Charm School Fridays : How to walk Properly

Great Clothes without a great walk is a disaster!

I have a friend who was always identified as an American woman by the local men when she traveled abroad to Italy and France. Curious as to how the always new she was American before she ever spoke to them, she asked them how they knew, "American women walk like men, not women," they replied. Wow that's very telling! This got me to thinking, is how we walk just as important as our focus on walking to get were going? I decided to dig through my old charm books from a bygone era, and see what they have to say about a woman's walk and I wonder if we can  still apply these techniques today with or without books on our head? The following information I found in a charm school book from 1962. 

As pointed out by a friend, undergarments like corsets and girdles affected how women walked. When this book was published, however, corset or not, I strongly feel we need to amend how we walk today because there is something to be said for a woman walking gracefully while getting to where she needs to go.

Chart For Correct Foot Position

One could use a piece of chalk or a strip of tape to create a straight line for practice

Top 10 Tips for a graceful walk

1.The body must be correctly aligned with the back as straight as possible. To start, the knee bone should be over the ankle bone, the hipbone over the knee bone, shoulder bone over the hipbone and the head over all. Maintain this torso alignment while the legs are in motion.

2.The step should be no longer in your own foot so that the distance between the heel of the forward foot and the toe of the back foot this not exceed the length of the foot. Do not reach for your steps and do not mince along.

3. The toes should point straight ahead or be turned slightly outward as models and dancers walk.

4  There should be no perceptible change of weight from one foot to the other. This can be best achieved by keeping the weight on the balls of the feet and by "pushing off" with the ball of the back foot.

5. The knees are kept flexed so that they may act as the "spring" for the body to give a smooth, glide appearance.

6. One foot is placed directly in front of the other on one line. This method gives a feminine look and when done with balance and grace night be called "showgirls walk."

7. The legs swing forward from the waistline so that the hips also move forward and forward. They do not move from side to side, nor do they undulate. This avoids hosiery rub. When the right leg comes forward, the right hip comes forward.

8.The arms move in opposition to the feet for balance so that when the right foot is forward, the left arm swings forward and vice versa. The hand should swing forward to the toe and backward to the heel. The more vigorous the walk, the more vigorous the hand swing.

9. The arms should swing relaxed from the shoulders with the elbows held fairly close to the body but not tight. They should remain relaxed should not bend as the arm comes forward.

10. Float from the waistline up, Walk from the waistline down. They head, shoulders and upper torso move forward smoothly as though disconnected from the rest of the body. The control of the walk comes from the mid-driff, and the leg moves forward from the waistline.

From here on out, your success will depend upon practicing the foregoing techniques until you have a "naturally" beautiful walk.

Your walk tells a great deal about you. It reveals carelessness, timidity, shyness, aggressiveness; for it can bespeak the loveliness of you. It is worthwhile to learn "to walk in beauty."

From the Book, University Beauty College Guide to Beauty Charm Poise

Social Disgrace in social media- The death of modesty.

"Eccentricity must be avoided by those who desire to excel in the art of conversation. A Style that is extreme or odd from it's very conspicuousness call forth remarks. Neglected personal appearance has vitiating influence in conversation no less than in manners...Appropriateness of dress is of prime consideration."

From the book: Our Manners at home and Abroad (1888)

A colleague of mine posted on her blog an admonishment to women to stop posting racy photographs of themselves on their social media pages and on line dating websites. She tried to encourage women that they are more than their bodies and that the clothing they wore (or the lack thereof) was sending the wrong message. For the most part women were supportive of the message but there were a few that opposed her message stating that by pointing out this problem , she was shaming women and accusing them of being women with "loose morals" so to speak. I read the comments  and I can attest that this lady was not "shaming" anyone, they were shaming themselves with these photographs they voluntarily posted on their pages for all to see, but sadly the loud cries of being a killjoy drowned out the voices of reason.

The women also demonstrated an attitude of entitlement that they should be treated well no matter what they were wearing and it is simply untrue and sadly the 21st century has made us more visual than ever and alot more judgemental of what we see. I remember  as a young woman in high school seeing the press conference that 1984 Miss America Vanessa Williams had  to conduct and resign her title due to some nude photos that she posed for  shortly before she was crowned. Ms. Williams did not display an a defiant stance, she admitted to a lapse in judgement as a struggling college student, graciously relinquished the crown and set about to repair her damaged reputation and 27 years later she is a successful singer and actress. Although those photographs will be a permanent chapter in her life, she courageously refuses to let it define her. In her professional career, she also owns the choice and displays her talents in music and television projects that do not exploit her image.

I know there are some that  may use her example as proof that we don't have to let those images define us and we can rise above it, but my question is why present images of yourself that will create challenges down the road for you  unnecessarily? Ms. Williams by her own admission has stated that overcoming that scandal took alot of hard work and determination. I fear today that  if a young woman  today had to deal with that same situation Ms. Williams faced, there would be no blushing or embarrassment , she would stand by her decision and would not apologize. If she did feel embarrassment, there would be plenty of women's groups to suggest otherwise stating that she had the "right" and no one has the right to criticize her freedom of expression. As a reward, she would probably get a book deal, a reality show and be marketed as an "example" to young girls everywhere of positive body consciousness.  It seems that now days, that modesty has died and no one attended the funeral.

The aforementioned quote makes it very clear that what you wear on your body (or don't wear) can elevate or undermine what is spoken out of your mouth. I pray these young women (and men) understand  this before those images could come back to haunt them down the road and testify against them. For those of us who are a little older, we in our youth have made choices we are not proud of I am sure but in the 21st century  where the internet, photoshopping and other technological advances make it easier to form an opinion about someone based on the imaging presented, I believe it to be wise to admonish young children and adults that  things they view as harmless today can damage their image and/or reputation years from now and they may not have 27 years to get it  right.

Postscript:   I have read some blog comments from people who defend a woman's right to post sexualy racy photos of themselves (which they are free to do) on different social media sites like facebook as not a big deal, we should not shame a woman etc. but  this  company started about a year ago reviews peoples social media pages as part of the background check.  A woman may be smart with a degree, but just might lose that great job opportunity because of a shot she put on her page of her wearing just undergarments! Something to think about......


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