Grown women with baby voices

WTF is up with that? Do some men respond to that as somehow attractive?

I had a professor my first time through college who always thought--without any corroborating proof--that women with baby voices had been sexually abused as children and their voices "stuck" at whatever stage of development they were in.

I heard Dr. Drew say once that it is a clear sign that a woman was sexually abused as a child. It's creepy. Fantasia also has a baby voice.

Christina Hendricks does this.

OMG, I used to work with a woman who would talk like that. It was nauseating when she would talk to her bf. "Is you gonna make me din-din and then tuck me up for night night?"

We have no idea what you're talking about.

Fantasia's baby voice was cute but it has gone over board since the suicide attempt. Get some bass in your voice girl.

Michelle Duggar owns this thread....

Did you intentionally omit Michael Jackson?

My mother has a little girl voice that is, to be honest, creepy.

At least I think it's creepy and I'm a little shocked when other relatives say she sounds "quiet, but sweet." Especially since she may be quiet, but she is certainly not sweet.

As far as I know, she was abused as a child until seven or eight years old. However, it was abuse through extreme neglect (being left alone in an empty farmhouse for hours with little food while her father worked and her mother was incapacitated due to severe Parkinsons disease) and supposedly not any sort of molestation.

I talk to her rarely, but her voice is disturbing.

R3, back when I listened to Loveline Dr. Drew said that a lot and was almost always right about it when he would press callers on the inssue. %0D %0D I have a co-worker who switches to a baby voice when the executives in our company visit our department. She's crazy and everyone knows it.

Dr Drew has never been to Thailand. *Any* announcement over the PA is by a woman in a baby voice. "kah kah kah, KAH. kah kah kah. Kah." I just want to scream "Talk like a grown up for crissakes!"

I used to love listening to Loveline when Adam Carolla was still on the show. And yeah, after hearing Dr Drew's little girl voice/childhood molestation connection theory I was sold on it. He could usually pinpoint the trauma down to the exact age it started, depending on whether the women sounded like 4 year olds or 8 year olds or 11 year olds, etc. Another celeb with LGV is Kristin Chenoweth. Although, she's also extremely petite so in her case the LGV might be just due to her stature. *shrug*

I don't know R14, I'm petite and I have a very low voice for a woman. Like Kathleen Turner low.

There's a difference between having a "small" speaking voice, like Kristin Chenowith, and having an infantile speaking voice, like Melanie Griffith has. Chenowith does not speak as if she wants people to perceive her as a baby; Griffith does.

r4, her voice as the Joan character is not her standard speaking voice. Check out the episodes of Firefly she's in. Totally different voice.

I loved Working Girl but Griffith almost ruined it for me. Listening to her coo about business ventures/mergers, etc. was stretching the imagination to the point of incredulity.

Melanie Griffith moved in with Don Johnson when she was about thirteen.

It's a sign of mental illness and/or fundamentalist christianity.

Speaking of Melanie Griffith, has anyone seen her outside lately? She really has dropped off the radar. Don't hear much about Antonio either. Did his roles dry up?

Was Dr Drew talking about that put on baby talk like what R5 mentioned, "Is you gonna make me din-din and then tuck me up for night night?", or is it that natural baby voice like Kristin Chenowith and the Tilly sisters?

Disney World! I noticed the young woman playing the "Alice in Wonderland" character talking in a little girl voice to all the children. Then I started paying attention to the females narrating the rides and they use a little girl voice, too. It seemed they were one degree over from Stepford wives.

The Tilly sisters sound retarded and Meg looks looks retarded. Can't believe Colin Firth went there. I'd have thought he'd have better taste.

Jennifer Tilly had a semi baby voice, Meg Tilly never did.

Jackie Kennedy Onassis's baby voice was a put-on. She only used that voice in public when she was being filmed. Her real voice was lower and had a Long Island accent. She sounded a lot like her cousin Edie, actually.

Paris Hilton talks in a baby voice when she's trying to be "sexy".

Oh man, I work with a woman who has a perfectly normal voice until she wants something from a man. Then she starts talking in the baby voice. And by wanting something from a man, I mean like asking someone at work to help her with something. I think she thinks if she sounds helpless, she will get her way.

