Wherever my toes go, I follow....except on stage

I can stand perfectly erect, chin up, chest out, hands at my sides, knees pointing as forward as they can (they're the knobbiest looking knees you'd ever care to see).  My feet, on the other hand face each other.  That's right, I'm pigeon-toed.  I'm a solid 5'8, all legs, small torso, boyish body, athletic build, the tiniest ankles practically in the world, freakishly long arms, sticks for legs and size 10 feet.  Add the fact that I am pigeon-toed to all of that and you have a very interesting looking specimen. I never thought it was such a big deal until I became self-conscious about my outward appearance and how the rest of the world saw me.  If I saw myself like this, what did everyone else see? 

My workouts are quite comical, to say the least.  I often take pictures of myself working out in the gym and post them on Instagram or Facebook and notice how I'm even pigeon-toed when I workout.  Lunges, step ups, squats, running on the treadmill, you name it.  If it's a workout that involves my feet and movement, please believe the toes are talking to each other.  I have tried to train my feet to be straighter, but it doesn't work. 

Normally, this is something that can or should be corrected when you're a child.  Clearly, it wasn't, so I'm dealing with it as a twenty-something year old adult.  All of the physicians I've talked to didn't see where it was a problem because it wasn't affecting my walk or posture.  But it was affecting me!  When I decided to do fitness modeling I said to myself, "how on earth are you planning on walking and standing straight on stage, in front of people, without your feet talking to each other?  The only thing I could think of was talking to myself, not out loud, to stand straight and appear as regal as I possibly can without looking clumsy.  Almost like people from other countries who sing but don't sing in the same voice as their native country (more popular and international songs world-wide, that is).  Any other day the toes lead and I follow.  But on that stage, I run the show.  I tell myself "suck in your stomach, smile, look at the judges, pose, smile, suck in your stomach, look at the judges, turn, pose, turn, smile, look at the judges, keep your feet straight, smile, keep smiling, pose (it hurts like hell but you're doing it right if it does), keep smiling, keep your feet straight, now walk off stage without tripping because all of your cool points will be lost." 

Once I'm off the stage and the lights are no longer shining on me, I'm back to following my toes.  Honestly, I don't know how that works but it does.  I swear, my life just can't be simple!