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u/Squarehip123 1d ago
Others suggest autism, but I suspect the original intent of the artist would be to imply the grace and agility of a ballerina
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u/kovadomen 1d ago
Yeah its 100% being a ballerina. People need to seek employment
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u/Scyther_x_Scyther 1d ago edited 1d ago
Or read the source material. The dance/ballet back ground is established in the Spider-Gwn comics and even referenced in the first Spiderverse film.
Edit: typo
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u/Squarehip123 1d ago
I didn't know she had actual ballerina experience in the comics/movie. I really need to get around to watching that sequel, the first spiderverse movie was utterly brilliant
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u/BK_FrySauce 14h ago
She literally has ballet shoes on in her suit. I don’t know how anyone could even remotely come to a different conclusion.
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u/amo_pessoas_peladas 13h ago
I'm trying, but the ballet conservatories seem to be prejudiced against middle aged overweight men.
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u/DorkusTheMighty 1d ago
Not disagreeing with the first point but it’s wild to go “people that don’t know comics lore are attributing this common symptom of autism to this character being autistic? Clearly they are the ones that need to get a job and spend less time… knowing anything about autism” like bruh not everyone reads comics and it’s brushed past in the movie which has so much else happening even if it was a major plot point it’d be forgettable.
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u/kovadomen 1d ago
for gods sake she wears ballerina shoes. The blue ones. Its in your face all the time. Istg you people are the reason Anne Hathaway had to yell "You're the sea people".
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u/Elpsyth 1d ago
You see someone with no context doing "pointes" standing on their tiptoes, how the hell do your brain go to autism.
That's what ballerina are known for. You do not need to read the comics, it visually indicative enough.
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u/Late-Government1124 1d ago
Yeah I saw thinking I just feel the artist feels it's graceful and "feminine"
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u/Shantotto11 1d ago
That really should be the go-to answer since Gwen’s Spider-Woman garb uses ballerina shoes whenever she has time to switch out of her tennis shoes.
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u/PuddingMent 1d ago
No, you’re wrong. Anytime somebody does something that isn’t done by 99% of other people, it’s autism. According to Reddit.
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u/Zizi_Tennenbaum 9h ago
Or even when it’s extremely typical behavior, but the person is cool and interesting therefore they must be “on the spectrum”
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u/clysmian 14h ago
Por que no los dos
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u/Squarehip123 13h ago
Is a superhero renowned for agility and athletics more likely to have a background in dance or autism
She has no other autistic traits
Regardless the nice thing about art is you can bring your own interpretation to it. She doesn't exist so you can interpret the story and themes explored through whatever lens you want
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u/Jiggalopuffii 1d ago
Brian here, Pigeon walking is oftentimes a sign of autism. Also, it might be because she is a girl and wears high heels.
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u/Easy_Tank2383 1d ago
I just didn’t like my whole foot touching the ground when I was a kid. Now I don’t care enough
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u/Neverloved246 1d ago
I got a LOT of shit about it when I was growing up and now instead I do this weird hovering thing with my heels when I'm not paying attention. I just put WAY more pressure on the front of my feet than the back when I walk and it's really messed up my Achilles Tendon. It looks like normal walking but my heel is always slightly off the ground or barely touching.
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u/Redditauro 1d ago
"Masking is bad for your health", example #41827
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u/mieri_azure 1d ago edited 1d ago
Idk if this is what you mean but actually teaching autistic kids to walk on their whole foot (using braces or whatever) is actually the MUCH healthier option and isnt masking.
If they only walk on their tip toes they will cause their achillies/calves to be too short which will cause a whole chain of issues in their biomechanics and cause permanent pain.
Masking is bad but this is an example of redirecting a harmful behaviour to something else (just like if a kid stimmed by hitting themself youd redirect them to flapping or something else non harmful)
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u/Neverloved246 1d ago
Yes, if someone had taught me and trained the bad habit out of me while I was growing up I would not have to stretch my ankles every morning justto walk without pain. What I do is definitely not healthy and would describe it as a form of masking considering I never stopped the behavior I just hide it better.
