What to Know If You’re Judged for Using Vocal Fry

Whether you’ve heard it called the “Kardashian voice” or the “cool girl accent,” you’re likely familiar with vocal fry: a low-register, slow, gravelly voice.

Unfortunately, there’s quite a stigma around those who use vocal fry — often directed at women — and that’s no thanks to its pop-culture popularity, which has associated vocal fry with a sarcastic, can’t-be-bothered vibe. This stigma especially gets in the way in the workplace, where women can experience discrimination and misogyny simply because of how they speak.

But here’s the truth: Many people use vocal fry, and you don’t have to stop using it just because of the stigma around it.

What exactly is vocal fry?

Emily Wilson, MS, a medical speech-language pathologist at the University of Washington Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology, describes vocal fry, or glottal fry, as a low, creaky voice. Sometimes it’s used intentionally for a certain effect, and sometimes people drop into it naturally to emphasize words or phrases.

“When talking with patients, I let them know that, in my opinion, vocal fry is a very normal register,” says Wilson. “It’s a very common register and speech pattern for women and young adults, and culturally, there are many parts of the country where it can be more prevalent.”

So, why is there such a negative stigma around vocal fry?

To understand why there’s a stigma around vocal fry, it’s important to know how its widespread use, especially in the workplace, began.

“There are some theories that say vocal fry is a way to lower your pitch so your voice is perceived as lower, especially in stereotypical gender roles, gender dynamics and power dynamics,” says Andrew Lee, MS, a speech pathologist and singing voice specialist at the Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Center at UW Medical Center – Montlake. “There are also theories that say it’s a way for women to try to match the voices of their male counterparts.”

A lower pitch, in particular, is associated with assertiveness, leadership and authority. So, if anything, it makes complete sense — and even feels appropriate — for women to use it in the workplace, whether consciously or not.

“It’s just a fascinating sociolinguistic phenomenon; it was originally used by a group to be taken more seriously, who then ultimately found themselves at a disadvantage in the professional workplace,” says Lee. “It’s unfortunate.”

This disadvantage experienced by women who use vocal fry in the workplace has, in part, been influenced by the negative tropes and stigma we see in the media around vocal fry.

“Because of certain pop culture figures, it got overused to the point that it’s now associated with someone of a different status and not how it was originally intended to be perceived,” says Lee.

Here’s what you can tell people about vocal fry

If you use vocal fry and have been “called out” at work or in any other professional setting for it, here’s what to know:

People of all genders use vocal fry, not just women

When talking about vocal fry, Jae Bernado, MS, a speech-language pathologist at the Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Center at UW Medical Center, says that misogyny also plays a role in this conversation.  

“Everyone wants to criticize the Kardashians for their vocal fry, but no one talks about Barack Obama or other men for their vocal fry,” says Bernado. “It’s an important factor to keep in mind.”

And again, when considering the theory that women use vocal fry to match the voices of their male counterparts, it should be noted that men are also using vocal fry in the workplace.

“On the other side of things, these male counterparts are the ones I hear with the most glottal fry,” Lee says. “So it could be that they’re just trying to mirror each other.”

We tend to accept roughness in men’s voices a lot more than we do in women’s voices, says Bernado.

Some languages use it purposefully, English included

Certain languages use glottal fry as a distinctive sound, and that sound can change the meaning of words.

“I think, especially in American English, it can give you some nuance, even if it doesn’t always change the meaning of something,” says Lee.

For example, Jalapa Mazatec, a language spoken by the Mazatecan tribe in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, is often referred to as “creaky voice.”

It doesn’t damage your voice

Vocal fry is not a problem unless you’re experiencing strain or vocal fatigue, or if how people perceive you is causing you stress or affecting your mental health, says Wilson.

But if you are having concerns or pain when using vocal fry, it probably isn’t the most efficient register to use.

“The use of vocal fry isn’t considered a disorder in our field unless it’s a symptom of a larger problem,” says Lee. “That’s when we want to address it as part of a larger picture of a different diagnosis.”

You can choose to use vocal fry if you want

Sometimes speaking with vocal fry is in someone’s natural register, and sometimes people choose to use it. Both are completely OK.

“I do a lot of gender-affirming voice care, and sometimes my transfeminine patients will want to develop some glottal fry because it can be congruent with how they want to be perceived from a voice and gender perspective,” says Bernado.

Say it like you mean it (with or without vocal fry)

If at any point your vocal fry becomes a problem or bothers you, Wilson says a speech-language pathologist can help you adjust it.  

“If you’re experiencing discrimination because of your vocal fry, or if you’re perceiving yourself in a way you don’t want to be perceived because of vocal fry and you can’t get out of it, speech-language pathologists are here to help you find your voice,” says Wilson.

And at the end of the day, what you do with your voice is your choice.

“I feel really strongly that ‘my body, my choice’ also applies to my voice, too,” says Bernado. “If you’re experiencing pushback or discrimination in professional settings, ask yourself: ‘How do I feel about my vocal fry? How do I want to act in accordance with that?’”

Either way, your vocal fry doesn’t need to be “fixed.” There’s nothing to fix. Your voice, however you choose to use it, is as valuable as you are.