The weird thing is, some of the men at work seem to respond to it and actually flirt around with her. It's totally creepy because it makes me wonder if they find little girls attractive. We do have some men here who actually hate her because she acts like that. I'm a woman and I find her annoying as hell.

In the Spanish-language commercial Jackie made in '60 for the Kennedy campaign, she doesn't talk in the baby voice--she talks much more clearly (though with an affected upper-class accent).

The only time I ever heard her do the weird baby voice was the White House Tour, and then my guess is she was scared out of her mind. There was a lot of speculation later (from Norman Mailer, among others) that she was stoned on prescription medication when she conducted the tour because she seemed so out of it.

The weirdest thing to me is when I've actually heard college professors use this voice. There's a very famous academic in the Harvard English department who speaks this way named Elaine Scarry--you wonder what the hell someone that smart is doing talking that way.

On the other hand, I've been told I have stereotypical "gayvoice," which must infantilize or de-masculinize me in some people's ears. And I am pretty unaware of the fact i speak this way.

Shouldn't a distinction be made between women who intentionally speak in baby voices and women who just naturally have higher-pitched, atypical voices, like Kristen Chenoweth or Jennifer Tilly?

Alright. %0D %0D If a grown woman puts on a baby voice then it might be because they were molested. %0D %0D But, what if a grown woman puts on (or even naturally has) a low voice?%0D %0D I have always been curious about that sort of thing. It seems to me that there would be a flip side to the baby voice theory or I am drunk. %0D %0D R29 the two Jackie O references you are making are on youtube.

Griffith is totally freaky: baby girl voice, gnarled old lady hands, and shiny, lifted face.

And to think Banderas fucks that total wacky package. Amazing.

I'm going with the theory that Banderas is staying with her out of pity and she is the mother of his children.

r22, I'm not R5, but I've heard Dr Drew say that - it's pretty much that every woman with a girly voice was abused.

If anyone calls in with one of those cutesey high pitched voices, the first question out of him is "how old were you when you were molested."

I was a little shocked the first time I heard him do it, but I've also never heard anyone say no (not that I listen to dr drew all that often).

{quote]It's a sign of mental illness and/or fundamentalist christianity%0D %0D This would explain Victoria Jackson.

I own this thread, bitches!

Did you see Jackson on "Celebrity Fit Club"? Her dad really did a number on her. I have no idea if she was sexually molested, but all her life he called her fat and unattractive. Even when she was on the show, he was interviewed and he hauled out a photo album and in every one of the pictures, he pointed out Jackson and made a derogatory remark about her.

She might not have been sexually abused, but she was definitely emotionally abused.

The nurse at my doctor's office speaks in baby talk. It is freaky to have someone checking your blood pressure, etc. while speaking as a small child.

I asked her about it and she said it was her normal voice...

I saw that Jackio O. Tour of the White House film fairly recently and was shocked/appalled at how Jackie talked/acted. The icing on the cake was when JFK comes in the room and appears utterly dismissive of his wife and her efforts -- it was bordering on visible dislike.

I think most straight guys DO find a woman's baby voice incredibly sexy.

Kylie sings with a baby voice. Madge does, too, occasionally.

Because we're all Lolita-lovers, they think.

When Kristin Chenoweth was on The West Wing, I could barely understand what she was saying. It was a total distraction from the rest of the scenes in the show that were so well done.

Does Bernadette Peters count?

Real:%0D %0D Victoria Jackson%0D %0D Georgia Engel%0D %0D Christina Hendricks%0D %0D Teresa Ganzelle%0D %0D Lisa Welchel%0D %0D Mindy Cohn%0D %0D Didi Cohn%0D %0D The blond chick from 90210%0D %0D Put Ons:%0D %0D Megan Mullally%0D %0D Nicole Kidman every time she's doing comedy or musicals%0D %0D Goldie Hawn%0D %0D Faith Prince%0D %0D Kelly Ripa%0D %0D Suzanne Sommers%0D %0D The brunette who plays the sister of the blond chick from 90210 in What I Like About You%0D %0D

Helen Kane and Mae Questel.

Charlotte Gainsbourg OWNS this thread.

(If she actually ever asserted herself, that is).

r39 You only just realized JFK treated his wife like shit?

