Feet positioned on women - bugs me!

Not sure if I'm the only one that feels this way ... but thought I would find out from my favorite forum! I see more and more women in photo's where the feet are pigeon toed. Some more extreme than the others, but nevertheless ... the toes are pointed inward. What is the point of this? My personal opinion is that it makes women look like they have a disability. It's one thing to take a photo of a disabled person that has this problem; it becomes a non-issue and beautiful. But why take an able body and distort the legs and feet like that? I have yet to see a man posed in this way.

Debi, methinks the photogs are not paying attention, perhaps

That's what I thought at first, but not so much anymore. This has been going on for a while (years), and I have seen many photographers on this forum that will do this. They are beautiful photo's except for the feet and legs. I will try and find one to show what I mean. Don't want to pick on anyone though ... that's not my intent. It bothers me like nails on a chalk board Thanks for your feedback .. appreciate it!

I hear you. I knew it wasn't your intention to pick on any one but it sounds the same to me, too And yes, please post a shot. Thanks

Ok, so I did a simple google search and I am not the only one that this "bugs"! These are NOT my photo's, so if this isn't allowed please delete. They were on google photo's, so I'm guessing it should be harmless in a discussion forum. Anyway ... here are a couple of examples.

That foot posture is common in the Glamour & Nude forum. I too think it's awkward and forced. Most likely, men find it sexy, along with other things I don't understand, such as garter belts and those shoes with two-inch-thick soles that I suppose are meant to allow a super-tall heel but, to me, just look clunky and give the impression that the woman has huge feet.

In fact, many conventions in glamour photography leave me cold. Don't get me started. Of course, I'm not the intended audience.

Pixels2011 wrote in post #17674460
Ok, so I did a simple google search and I am not the only one that this "bugs"! These are NOT my photo's, so if this isn't allowed please delete.

The rule on this forum is basically don't embed any photographs that are not yours. Just simply post a link to the image instead.

The links to your photos hosted here on POTN: First sample photo.

Second sample photo.

Edit: Links don't work. Images have been removed.

I don't believe it's the photographers fault, it's the way some women naturally stand.

It follows the trend of fashion photography, and fashion doesn't have to make sense.

There's also the trend of putting hands on hips and pushing the elbows as far forward as possible, but at least that pose seemed to be short-lived.

DunnoWhen wrote in post #17674588
I don't believe it's the photographers fault, it's the way some women naturally stand.

Well, the photographer is responsible for posing the subject. The pose looks artificial to me because I rarely or never see adults standing with their feet turned inward in real life, only in glamour and fashion (advertising) shots. Children sometimes orient their feet that way unintentionally, and for this reason images of women with inward-turned feet strike me as expressing coyness, like the fingertip-in-mouth maneuver.

Thank you. Now I know for future posts.

If you want a laugh just google women feet legs pigeon toed, or something similar. There are so many people who do not like this trend. There are so many funny photo's ... even a guy posing pigeon toed. Hopefully this look will go away soon. Someone said the toes pointed in is attractive to men because it's supposed to make the model look "immature", and/or vulnerable. Sounds more like a fetish and I don't believe this should be encouraged in the real working world.

Thank you all for listening and responding! It's good to know I'm not alone in finding this type of posing odd.

Pixels2011 wrote in post #17675633
If you want a laugh just google women feet legs pigeon toed, or something similar. There are so many people who do not like this trend. There are so many funny photo's ... even a guy posing pigeon toed. Hopefully this look will go away soon. Someone said the toes pointed in is attractive to men because it's supposed to make the model look "immature", and/or vulnerable. Sounds more like a fetish and I don't believe this should be encouraged in the real working world.

Thank you all for listening and responding! It's good to know I'm not alone in finding this type of posing odd.

I can't even comment on this topic - it's HUGE and I'd probably get thrown off the forums if I gave my views. The words disempowering, condescending, disrespectful, objectifying, unaware, ignorant, bullying, etc. etc. all come to mind when I think of women being 'posed'. There, I've said enough! Oh, and it's very clear when women having their photos taken are fully participating on an equal footing (no pun intended).

AnnieMacD wrote in post #17676050
Oh, and it's very clear when women having their photos taken are fully participating on an equal footing (no pun intended).

Is it? I wonder how you can tell?

After seeing this subject last night I did some reading on the phenomenon. From what I saw Paris Hilton got a lot of credit for creating, or at least popularizing the look.

AnnieMacD wrote in post #17676050
I can't even comment on this topic - it's HUGE and I'd probably get thrown off the forums if I gave my views.

I might go with you on feminist grounds, but the issue isn't simple. What women value about themselves, what they see as their strong points, I believe, often starts in early childhood. A girl who was consistently complimented for being pretty can develop a self-image that results in a grown-up version of a cute little girl. Other children had different qualities reflected from the adults around them. They were valued for being kind or smart or athletic or something else.

To the credit of POTN commenters in G&N, a frequent reply is that the model's facial expression suggests she isn't enjoying having her picture taken.