Grown women with little girl voices.

Is there anything creepier? There's this one mid-30s chick in my office with one of those baby doll voices. It's like nails on a chalkboard when she opens her mouth. Absolutely cringeworthy. I know I'm not the only person in the office who feels this way. What causes something like this?

• Some have linked it to maturity shutting down at an early age. I can't stand Melanie Griffiths voice and laugh my ass off every time I watch Working Girl. Her breathy little baby voice talking about Trask Industries and business acquisitions is just not convincing.

• [quote] Is there anything creepier? Yes-- grown MEN with little girl voices.

• There is one in my office with a tiny baby voice. Drives me nuts when she pages.... "Dan please call Melissa and one-seven- fiiiiiveeee" (the five been said with three baby syllables).

• Three words: Joey Lauren Adams

• [quote]I can't stand Melanie Griffiths voice and laugh my ass off every time I watch Working Girl. It was her constant throat-clearing that drove me up the wall.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D_GV1mmd4zzo

• I have no idea what in the hell you're talking about, OP.

  Sen.%20Kirsten%20Gillibrand

• That was from doing coke onset R5.

• Most of the women reporters on NPR (especially on local affiliated stations) have little girl voices. They are really annoying.

• Another reason to despise Victoria Jackson.

• Kristen Chenoweth is talented and all that, but her speaking voice is the very epitome of little-girl annoying awfulness. Why can't they talk like women? It sounds so much better. Just listen almost any British female, they sound mature and much more attractive

  Moi

• You are on to something R10, can you imagine any of these aformentioned ladies speaking French?!

• I DID IN MY LITTLE GIRL VOICE!!!!

  Jacqueline%20Onassis

• Chenoweth spoke French phrases in YOU AGAIN.

• I am one of those grown women with a little girl voice and even I despise it. I can promise you that its not something I do on purpose. Its just what my voice is.I believe it has held me back in my career and means I am just not taken seriously in my opinions, even though I am a phi beta kappa MS from a prestigious university. Celebrities with a voice like mine would have speech therapists and acting coaches , but I have no access to or money for resources like that. I usually try not to talk much in public settings, just with family and close friends. On the upside, dogs and babies just LOVE me!

• Perhaps you should take up smoking, r14.

• r14, try those exercises that start with drone humming, really low in your throat, and exhale while you produce that sound--doesn't have to be loud, just consistent. You'll build up strength. See if that doesn't help. Also, speak on the exhalation instead of after holding your breath, if you happen to be doing that. My cousin had a baby voice, hated it, wanted to sound like Brenda Vaccaro, and short of taking up smoking, as somebody suggested, she just works on it. And whatever the cost, a few initial lessons to give you some exercises to do are worth it. My cousin said what creeped her out was when a woman asked her point-blank if she'd been molested. Just casually, in conversation. Because women who had been molested often have baby voices. Sounds like a sweeping generalization to me, but I'd want to have a more commanding voice in a lower register.

• I only hate the baby-stripper voice when it's an affectation. You can tell when her voice is honestly like that and when she's seeking attention or male approval.

• Try weight training for LGV. The grunting I do on the last few reps has lowered my medium baritone close to bass. Vocal chord damage can be good!

• r18, that's what Rock Hudson supposedly used to do. His voice was rather high when he first came in Hollywood. He used to go town to the beach and just scream in order to force his voice to a lower register.

• I have a lesbian friend that does this. She goes in and out with the voice. It drives me crazy.

• Edie McClurg is the exception. I love her.

• r14 here. Thanks for the advice 16. I'll give it a try, maybe I can find a site or a youtube with instructions. 15, word is that Britney Spears took up smoking for just this reason.

• Is there any truth to the theory that many women with young childlike voices are likely to have had some trauma at an early age?

• R19, you are confusing Rock Hudson with Lauren Bacall. But don't be embarrassed; so many people have done that over the years. And over the telephone, both of them were indistinguishable from Blossom Dearie.

• Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis owned this thread. Her voice never matched her shoe size.

• Ooooooo, Wobewt!

  Lady%20Grantham

• "Theeents, buh-bye"

  Buffi

• Like Paris or Kim K, R17?

