Baby Talk, Baby Talk, It’s a Wonder You Can Walk
I have just returned from a trip and have caught up on most of what was on my TiVo. One of the last shows I watched were the back episodes of How I Met Your Mother. I enjoy this show though I prioritize it low–it’s on at the same time as 90210, which I feel necessary to watch for my continuing studies in teen television (though it’s not nearly as fun as Gossip Girl), and Chuck, which I just like (and catch up with On Demand) so I end up watching How I Met Your Mother on my laptop a few weeks late, usually. On October 25, the episode was entitled “Baby Talk.” If you read this within about a week of my writing this, you can watch the episode here. Otherwise you may have to go to Itunes or wait for a rerun, or you can read a recap at televisionwithoutpity.com.
From cbs.com
In any case, part of the episode featured Robin’s new co-anchor on her morning news show Becky (the blonde), who talks like a little girl. Although Robin, who has a deeper voice and is all around a confident and independent woman (in fact she and Ted broke up in the early seasons because he wanted marriage and kids and she didn’t) finds her infuriating, Ted finds it charming and dates her.
I have often thought about the sort of woman with a little girl voice, and how she got that way. Obviously as a young girl, that sort of woman found that if she talked like that people rushed to her rescue, bought her things, protected her and forgave her faults and if you believe the media it gets her out of tickets. She doesn’t come off as “too smart” or “too independent”–a label that Robin gets in this episode and many of us career women have gotten in the past. It’s supposed to be funny, but I think it’s an important issue.
For those of you reading in my class, you are having a very different college experience than I did. When I took a class my second year called Feminist Theory, Feminist Practice, in a classroom where 15 or so of us (mostly women) sat around a table, the professor made us notice early on how many of us started our statements with qualifiers like “I don’t know if this is right, but” or “I’m not really educated about this but” or made a declarative statement a question by having our voices sound tentative and go up at the end. I learned then at age 19 not to do that, and I think it served me well in my career. It’s interesting that meetings with my fellow faculty are the first place I’ve raised my hand to talk in years, since my instructors in my undergraduate program did not expect that, and in my graduate programs did not object when I didn’t. I am not saying I never qualify my statements, but when I do I’m aware of it.
In any case, I interact with you primarily through written discussion forums and these blogs and in neither case can I hear how you speak (though if you would like to speak on the phone I’d be glad to). I honestly do not know if some of you are these type of women, and wouldn’t try to predict it based on your writing but would be interesting to hear about your experiences if you are like that or if you frequently interact with a friend, relative, co-worker or acquaintance like that.
I enjoy teaching online in part because I can craft what I want to say before I hit “send” in a way I can’t in person where I sometimes can’t spit out what I want to say perfectly, or say the wrong thing. However, I think it’s important to consider your “voices.” To me a classroom is a place where it is OK to respectfully disagree, with your instructor and other students, and I see that some of you are doing that, which I love. I’d like to think your education in general is teaching you to be critical thinkers and good communicators, and that when you make a statement in person, whether in another classroom, at work, or with your friends or family, you’ll consider how to make it with confidence. Hopefully a women’s studies course will help the women in the class see what they are doing as well as the men (OK man) see why they might.
Many of our top movie, television, and music stars, of course, use the little girl voice. Marilyn Monroe is famous for it, as is Melanie Griffith. That was Jessica Simpson’s thing for a while there. When I was trying to find an article I kept running into forums that mention Kim Kardashian about whom I know, blissfully, very little. I’m surprised that I don’t hate Emma Pillsbury on Glee, because she uses it (although I covet her clothes).
Why do you think women use this? Do you admire any celebrities who do? What about if a politician used it?
These articles may get you thinking:
Daum, Meghan. “Little voices of distraction: Why do some many grown-up women sound like Valley Girls?” LA Times. July 7, 2007. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-daum7jul07,0,7903770.column
Holmes, Anna. “Who’s To Blame For Little-Girl Voices?” Jezebel. June 18, 2007. http://jezebel.com/gossip/top/whos-to-blame-for-little+girl-voices-269879.php