Real: Judy Holliday%0D %0D Put-on: Lesley Anne Warren%0D %0D Real: Butterfly McQueen %0D %0D Put-on: Gary Coleman%0D %0D Real: Wayne Newton%0D %0D Put-on: Jerry Lewis%0D %0D Real: Shirley Temple%0D %0D Put-on: Dakota Fanning%0D %0D Hoarse Baby Voice due to vocal nodes: Bernadette Peters

I didn't know that theory of Dr Drew's -- interesting proposition.

I have two middle-aged women friends who both speak in girly voices. I don't believe that either was sexually abused as a child, but both say that their moms were emotional bullies toward the kids & their dads, so the victims clung to each other for support. The daughters grew up estranged from their moms & very close to their dads throughout the parents' lives. Both of these women married controlling men who cheated on them for years.

Weird.

I worked in the South for a few years...I worked with a woman who's voice sounded like a cartoon character. Her voice was very distinctive, complete with a fun southern accent. She sounded a lot like Chenoweth or the Mayonaise lady (who was in the original Steel Magnolias...her name is Constance Shulman)...I would make fun of her voice and could do a spot on impression.

At a certain point she had a cold and lost her voice and suddenly she sounded like a normal person because she was forced to find a differenet spot in her register to speak. It was at that moment that I realized..she just didn't learn to speak properly...she just learned to speak in a child-like register...because she was forced to make sounds in a different place (more in her chest than up high in her nose)...speaking is a lot like singing, which we do not realize unless we really study singing or speech...but, what this woman did was speak like a child (24/7), not because she wanted people to like her, or to be cute, but because that was how she learned to speak. It was soooo weird.

Funnier to me, is when children have low husky horse voices, as if they were born with nodes. I am always amused by this sound, especially in little girls. I find it fascinating.

Oh, r50, you would love my little cousin, Edie. At 5 years old, she sounded like Lauren Becall. When her mom asked her what she wanted as a snack, I would imitate a husky voice and say 'A pack of Parliments and some gin'.

Thanks, R5. I have a very young voice but I have no memory of being abused (well, emotionally, yes, but not sexually).

R44, I don't think Christina Hendricks's baby voice is real... She speaks in a lower register in some Mad Men scenes and a much higher one in others, especially when talking to men. There are times when her demeanor is very childlike. I noticed it last week when she was dressed in pajamas and opened the door for Roger... I don't know if it's due to her character's obsession with Marilyn Monroe or her own personal tendencies.

That used to be the normal voice cultivated by upper-class girls. Nowadays, when you hear the girls who go to the most exclusive schools (like Brearley, Spence, Sacred Heart, etc.) on the Fifth Avenue bus, they all quack like ducks in EXACTLY the same way. So both styles were a matter of fitting in to an ideal.

I remember how some of my aunts said that a lady's voice should sound bell-like. You sure don't hear much of THAT anymore!

Is there an equivalent to women baby voice for men?

R55, men who deepen their voices?

I thought of that, too. But I mean also the psychological relevance behind the voice - the abuse. %0D %0D Dr.Drew's theory is pretty fascinating.

It's funny that Jackie O had such a high voice because she smoked 2 packs a day. It should've sounded like gravel.

You can have a baby voice and a big intellect. Believe me.

My sister is an RN. A visiting nurse who also works at a hospice. She has a girlish voice that may be fine when trying to sound sensitive and compassionate with patients, but talks to the family as if she's speaking to children.

A lot of them make a living doing cartoon voiceovers, for obvious reasons a good career choice:%0D %0D The actress who does Lisa Simpson (that's pretty much her natural voice).%0D %0D The little dyke in Gimme A Break (the show with that other bigger dyke)%0D %0D

Shesh. Dr. Drew's theory about voices has to do with a voice that sounds like it's stuck at a certain age. Many of you are thinking about actual baby-talkers or breathy (Marilyn Monroe-ish) speakers.

Paula Abdul and Melanie Griffith are good examples, at least before menopause. Chenowith and Victoria Jackson, too.

they want to be dominated and slapped hard

I nominate Joey Lauren Adams as the actress with the most annoying baby voice.

For such a giant heffalump of a woman, Katie Holmes has a babyish voice.

I know two women in their early sixties who have whispery, Marilyn Monroe-type voices. They're twins, both blonde, both very concerned about their appearance. I won't go into detail about their nutty lives, but there is definitely something wrong with both of them. %0D

Prime examples are all those bimbo bitches on that "Girls Next Door" show. What is it with porn sluts, strippers, and nekkid models and these idiot voices.