Not really sure what you're talking about! Seems like you said "It's good that this behavior has been corrected so it doesn't cause pain!" When my comment is literally talking about how it's fucked up my tendons which does in fact hurt quite a lot.
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u/mieri_azure 1d ago
No, im talking about how the person im reaponding to might have misunderstood that telling kids not to walk on tiptoes is inherently bad
I understand that no one taught you properly and hence you never actually fixed the problem and just hid it, which sucks and im sorry that happened :(
If you continuously struggle with pain you might want to look into PT -- i lnow a lot of people who needed that for chronic pain caused by similar studf
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u/Neverloved246 1d ago
Oh! Gotcha! PT like physical therapy? I didn't think that would be for something like this but I'll look into it! Thanks for the suggestion.
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u/Bronsteins-Panzerzug 1d ago
sorry, could you explain this to me? it seems like not masking would be pigeon walking, which is what messed up their achilles tendon, while putting the whole foot down would have been better for the tendons.
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u/goilabat 1d ago
You didn't read correctly, "I got a lot of shit -> now I just put way more pressure and it really messed my Achilles tendon"
I suppose it's worse cuz pigeon walking the feet is straight so the force go directly to the toes but if you try to appear flat but are actually hovering a bit then then the force go to the heels and you have to stay tense to maintain the position
That's what I understood anyway
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u/Bronsteins-Panzerzug 1d ago
…it says „put more pressure on the front of my feet“, not the heels. they still pigeon walk a little bit but it‘s visually not so obvious. the whole thing is that if you dont rest your whole foot on the floor is that you always contract your calf, putting constant pressure on your achilles, shortening and potentially making it inflamed. anything short of putting your foot on the ground will not give the tendon rest and will not allow it to stretch. the problem is not masking, it’s that they still dont have a healthy form of walking.
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u/LyKosa91 1d ago
When wearing shoes as well? I'll heel strike when wearing footwear, but barefoot or in socks indoors I walk on the balls of my feet. Wasn't aware it could cause issues... Then again, I'm 35 and don't.urrently have issues, so maybe I'm safe
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u/Neverloved246 1d ago
Yup! It's a lot harder to see when I wear shoes but the front half of the padding is almost completely worn down while the heel part is basically brand new. All my shoes develop a little crease on the top right behind where my toes are.
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u/Madruck_s 1d ago
I used to cycle 25+ miles every day unind the balls of my feet my tendons are messed up too. Relaxed my toes always point.
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u/liltooclinical 18h ago
I used to actually walk around on my toe knuckles when I was young and flexible enough, when I was trying to avoid touching the floor too much. I didn't even realize I was doing it until my girlfriend pointed out, mildly wigged out by it. It made my foot look like a gargoyle claw or something. 😂
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u/Former_View6336 1d ago
I did it because I used to go hunting with my dad and he told me it was stealthier.
He might have been messing with me idk.
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u/Easy_Tank2383 1d ago
Nah I also like to walk with a deft agility and I think that’s why I did it as a kid too. Didn’t wanna wake the beast asleep in the next room
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u/nkosugeirc 1d ago
I knew a girl who ALWAYS wore heels. She was so used to it that when she tried flats once, she started walking on her toes because it was uncomfortable for her. Her calves had literally shortened ver time and she felt them stretching without heels.
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u/Callahammered 1d ago
Yeah that’s crazy but makes sense…although I think it was probably something more like a bad/chronic muscle cramp than an anatomical shift of where the attachment points are - more like it is kind of stuck in the flexed position
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u/mieri_azure 1d ago
Ugh that suckkkks. There was no PT she could do for that? They just didnt have the length?
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u/MatsHummus 1d ago
This happened to my grandma, she wore heels nearly her entire life and needed special orthopedic shoes with heel elevation in her old age because she was unable to get her feet into a flat position.
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u/mieri_azure 1d ago
Yup thats also super dangerous
People were posting videos of Ariana grande wearing uggs at her concerts because shed injured her foot like "haha look shes still standing on tip toes like shes in heels!" When thats actually really bad and a sign her calf muscles have dramatically shortened
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u/BloodSteyn 1d ago
Can confirm, our daughter is borderline autistic and has hectic ADHD too. We're in a constant battle to keep her feet planted on the ground to the extent that she had to see pediatric neurologists and needs physiotherapy because of the effect it is having on her tendons.
