Tone Policing, Vocal Fry, & Upspeak

Warrior women, this is an important and timely episode of the Advancing Women Podcast. Our speech, our “tone”, and even the octave of our voice is under attack!

Scrutiny of women’s speaking patterns is the latest frontier in an endless barrage of judgment and undermining women face. It is yet another way to blame women. An attempt to shift the emphasis to fixing women versus doing the hard work of fixing structural, and organizational inequities.

We must see tone policing and commentary about upspeak and vocal fry for what it is. It’s not a peeve that needs to be professionally developed away. It’s not really even about our tone of voice. It’s about power and status, and who is allowed to have it.

Research shows that it is FEMALE vocal fry or up speak that is noticed and criticized. It contributes to negative perceptions of women's BUT NOT MEN’S competence and confidence.

We don’t have to accept the nonsensical ideology that constantly expects women to change. As criticisms mount and gain momentum, we must acknowledge and call out how the workforce keeps adding ridiculous standards for women, finding new ways to suggest deficits and breathe new life into the fix-the-women narrative. We are neither broken nor defective. We don’t need to be fixed.

As always, it’s not your fault, but it is your problem, so don’t miss this episode to learn more about tone policing, upspeak, and vocal fry. As Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said "Women belong in all places where decisions are being made”, and all the gendered, inequitable judgment of our character traits and even of our voices and tone won’t change that fact if WE continue to believe – to KNOW - that we belong!

For more about Dr. DeSimone and the Advancing Women Podcast

Email: drdesimone@advancingwomenpodcast.com

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References:

Business Inside Men Use Upspeak and Vocal Fry Too (businessinsider.com)

Harvard Annals of Surgery: Women as Deficit: Re-evaluating Interventions to Establish Gender Equity women-as-deficit-re-evaluating-interventions-to.pdf (massgeneral.org)

Mashable (Rachel Thompson) Stop telling women how they should talk | Mashable

NPR From Upspeak To Vocal Fry: Are We 'Policing' Young Women's Voices? : NPR

The Conversation https://theconversation.com/keep-an-eye-on-vocal-fry-its-all-about-power-status-and-gender-45883#:~:text=Vocal%20fry%20is%20a%20distinct,of%20belonging%20in%20that%20tribe

Time https://time.com/5006345/what-is-vocal-fry/

Upworthy https://www.upworthy.com/what-is-vocal-fry-and-why-doesnt-anyone-care-when-men-talk-like-that

Examples of male vocal fry
https://the-toast.net/2015/07/22/examples-of-male-vocal-fry/