Biomechanical strategies to maximize gait attractiveness among women

Hiroko Tanabe; Keisuke Fujii; Naotsugu Kaneko; Hikaru Yokoyama; Kimitaka Nakazawa

doi:10.3389/fspor.2023.1091470

Biomechanical strategies to maximize gait attractiveness among women

Front Sports Act Living. 2023 Feb 2:5:1091470. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2023.1091470. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Hiroko Tanabe¹, Keisuke Fujii², Naotsugu Kaneko³, Hikaru Yokoyama⁴, Kimitaka Nakazawa³

Affiliations

¹ Institutes of Innovation for Future Society, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya-shi, Japan.
² Graduate School of Informatics, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya-shi, Japan.
³ Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
⁴ Institute of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Nakacho, Koganei-shi, Tokyo, Japan.

Abstract

Physical attractiveness is a key factor in social communication, and through this communication process, we attractively brand and express ourselves. Thus, this study investigated the biomechanical strategies used by women to express gait attractiveness. Our aim was to extend the current literature by examining this aspect of dynamic motion from the perspective of expressed, rather than perceived attractiveness. In this regard, we obtained motion capture data from 17 women, including seven professional fashion models. The participants walked on a treadmill under two conditions: 1) a normal condition in which they were instructed to walk as casually as possible; and 2) an attractive-conscious condition where they were asked to walk as attractively as possible. Then, we used whole-body kinematic data to represent motion energy at each joint, flexibility of the upper body, and the up-down/forward-backward silhouettes of the limbs, and compared these parameters between the two conditions by using statistical parametric mapping. During the attractive-conscious condition, the non-model women increased the energy of the hip and thoracolumbar joints, which emphasized the motions of their bosoms and buttocks. They also increased their upper body flexibility (possibly reflecting fertility) and continued to face front and downward. Conversely, although the fashion models partially shared the same strategy with the non-models (e.g., hip energy, upper body flexibility, and head bending downward), the strategy of the former was prominent in the stretching of the knee during the push-off phase and pulling the upper arm back, allowing them to showcase their youth and emphasize their chests. In addition, the fashion models used a wider variety of strategies to express their gait attractiveness. The findings indicate that the biomechanical strategy used to express gait attractiveness in women involves showcasing femininity, fertility, and youth. Our results not only deepen the understanding of human movement for self-expression through gait attractiveness, but they also help us comprehend self-branding behavior in human social life.

Keywords: gait; gait attractiveness; kinematic; locomotion; physical expression; social communication; walking; women.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS KAKENHI Grant No. 16H06688). This sponsor was not involved in the study design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data; the writing of the manuscript; or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.