Vocal fry

[Idleplum]

Is it just me or are more and more people speaking with a vocal fry? It’s so common, it has to be intentional. I absolutely can’t stand it.

MAFS Australia used to be my guilty pleasure but I had to give it up because I couldn’t take listening to all those guys horrible voices. Now I feel like every video I see online has someone speaking like it and my body does this weird, scrunched up thing because I hate it so much.

Yep me too. Absolutely does my head in.

What’s a vocal fry?

Oh yes it’s very noticeable and very annoying - anyone who uses it in an advert will have me turning the sound off.

It's really off-putting. It's really prevalent on YouTube and TikTok.

It's the creaky low voice. Think Kardashians

I find Anna Kendrick guilty of this.

It's awful!

@WhatYouWearing THIS is vocal fry! Oh it won't let me share the link sorry, look on YouTube for Vocal Fry Loudermilk Season 2, Episode 1 - it's really short (and funny).

There are now several years of research and publications about the misogyny behind the “hatred” and criticism of vocal fry. Linguist Dr. Geoff Lindsey has some good videos about the dislike of young women speaking or appearing confident/knowledgeable as well as how men’s voices are not policed and criticised for their vocal fry.

One of the participants in Couples Therapy was like this, one of the women in the thrupple. It was bloody annoying and hard to listen to.

I'd be interested to know why people do it.

I hear both. Both equally annoying.

I find younger women in my workplace often do this and I just want to tell them to speak with their full voice! It feels diminishing to me, it makes the speaker sound less confident.

I absolutely adore David Mitchell and love listening to him reading his book 'Unruly' because it really makes me laugh. But the vocal fry makes me shiver so I am caught in something of a dichotomy.

I have no idea what it is!!!

what is it???

The other day I phoned a company and the recorded AI message had vocal fry - ridiculous.

@ConcernedOfClapham , it's where a person makes their voice lower and raspy. And irritating.

Totally agree - men definitely do it too. There was a study done by Macquarie University that said it was fairly equal between the sexes. And I remember there was a big thing about Matthew McConaughey - with the fact that he was from Texas also being a component of course. It's one of the reasons people find it so easy to mimic him.

@Arlanymor
i just saw Loudermilk coffee shop sketch ! Thank you for supplying laughs

You're welcome! It was that bit towards the end that killed me! They're everywhere!!

It sounds so forced, artificial and uncomfortable.
Why would anyone go through life going to the trouble to speak in a different way? It sounds uncomfortable, fake and hard bloody work.

People normally mean they don't like young women speaking but you might be an exception!

I am listening to an audiobook at the moment where the guy sounds like he needs to clear his throat and I may need to abandon it so I do appreciate some voices just are annoying.

It’s SOOOO annoying!! And totally forced/fake/unnecessary!

I wish people would record their own ‘vocal fry voice’ and maybe they’d realise how utterly ridiculous they sound.

There’s a young woman in my workplace whose vocal fry is one of the fakest I’ve heard…it’s especially ‘well fried’ when she’s talking to men. When she’s talking to women it’s hardly there, and often absent completely (when she’s upset/annoyed about something it disappears 🤦‍♀️😂🤯)

So very annoying. Even more so when the voice lifts at the end of a statement and it sounds Like a question.

I have heard people talk about it and have heard people say they have them, looked it up to hear it myself and I still don’t hear what makes it annoying.

The reasons it happens and the mechanics behind it I found interesting.

I don't like it. I also don't like the weird ASMR whispering and tapping that goes on. I didn't realise David Mitchell had vocal fry

Along with upspeak which makes every statement sound like a question. I’m recruiting for a director role in my team at the moment and have rejected two woman for using it as it makes them come across as seriously lacking confidence