When Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos was removed, his wife Imelda’s closet revealed thousands of pairs of shoes. I’m no Imelda, but I do love shoes. I used to buy vintage shoes at garage sales. Minnie Mouse and Betty Boop style pumps, grandma lace ups, stiletto heeled ankle boots; each pair changed my character as I walked. NPR recently reported that the US government is developing radar that can identify a person by his or her walk. The theory is that each walk is as unique as a fingerprint. However, the technique is only 80% effective. Apparently when a woman changes from high heels to combat boots, her walk completely transforms. (I wonder how many tax dollars it took to make that brilliant conclusion….)
This notion of shoes and walking styles has many ramifications. We weren’t born with shoes, so how much of the walk is the person, and how much of the walk is the shoe? You’ve probably had the experience of walking down a street and seeing someone walking in the distance whom you instantly recognized. It didn’t matter whether that person was wearing running shoes or boa trimmed mules, there was something distinctive about that person’s carriage. When a group of barefooted people walks around a room, each has a unique gait. How much therefore is determined by the shoe?
Why is each walk so distinctive? Everyone has a remarkably similar structure -two arms, two legs, a spine. Of course, if you are born with a congenital condition, this will affect your walk. Other than that, walking patterns are learned; from outer influences like parents’ movement styles, and from each person’s individual approach to learning. Environment, temperament and education all play a role in a person’s walk.
Your walk also communicates to others something about your character, perhaps even things that would shock you. Rounded shoulders? You look depressed. No movement in the pelvis? People read that as uptight. Heavy footsteps? Forceful personality. None of these are patterns you were born with, all of them are learned.
Most schools of somatic education (from the Greek word “soma” meaning body) propose that the more functional the skeletal relationship, the more “neutral” the walking pattern. So in a totally organized world, we’d all walk in a similar fashion. Yet, according to the government, we would still be identifiable. What is that indefinable something that makes the Pentagon think it can pick us out of a crowd? And if it’s true, what’s the advantage of finding a neutral walk?
Think of some great actors -they change their appearance, their walk, put on 40 pounds. Yet very rarely are they unrecognizable. What makes them great actors is their mutability. When you understand neutral, then you can choose how you want to be. We are all actors. The trick is to be conscious of the roles we play as we walk.
Try this experiment. Look in a mirror and notice the position of your head and shoulders. Pick one aspect and exaggerate it as you walk around for a few minutes; see how it feels. Moshe Feldenkrais, a pioneer movement educator, once said, “If you know what you are doing, you can do what you want.” One of the first steps towards developing choice is to recognize what your patterns are.
Back to the shoes. Ancient Roman actors wore platform shoes. Louis XIV wore 5 inch heels (with battle scenes carved into them)! Pointy-toed shoes did not originate with Jackie Kennedy -back in the 14th century, men’s pointy toed shoes could extend 30 inches. Shoes interact with the musculature and bones of the foot. These bones form a chain reaction up to the pelvis, affecting movement in the hips and back. They not only change how people perceive your character, but they impact on your structure and comfort. So slip into those old loafers or flip flops and give your feet a break. Better yet, take your shoes off completely, lie down and return to neutral. After that, you have a choice -combat boots? High heels? I don’t know about you, but I’m keeping both in my closet just in case I need to slip past the radar one of these days.