• Khloe Kardashian frequently puts on a baby doll voice which is nauseating.

• Mt sister who is a stripper uses that voice all the time, Especialy when she wants somthing. One of the most anoying sounds. It woudn't be so bad but I kow she knows how to speak correctly. Evrytime she is at the house wanting something from my dad ($) that voice shows up. When she comes to talk to me or my mom her voice is normal.

• R30 she talks to your dad in a stripper voice? :-/

• Khloe's baby voice is the worst. Ugh!

  Minnie%20Mouse

• I have noticed that the younger the cohort, the greater proportion of women (aka "twats) in the group walking around sounding like horny mosquitoes, balloon leakage and JonBenet imitating a chipmunk. Then add the vocal-fry overlay and you have motivation behind straight men desiring oral sex. Because when there's a cock in their mouths at least the men can't hear the insufferable, inauthentic herd creatures vocalize. But for us gay men who abhor the indignity of such tactics, all we can do is evade, escape or shove sharpened pencils into our ear holes.

• I never heard her speak, but Blossom Dearie had a child's singing voice.

• It is rare to find a straight girl who sounds sexy anymore. I wonder when they all collectively started imitating Mary Kate Olsen. Straight guys can't possibly find vocal fry, up-speaking and little girl voices sexy.

• What's REALLY creepy, like horror movie creepy, is when an old woman puts on a baby voice. I have a couple relatives that do it. They get all flirty, giggly and shy acting when they're around certain alpha males {{{shudder}}}. It makes me want to slap them and say, "bitch please, you haven't been a blushing virgin since the Eisenhower administration."

• Fuck off, OP!

  Georgette%20Baxter

• Agree with your post R33. Just another thing us males have to put up with. Not fair.

• I started a new job year ago and I kept hearing this little girl's voice. I finally saw this haggard, Margaret Hamilton looking lady and the voice was coming out of her. I think she saw her voice as her only asset.

• One of the creepiest Little Girl voices I've run across was that of Marie Melmotte, the villain's daughter, in the PBS production of Anthony Trollope's THE WAY WE LIVE NOW.

• Beats me, OP.

  Ms.%20Jackson%20if%20ya%20nasty.

• Georgia Engle has made a career with a little girl voice.

• Some of us women don't like listening to little girl voices or vocal fry, either. I want to tear my hair out. I'm watching the bachelor for Sean, but some of the women I have to mute: Sarah and Ashlee. Sarah:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEULpv1Wzqo

• While, this thread has certainly taken a sexist turn with R33's post, hasn't it? As if some groups of men don't have annoying traits. Sheesh. And I really hope that R38 was trolling. Yes, it's SO unfair to have been born the more privileged gender.

• AshLee:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9T0ypepJlc

• r44, obviously they are not talking about ALL women, but a large proportion of younger girls ARE speaking in annoying tones now. We've discussed annoying men and the "bro culture" that has arisen AT GREAT LENGTH here, so don't act like women are being singularly called out.

• What causes lisping high pitched fag voice? Why don't they take vocal exercises? Can't they fix it? What causes the exaggerated gay "accent" that almost all gay men have, especially when in a group. They sound like giggling school girls mixed with mean teenaged girls. Can't we fix them? And so expressive with their eyes! They should stop this. It drives me crazy.

  pot/kettle

• Freaks and Flames for r47. Stupid troll, you took it too far.

• take it up at one of your straight chick homophobe sites R47. Or take it up with your father who molested you. That and your enjoyment of it are why you talk like an eight year old.

• Jennifer Tilly

  http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DWeUxPHvR8as

• Madonna's little girl voice is truly repulsive.

• I talk like a man, because I am a man. Stop the misogyny gay boys and maybe you can be men too. Speak from your diaphragm and not your bitchiness.

  Italian%20diplomat

• Thank you R46. It's about time someone spoke up.

