. Watch the subtle things that girls tend to do when they walk, then do the same for men. I spent a lot of time observing the differences between men and women, so all I need to do is remind myself to walk like a man, and I can. It just takes lots and lots of observation. People can tell you exactly what it is men do that is different from women, but you really have to pay attention for yourself to do it right.
Quote from: Kev on August 26, 2010, 09:10:12 AM
I walk like a camel. But every now and then I have little female givaways. They annoy the hell out of me.
Very interesting thread :)
LOL this I can relate to. When I try walking a bit more stiffly (at the hips and such), I feel like I'm doing somewhat of a slow horse walk or even worse I end up looking like how a gingerbread man would walk D:. I think I'm overdoing it ::)
Thank goodness my walk is one thing I don't have to worry about. But now, whenever I walk somewhere, I have the song "Stayin' Alive" playing in my head. :P :laugh:
Quote from: jmaxley on August 28, 2010, 12:58:54 AM
Thank goodness my walk is one thing I don't have to worry about. But now, whenever I walk somewhere, I have the song "Stayin' Alive" playing in my head. :P :laugh:
so long as you don't want to play that backseat bj scene too! :o
Men take longer steps than women, and their hips don't really swing when they walk. But women's hips swing when they walk. If you walk with your legs kind of far apart, it works pretty well to stop your hips from swinging, I think. I'm not completely sure. I walk like a guy, and that's how I do it. But I'm double jointed in my legs, so I think that may have something to do with the way I walk. Sorry that I'm not much help lol Also, when guys walk they swing their arms differently or not at all, and they keep their head up so that they're looking straight ahead. Another thing I've heard is that girls move out of the way for other people when they're walking on a crowded sidewalk, but guys don't usually.
When I first started learning how to walk more masculine I watched how guys walking towards me walked and mimicked it.Then I watched as I walked and really practiced it.It's all about trying to not walk in basically a straight line like most females do.One you practice you automatically start walking that way without trying.