# Girls, ladies, is the fine movement of your butt, when walking, learned behavior? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 7, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-ladies-is-the-fine-movement-of-your-butt-when-walking-learned-behavior/655087 "2013-04-07T18:56:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-ladies-is-the-fine-movement-of-your-butt-when-walking-learned-behavior/655087/41 "2013-04-13T16:16:20Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > The back arching pops out the T & A, so when the hips swing with an arched back… well, you know what happens. Around here, penis ensues. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![svd678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@svd678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/svd678)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-ladies-is-the-fine-movement-of-your-butt-when-walking-learned-behavior/655087/42 "2013-04-13T16:16:36Z")
When models walk a runway, introducing a new line of dresses, etc. they have peculiar gait: imagine they are following a line; they place the right foot to the left of the line, then the left foot to the right of the line. Thus zigzagging. I assume this is deliberate. I don’t find it at all attractive or anything positive - why do they do it? ---
**Author:** ![Daylate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9dc877/32.png) [@Daylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daylate)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-ladies-is-the-fine-movement-of-your-butt-when-walking-learned-behavior/655087/43 "2013-04-13T16:33:31Z")
> [@](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by Dogzilla View Post > The back arching pops out the T & A, so when the hips swing with an arched back… well, you know what happens. H.L. Mencken, the Sage of Baltimore, once wrote that “…they jut out by the bow and jut out by the stern, and look like nothing so much as a drunken dollar sign.” Old H.L. had a way with words. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-ladies-is-the-fine-movement-of-your-butt-when-walking-learned-behavior/655087/44 "2013-04-29T07:06:29Z")
> [@BetsQ](#): > > I want these lessons in walking in heels! Where do I sign up??? [Try Youtube.](http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=walking+in+high+heels+tips&oq=walking+in+high&gs_l=youtube.1.5.0l10.134816463.134822261.0.134827803.15.9.0.6.6.0.335.1183.6j1j1j1.9.0...0.0...1ac.1.11.youtube.8bcbREM9iUY). Youtube is great for such things. I recently read a short story of a dad who was busy when his son came, in and asked if his dad could teach him to tie his tie for an important meeting. Dad said, sure, in a minute, and finished up what he was doing quickly, so he could share this important father-to son skill and create one of those special family memories together. When he finished up and came to look for his son, he heard the boy calling “Bye, see ya tonight Dad!” and heard the front door closing. The boy had already left. On the family computer, the last few seconds were playing of a Youtube clip teaching how to tie a perfect tie knot. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-ladies-is-the-fine-movement-of-your-butt-when-walking-learned-behavior/655087/45 "2013-04-29T07:28:13Z")
> [@svd678](#): > > When models walk a runway, introducing a new line of dresses, etc. they have peculiar gait: imagine they are following a line; they place the right foot to the left of the line, then the left foot to the right of the line. Thus zigzagging. I assume this is deliberate. I don’t find it at all attractive or anything positive - why do they do it? Both to get hippy sway even if the model herself has less hips than a coathanger, and to flatten any thigh curves. I clomp about like a percheron, but with hips like mine, even a clomper sways. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-ladies-is-the-fine-movement-of-your-butt-when-walking-learned-behavior/655087/46 "2013-04-30T21:49:01Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > Also, big mamas tend to waddle a bit, if we aren’t careful. So I trained my walk very early to avoid the waddle, which is extra important since I love high heels. I’ve been thinking about this comment and want clarification. When you say waddle, what do you mean? Is that like a bit of pendulum sideways motion of the body, like your torso is rigid and your head pivots side to side (think penguin)? That kind of walk derives significantly from foot placement. If you put your feet wide as you walk, your center of gravity has to shift heavily side to side. If you do that without hip rotation, your whole body has to roll side to side. If you walk like that with hip rotation, it also looks goofy for a different reason. Like you got a load in your panties. > [@Maastricht](#): > > [Try Youtube.](http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=walking+in+high+heels+tips&oq=walking+in+high&gs_l=youtube.1.5.0l10.134816463.134822261.0.134827803.15.9.0.6.6.0.335.1183.6j1j1j1.9.0...0.0...1ac.1.11.youtube.8bcbREM9iUY). I took that link and watched a handful of vidoes on “how to walk in heels”, with varying levels of usefulness. [This one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3a141Kwmkjk) is the best I saw, with discussion of posture, as well as some elements of leaning, foot placement, leg swing, etc. Also ankle strength, and placement on the balls of feet (toe) rather than heels. When weight is on heels it leads to wobbliness. You can ignore her showing off her runway walks as those are exaggerated and not want you want for regular walking. But she does good demos of normal walks. Definite pointers to improve your walking. [This one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6XZXC12fDI) has a couple of demonstrations of how not to walk sexy, including wide steps, toes out, toes in. Around 1:45 and at 3:20. She says “Barbie toe” a lot. Very repetitive. > [@Nava](#): > > Both to get hippy sway even if the model herself has less hips than a coathanger, and to flatten any thigh curves. Fashion show parading uses big long steps, deep crossover steps to emphasize hip sway, and incorporate posing. Swooshy motions to make the clothing move around, not hang flat. It is definitely exaggerated. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/girls-ladies-is-the-fine-movement-of-your-butt-when-walking-learned-behavior/655087.md?page=2)