Then I hate the opposite just as much. The broads like Martha Stewart who speak in that low guttural tone. They don't speak as much as they croak.

Most porn stars and strippers were abused when they were young too. It fits Dr. Drew's theory.

That funny, most negative comments and disturbing bullshit theories was wrote by frustrated womens just to put-down womens with low pitched voice ! it smell jealousy from miles !! (Dakota fanning ??!! seriously ?!! she is a fucking child, goddammit) As a men i do prefer womens with high pitched voice, not necessary childish, but a women with a deep low voice is not attractive at all, voice is not a major criteria in attractiveness, but it can contribute. yeah most men find childish voice cute, that a fucking fact, everyone know that we like fragile and innocent womens, our natural tendency to protect takeover, some women enough smart use that at their advantage, and other was simply born with small vocal cord . So, cut the bullshit, you just a bunch of jealous womens, and stop making them borderline or whatever mental illness just because their are different or more attractive that you.

What about Khloe Kardashian on the show when she would talk to Lamar... like that whole debacle with the videotape he made her where she sits naked in a bathtub full of gumballs and skittles sucking on a lollipop while her poor friend has to sit there and tape the whole agonizing disaster.. it's effing awkward. Srsly go youtube clips of Khloe's baby voice but be prepared to feel gross and violated upon hearing. Idk just my opinion~

A baby voice is different than an airy voice and it's different from baby talk, words used to be cute. An airy voice still sounds like an adult, but is different from a baby voice because it's sultry and doesn't have the tone of a baby voice. Baby voices are red flags. The person is an adult but clearly has a piercing baby-like pitch to their voice in it's volume and tone.

I had a baby voice up until I was about 21 and dated an older woman who told me to quit talking that way. I also had a completely shaved pussy which freaked her out even more because she thought I looked like a little girl.

I was never sexually abused but I was extremely shy and being an only child, I was over protected by my parents. I think the baby talk was because I didn't want to seem threatening to others.

I didn't realize Dr. Drew pointed it out. I thought I made it up based on women I've known. I believe it. It's the "sexy baby" voice that beautiful Lake Bell mocks in In a World.

You should hear Melanie's voice when she's screaming in OOOORRRRGGGAAAAAAASSSMMMM.

I just learned about this theory dr. Drew has and I totally believe it. I also agree with the people who are saying there's a difference between baby talk, little girl voice, and high pitched voice. I was molested at the age of 8 and I sound like an 8 year old in a 26 year olds body. It apparently has to do with the brain stopping development in a certain area when theres abuse and its often with the voice.

For the longest time I didn't know until I heard myself on a recording; I cringe everytime I hear myself. It doesn't sound anything similar to in my head, which sounds like a mature woman. I'm also an alto so you don't necessarily have to be a soprano or something in order to have the little girl voice. It really sucks having a deeper voice but still the little girl voice because if I try to go any lower to make it sound more grown up it just starts cracking because I can't go any lower.

I also have to say I find it really offensive that women try to do the little girl voice because those of us who have no control over it end up having people dislike us more because they think we're putting it on.

Yes, some straight men are attracted to that.

Paris was faking it this whole time y'all!! She's not retarded and is ACTUALLY quite smart, according to Paris. The baby voice was just an act and we all fell for it! Did you know she is a perfume chemist now?

Jackie Kennedy sounds and acts like she's under the care of Nurse Ratched in this bizarre video.

Here's another clip if that didn't work.

Face it, most straight men would love it if sex with 12 to 15 year olds was made legal.

Baby voices? I have no idea what you're talking about!

It's probably bad to make generalizations, but it seems to me that in the South, in the US, there is a strong tendency for white women to use this kind of fake, 'baby" inflection when speaking, especially to men. It seems to be an act, totally. The idea that past sexual abuse could be behind it is interesting, but there is a cultural thing about it down here. It's pretty insufferable, most of the time.

Melissa Rauch on Big Bang Theory is a classic case of grown women who sound like babies.

The baby voice also made it into popular music- think Madonna among others. Awful.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pa3TmqOorZ6csm%2BvzqZmraCimq6le5hvcG1vZmh6qL7OsKVmr5%2Bisq951qKroWWSlq%2B6edWooJydow%3D%3D