Marks of Femininity V

Walking, I don't know whether you have noticed this but men and women walk differently, part of this is the shoes and part attitude.   A man will fill up space (particularly in South London), there may well be a bit of a swagger, the walk will involve the whole body, the more confident (or aggressive) the more will be used elbows, shoulders the lot.

On the other hand a nice ladylike walk is quite different, the first rule sounds basic but isn't ~ one foot in front of the other.   A man will walk with his feet to the side, a lady will walk with her feet in line, as though walking on a plank of wood.   Steps will be shorter, I won't say dainty, when wearing heels this becomes essential for safety if nothing else.   I can't do better than this article on Couture Allure there we get given the golden rules

"A beautiful walk is the sign of a graceful, poised woman. Start in your good posture stance and follow these steps:

•  Lift your thigh slightly. Don't lead with your shoulders.
•  For a feminine walk, the space between your steps should be about the length of your foot. Too long a stride is masculine, too short is mincing.
• On each step your heel should touch the floor first, then quickly shift the weight forward to the entire foot as you take the next step. Keep your feet close to the ground when you lift them.
• Arms should hang relaxed at your sides with palms toward the thighs as they swing forward to the front of your body. Shoulders should be relaxed and elbows close to your sides.
• Keep your toes pointed straight ahead and place your feet directly to the side of an imaginary line running down the centre."

Note the position of the feet of the girl in white, and the position of the head of the guy in blue!

The more I consider it the more I am convinced that whether your aim is to pass or to blend then deportment is at least as important, possibly more important than what you wear or how good your make up is.