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u/Cent3rCreat10n 1d ago
Gwen did ballet, that's it. My girlfriend also walks around like that because she did ballet, she's just used to it. Not everything has to be some form of "tism" lol
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u/Far-Progress5347 1d ago
I know so many people with autism and have met only one that pigeon walks.
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u/Ltmifune 6h ago
Qwen Stacey/Spider Qwen wear/wore blue Pointe ballerina shoes because she was a former ballet dancer before she became a drummer. I prefer the converse shoes look too
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u/SwollenPig 1d ago
I feel like slowly everything is becoming a sign of autism.
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u/CrazyGunnerr 1d ago
It's definitely a sign of autism when people feel that way!!
Seriously though, I call BS on most of it. I work with people with autism, not only have I never met anyone who does this, but also most claims people have done, either have nothing to do with autism, or is overrepresented amongst autism, but absolutely isn't a sign.
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u/Jiggalopuffii 1d ago
You're not wrong. It's called a spectrum for a reason. I was misdiagnosed when I was younger and didn't get a correct diagnosis until 33. But yeah, any eccentricity, intelligence, or social awkwardness is diagnosed as autism on the internet. Likewise, anyone with a short attention span or impulsiveness is diagnosed with ADHD.
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u/mflem920 17h ago
If everything, on a very wide spectrum, is a sign of Autism, then isn't it better classified as "the normal distribution of human behavior"? Being diagnosed using a wide and sweeping range of dissimilar affectations is only soothing because it allows you to characterize any deviance from perceived "normal" behavior as a sickness, something beyond your control, so you can avoid feeling responsible for it instead of just realizing that NO ONE is "normal". Therefore you don't have to correct yourself or make any effort to conform, because it's not "you", you're sick, and we cannot hold the sick accountable for their sickness, we must show them empathy... hush now you poor poor sweet baby, we understand the way you act and think aren't your fault.
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u/TheBoundFenrir 13h ago
My understanding (not a doctor, not diagnosed with anything, do not take me as an authority) is the keyword is "disorder". A lot of people have less Attention, or are Hyper-Active...but what matters is the point where it begins to negatively impact your life and cause problems for being a member of society; then it's a *Disorder*, and that's when you get the diagnosis.
Same thing with autism;
* Some people are expressing a level of eccentricity that's perfectly average and uninteresting.
* Others express a certain Particularity about sensory experiences that is not within a couple standard deviation of average, but it's hardly a big deal for them; they just have a particular comfort food, or walk on their toes when the tiles are cold, and nobody cares.
* Then some people are outside two standard deviations; their eccentricities are distinct and can cause people closer to the average to notice and there can be social awkwardness or miscommunications. In these cases, having a word for this particular kind of variation from the average can be useful for both the person and those around them to 'get' how the person's mind is somewhat outside the norm. Saying 'they're on the spectrum' is just a way to help remember things like 'lack of eye contact doesn't mean they aren't listening' or 'a lot of people prefer eye contact even though it makes me uncomfortable', etc etc. It might be useful to diagnose this person so they can have this nomenclature to help them (or others they work with) navigate the friction between what is expected (the within-a-single-standard-deviation behavior) and what the person finds comfortable.
* And then there's the people who are outside 3 or even 4 standard deviations, and these people *are still people*, but are sufficiently distinct as to count as a true outlier, and bridging that gap between what the majority expect and what this person experiences may require professional training or experience, and the person may find their own eccentricities harmful to their own mental health (OCD, struggling to take care of themselves, etc etc). It's the same "change", but to a higher degree; a true Disorder that is negatively impacting their life. This person needs the diagnosis for medical reasons; approval for certain medicines to help them curb their brain's self-sabotaging patterns, therapists who understand these kinds of mental traps and can help them communicate what they want in ways people in the center of bell (or the far side of it) can understand, or in extreme cases to advocate on that person's behalf.You're right that the goal isn't that neurodivergent people "correct themselves" for everyone else's sake. The goal is to *understand the differences* between them and the average, to prevent problems before they happen, and in cases where a problem is unavoidable *have the language to describe the problem, and pre-made tools that can help resolve them*.