• Yes R31, she talks to my dad in that little girl stripper voice. And he falls for it every time. It's beyond creepy. She uses that voice any time she wants something from any man

• I don't think misogyny has anything to do with it.It seems that gay men with high voices envy women and want to be like them,and I was just going to mention Georgia Engel.I like high voices on women sometimes.I think it cna be sexy and cute,but Georgia Engel is too babyish and cloying.She'd made a wonderful good witch on Passions.Who else but her,really,but no sex appeal,except when she was really young.Also,Jean Stapelton's high voice on All In Teh Family was funny.No,Maureen is not her sister.Stapelton is actually Jean's mother's maiden name.

  Jett

• Boop-boop-a-doop!

  Mae%20Questel

• Back when I would listen to Loveline, whenever a woman with a little girl voice called in Dr. Drew would ask them if they were molested growing up. The answer was almost always yes.

• Fantasia Barrino makes me LOL. She has a raspy baby voice. Have you ever heard a baby with a raspy voice? Add in the ebonics and it is a hilarious mixture.

• Don't discount the mommy factor here. My oldest cousin's wife is about 10 years older than me and sometimes stayed with me when my parents were out of town during my high school years. She has a naturally very young sounding voice which was always pretty humorous when she'd call me in as sick so we could do something fun. I actually like her a lot and we've always been close. But when she had her own son she fell into the sing songy mommy voice on top of baby voice with everyone. Her son is also my godson BTW and he's is still a mama's boy in his 30s. The MTM show's Georia Engle/Georgette character is actually a great example of this because she was always mothering her man child as "Teddy Bear."

• We love you, R14.

• R33 is correct.

• It can work occasionally for comedic actresses like Jennifer Tilly.

• [quote]Just listen to almost any British female, they sound mature and much more attractive One big exception to this is the tediously 'controversial' UK hack Julie Burchill. She recently did a long radio interview; listeners who'd never heard her before were startled at the helium-ingestion voice, complete with upward inflection. Burchill has a fuller figure, and is in her early fifties. She admits that there's something important missing in her character, but doesn't care anyway.

• Are we over the ending every sentence as if it is a question fad?

• Beyonce owns this thread

• Poz Face Obama OWNS this thread.

• Beyonce really isn't that bad. Her voice might be affected, but it doesn't sound like baby-stripper. Paris Hilton and KK are the exemplars here.

• My brother's now-thankfully-EX-fiancee always did this, but only when talking to him. Her natural voice is about a medium-deepness [not ridiculously deep, but definitely not high, either] but every single time she spoke to him, she'd raise it up into little girl tones. It was really disgusting, especially since she was ostensibly a mature, intelligent woman who shouldn't need to lessen herself for a man.

• R66 is a grown man who talks like a little boy. I wonder what his damage is.

• There isn't much (if anything) a grown women won't do if she thinks a man will like it. This is still true in 2013! I simply can't repect women. I can understand idolizing a man but it's just ridiculous the lengths women go to. Get a life already.

• I agree, it's creepy. I always feel disturbed by it, particularly because I remember reading some psychology reports saying it's linked to child sexual abuse (i.e. the woman was abused, and freezes her voice at that infantile stage).

• The incomparable Blossom Dearie.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DNynn1XMj8DE

• R40: In The Way We Live Now, Shirley Henderson (Marie Melmotte) affected a more childlike voice than she actually has, as she was a 36-year-old woman playing an 18-year-old character. Her natural voice is quite light and high, but definitely not freakish for a very slight woman who barely over 5 feet tall. And she was damned brilliant in that series.

• Grown women with little girl voices aren't nearly as bad as grown men with a teenage girl's vocabulary. I'd much rather listen to Joey Lauren Adams than listen to a bunch of gay guys in their 30s and 40s talk like valley girls.

• Veering off topic for a sec ... Georgia Engel has been mentioned a couple of times. Last night's MeTV episode of MTM was the one where Ted and Georgette both dress in tuxedoes for the Teddy Awards ceremony. Georgette says, "I think we look like the top of a gay wedding cake!" That seems awfully progressive for 1976!

• It didn't stop my career. And now I am the matriarch of the show!

  Katherine Kelly Lang

• The latest Proactive commercial is filled with women just dripping with little girl voices. And some of them end each sentence with a question mark. It burns my ears.