So for a while now I've been having to make calls using my male voice and give my male name and so on. Well, occasionally (like 5 times out of 20 I'd say) I get called Ma'am rather than sir, despite having given a male only name and despite using my male voice. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!? It's nice I guess but, I can't help but wonder... (And no, they don't know me and such so not like they should have been able to tell and I didn't say anything that could have give it away)
Has anyone else had this happen to them? How often? What do you think is the reason for why this is happening?
I think it's getting harder for you to slip into the old male mentality, and it's reflected in your voice. There are a lot of very subtle things that go into what gender we perceive someone's voice. You may be expressing yourself in typically female ways that you don't even realize, but that people on the phone are picking up on. :)
maybe they think you make the call for someone else?
It's not surprising really. I often ride the line between my male and female voices without even thinking about it, and even my dad, who has no idea I plan to transition, has accidentally used female pronouns when relaying something I've said to my mom. He doesn't even bother to correct himself. I wonder if he even realizes he does it, if he has any suspicions, or if he's trying to test me by waiting to see if I'll correct him. If the latter is what's going on, you can bet your ass I never will! :D
Quote from: Pikachu on October 06, 2014, 03:24:02 PM
I think it's getting harder for you to slip into the old male mentality, and it's reflected in your voice. There are a lot of very subtle things that go into what gender we perceive someone's voice. You may be expressing yourself in typically female ways that you don't even realize, but that people on the phone are picking up on. :)
Pretty much this in a nutshell I think :) The human brain is very good at picking up on subtle queues on a subconscious level. This is usually what people are talking about when they say "you're giving off a female (or male, or whatever) energy". Clearly you're giving off a female vibe over the phone, and the people on the other end are picking up on it. It could be something as simple as the cadence of your voice (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/cadence), as men and women do sound different in that respect, and you can usually tell the difference between a man and a woman's voice just from that alone (even if pitch and resonance are the same). So it's probably not so much about how you sound, but rather the way you sound, if that makes sense? Lol :P
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