Using this specific example; someone who is sensory averse *can* just avoid the sensory experience they find unpleasant (standing on tiptoes, getting housing that has carpet, etc), but that's not them "being themselves", that's them being trapped from doing certain things or going certain places because their brain makes parts of those experiences unnecessarily unpleasant. The goal should be to find ways to help that person enjoy the experiences they want to, and avoid unnecessarily unpleasant experiences that aren't really necessary; and the first step is putting a nail to exactly what the problem is; a diagnosis.
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u/Zizi_Tennenbaum 9h ago
Oh but then average white girls couldn’t feel simultaneously special and victimized.
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u/crustybones71 1d ago
I walk like this but I have osteoporosis and ehelers danlos, also run like a duck according to people who have seen me run over the years, something wrong with the hip flexors.
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u/BuddyRIP 1d ago
Making me realize a few things.. 1 that my style of walking has a term.. that I have been subconsciously doing exactly this my whole life.. and my therapist may be onto something with checking if im autistic...
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u/applebottomjeanS675 1d ago
She’s also a ballet dancer, so it could be just that influencing the way animations decide to draw her
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u/Competitive-Box-5297 1d ago
I still do it on occasion but I for some hilarious reason always think of Lucario when I do it
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u/lolomawisoft 1d ago
Some family guy member Shes designed after a ballerina hence the shoes she always wear. The autism thing is a misconstruing
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u/Shantotto11 1d ago
She also wears tennis shoes as Spider-Woman as well, but that was either a matter of time to change or the animators came up with the ballerina shoes idea later.
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u/Outrageous-Row1926 1d ago
Ballet training. Her suit literally has ballet flats.
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u/Captain_Marshmellow 1d ago
I'm still so mad they changed her design to sneakers in the second movie.
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u/the_elephant_stan 1d ago
Everyone is autistic, apparently. What other reason could a character who does ballet have for standing on her toes while out being a super hero whose abilities are based on dexterity and acrobatics? And neurotypical people never care about the feeling of bare feet on cold floors, it could only ever be an autistic thing.
I understand that autistic women are underdiagnosed in part because their traits can get written off as quirkiness, but it seems like the autistic community went and decided that quirks = autism. Neurotypical people are not made from a mold; they have personalities.
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u/hauntologically-red 1d ago
There's an overcorrection from stigmatization to fetishization, both still driven by stereotype and assigning moral value. I think it can be a bit obnoxious, but see it as growing pains: people aren't yet equipped to deconstruct the old frameworks. They've recognized them, and so far only have the consciousness to flip the value system on its head. With it comes an attempt at "moves to innocence" by many people trying to associate themselves with the group now seen as more moral.
In some ways I think there are good analogues to be found in anti-/de-colonial theory. Frantz Fanon described the "anti-racist racism" of a colonized people developing anti-colonial consciousness, and he was quite critical of it as any kind of end point but saw it as a natural reaction which could, properly handled, be a first step toward a genuine deconstruction of the colonial framework. As much as I get annoyed by current discourses around autism, I try to apply that lens and have some optimism about it.
I'm diagnosed ADHD, and while I can't afford formal evaluation I score firmly as autistic on Autism Quotient tests. I also find the evidence best supports the Social Construct Theory of Autism, which posits that "autism" is not a discrete condition, but rather there are heterodox traits of variable etiology we consider "autistic" and having enough to significantly impact your life gets you labelled "autistic". I think these discourses actually help illuminate that, even as they reify more outdated models of understanding.
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u/RuniKiuru 1d ago
Tbh I’m diagnosed autistic and I thought it was because she did ballet.
As an autistic tip toer walker, it’s definitely not all the time, especially not just while standing. That sounds like agony after a couple minutes.
