Ok We Talked About Voice-What About Movement/Posture/Stance?

[+ Gar1eth]

I was at an upscale Denny's type restaurant-ok it was a Shari's in case anyone wants to know. And two guys walked in. Now obviously I don't know whether one or both these guys were gay. This was several days ago-and I can't remember for sure what he did. It wasn't what I would call a sashay. It wasn't that obvious. And it's not like he grinded his hips from side to side. But there was something about his walk that suggested to me he was gay.

 

Gman

[+ FreshFluff]

The "typical" male walk involves more shoulder movement while women keep their shoulders relatively still and move their hips more. The campy sachay is similar to a female walk.

 

Check this out:

http://www.biomotionlab.ca/Demos/BMLwalker.html

[+ Gar1eth]

I remember once in eight grade I was walking back to class after lunch. Some popular athlete in my class said, 'Look at him. He doesn't move his arms when he walks.' I don't know if that was my natural walk, a walk I did because I was self-conscious at him looking at me, or if he just caught me in an uncharacteristic movement. But it made me very self-conscious of my gait.

 

But it's not just movement. It can be body placement at rest too. There is a position with hands on the hips and one hip thrust out to the side. You hardly ever see guys do it. But it's not terribly uncommon for some gay men. I have trouble believing people pick these traits up consciously.

 

The whole gay-voice -movement -mannerisms vs straight-voice-movement -mannerisms is very confusing.

 

Gman

[+ poolboy48220]

And cultural. A friend worked in Germany for a few years, and the body language really confused him; lots of mannerisms that, in America, would peg you as gay.

[Nebost]

I suppose hip and shoulder movement is more associated with feminine characteristics. For some gay men it is conscious emulation of female traits, just as in the way they idolize someone like Beyonce. But I agree that some of how we move and carry ourselves is just the way we are. Some of us are naturally butch, others less so. I'm not flamboyant, but I also don't have the most masculine walk , posture or mannerisms. I have some lesbian friends who don't move their hips and shoulders at all when they walk, they carry themselves just like a military man.