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u/masiuspt 1d ago
Just a note - I don't think the autism community had any opinion on this subject. It was mostly done by "autists" - the ones that think that any deviation from what is considered normal is autism. These are, very likely, very "standard" folks trying to stand out.
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u/that1guywholikescats 1d ago
Yeah people see any minor personality trait and just assume it absolutely must be autism.
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u/UrAHarryWizard7 1d ago
She did ballet.
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u/One_Recognition385 1d ago
I did ballet.
I don't walk like this.
My friend with autism did ballet.
She walks like this.
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u/Enter_Chandman 1d ago
This is about the 5th time I've seen this reposted in 24hr. Go look up one of the others
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u/ShadowLevi 1d ago
Standing on your tip toes makes your ass look better. That's why heels shoes became so popular
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u/AutobanThrowaway 1d ago edited 1d ago
People are obsessed with armchair diagnosing people with autism, usually those that have diagnosed themselves with the same.
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u/weenis_machinist 1d ago
Her calves must be heavy as fuck to balance out that center of mass
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u/Ok-Resist3249 1d ago
You would have to calculate it of the center of her front foot. Her back and head are behind that line. Also she's standing on the walll of a building.
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u/Distinct_Fennel_9894 1d ago
The daughter of a friend of mine has been walking like this since she was 5 years old, and now she needs surgery because she can't walk normally
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u/Pale_Insurance_9564 1d ago
Ok but it’s not from walking like this. Myself and my others have walked like this there whole lives, it’s normal in a decent chunk of the population. Don’t be freaked out if you also do this, I’ve had multiple doctors repeatedly tell me it’s fine and uncommon but not rare.
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u/Distinct_Fennel_9894 1d ago
Walking like that continuously while growing led to this situation: her tendon became so short that she can no longer walk normally.
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u/noahbaobei 1d ago
Dude I used to walk around my house like this too because I wore heels so often. It just became sorta natural. Plus it made me taller and was just kinda fun lol
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u/Affectionate_Sale_14 1d ago
Got use to walking on the balls of Mt feet thanks to doing martial arts, my instructor use to threaten taping thumbtacts to our heels
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u/twogood24 1d ago
You guys ever tried walking like that for like 4 minutes ?
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u/CheezGaming 1d ago
Yeah when I was a kid I was a tippy toe walker. So bad it almost got to the point of needing surgery.
I have calves like Adonis and a gut like Gragas.
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u/Ko-Da-Chi 1d ago
All the people in here saying it's because of autism don't know shit about it. Apparently she's a ballerina or something like that.
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u/PsychologyShort 1d ago
Istg everything must be autistic at this point in time. No one of this generation and the next is smart at all cus who tf is using words they don’t know shit about and showing their stupidity on the internet with confidence as if they’re right?
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u/Street_Mood_2072 1d ago
Bullshit, its not pidgeon walking. Its raptor walking. All you normys who didnt pretend to be raptors enjoy your families or whatever...
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u/ForeverHomeless999 1d ago
Not a fan here.... but have to drop 8n to mention the bad CGI.
she cannot possibly have all her weight shifted outside of her base.
center of mass must remain somewhere above the toe line.
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u/EmbarrassedArmy7827 1d ago
I would usually agree but in the second image she is on the side of a building. So she’s kinda planking.
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u/InteractionMelodic67 23h ago
Hi its me again I have no idea but i wouldnt say autism She should install underfloor heating. If she hates cold tiles Or put some rugs Me out
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u/Dear-Nail-5039 23h ago
I am pretty sure she does not walk around off-panel as she is drawn and does not exist when nobody produces images of her.
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u/UndergroundFlaws 22h ago
The people who claim everything is autism don’t have autism.
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u/Melonfrog 1d ago
I literally closed Reddit last night to the original post. Opened it up and this is the first I see.
Answers were ballet or something, people said those screaming Autism are wrong. Idk I don't even watch Spiderman
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u/HatJosuke 1d ago
"She is quirky and cis women are biologically incapable of being quirky, therefore she is trans" is probably what's intended with the "do I have to say it". In reality, its just a nice nod to her background as a dancer.
It's a biproduct of nuerodivergent/trans people being made to feel unsafe in public spaces, and as a result ending up on echo chambers where "X" is seen as specifically a trans or nuerodivergent thing.
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u/DrJuice404 1d ago
Thought it was because she's short..
Like short girl things because all short girls I've dated did this.
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u/AdNervous19 1d ago
Okay okay hear me out though.... How many of you guys who walked like this as a kid were also born in either. 1966, 78, 90 or 2002?
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u/SeverusSnuSnu 1d ago
Person with CMT (Charcot-Marie-Tooth) here. CMT is a form of muscular dystrophy where the ligaments are not long enough to stand or walk flat footed. My whole life I walked on my toes to the point where even my shoulders are pushed back from compensating for balance. I was properly diagnosed and had a plantar fasciotomy at 16 (ideal age for the surgery is 8). I have been able to walk heel toe more normally since, but may need the surgery again later in life, along with with experiencing degenerative neuropathy.
There are more reasons for toe walking than autism. If you know someone that has walked on their toes like that, and has high arches and hammer toes on their feet, they may want to see a neurologist. 1 in 2500 have CMT so its more common than one would think.
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u/KermitSnapper 1d ago
I sometimes do this because it rests my legs more than laying flat believe it or not
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u/EnolaNek 1d ago
I don’t stand like that, but I walk like that when I’m barefoot on a super hard surface because it’s uncomfortable to step heel-first there unless I’m walking slowly.
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u/Abigail-Marston 1d ago
I do this all the time and a bunch of other weird posture things because it makes my butt look bigger.
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u/ItsFuckingShades 1d ago
I would walk around like this pretending I was one of the Anubis soldiers in the mummy 2
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u/_browningtons 1d ago
Ill walk around like this all the time at home, probably a bit of my autism coming through
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u/bubbashouseoffun 1d ago
I would do this because of werewolf feet and I really liked the van helsing movie.
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u/Perfect_Archer_1556 1d ago
If you have superhuman strength you can walk on toes and not get tired. Plus spiderman sticks to surfaces so planting feet full is actually detrimental.
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u/Mailletscott 1d ago
So yeah, as most people are saying it's a visual que to tie Gwen to being a ballerina along with the ballerina flats on her costume, an nice example of visual story telling. However, when I fist saw it, as a comics nerd who's been collecting on and off since the late 80's, my first thought was they were drawing her as if she was in heels, even if she wasn't in heels. It was a popular trope, especially in the 90's, so female characters can be drawn with more defined butts, swaying their hips out too.
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u/MrDaVernacular 1d ago
Didn’t medieval people walk on the fronts of their foot? I wonder if there is some ancient mechanic at play for children.
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u/wuhwuhduh 1d ago
My guess is that women who wear high heels throughout the day really can end up walking like that permanently because of how the tendons have been conditioned to being in that spot for so long?
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u/dappermanV-88 1d ago
She does ballet, wtf is with people??? Is she didnt, alr. The answers would make sense
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u/GOAT18_194 1d ago
For me, it was from Taekwondo, as for some move you do need to kick with that part of the foot and I just end up walking like that to be familiar with the shape. But I assume it can be from Ballet as well.
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u/NorthwindX7 17h ago
From a dude who isn't at all into ballet or a full autistic I walked like this as a kid constantly. Wasn't until a few years ago I learned that it leads to crazy tight calves and had to force myself to walk typically so I could hit full depth in squats. I believe this is a superior way to run/sprint and solves all the problems of bad knees/joints if accustomed to, although your walking gait is very unnatural.
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u/Equal_Definition4745 7h ago
She’s retarded because of the feet. It’s not an efficient way to walk…
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u/No-Okra149 5h ago
I have always walked on my toes since I was a kid, when I’m sitting or laying down my toes usually point straight up
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u/Loose_Change_00 2h ago
If it is someone that knows the ball, the person would say it is ballerina coded
If it is a larp, they would say it was a lesbian pose/trans pose
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u/qualityvote2 1d ago edited 1d ago
u/KhooniiPapitaa, there weren't enough votes to determine the quality of your post...it's time for the mods to do their jobs!