Instapage
If you're reading this right now, you can probably relate. I can't tell you how many times I've heard it before:
"I pass as a woman ... until I open my mouth."
If you're like most transgender women I know, you've spent a LOT of time, energy and money perfecting your feminine image. It's probably taken you years of practice to get your hair and makeup right and you've undoubtedly spent hundreds - maybe even thousands - of dollars on breast forms, wigs, and shoes.
Unfortunately, none of that matters the moment you are forced to speak. If you can't TALK like a woman, you're not going to pass. Period.
It's your VOICE that makes or breaks you as a woman.
But you probably already know that. Knowing you need to work on your voice isn't the problem - it's the "doing something about it" part that's so hard!
Voice feminization is one of the toughest parts of transitioning. Sadly, there are very few transgender women with passable voices.
Even worse, there is so much BAD information floating around out there. Chances are, the voice feminization tactics you've been using until now are not working ...
The human voice is a complex mechanism and the "quick fixes" being thrown around the transgender world just don't work. Some of the most common vocal mistakes I hear TG women make include:
1. Speaking too deeply
The "fundamental frequency" (or pitch) of male voices typically ranges from 100 to 150 Hz, while female voice pitches range from 175 to 250 Hz. If your voice falls below 165 Hz (and I'll tell you how to find out your exact pitch in a moment), you're probably going to get read as male.
2. Talking in falsetto
At the other end of the spectrum, many TG's try to compensate for a deep voice by speaking in falsetto. But this high pitched "head voice" sounds more appropriate for Minnie Mouse or Tiny Tim than any genetic woman.
3. Whispering
Another common tactic employed by transgender women is speaking more softly. However, lowering the volume of your voice does nothing to make your voice sound more feminine - it just makes it impossible to hear you.
4. Upswinging your sentences
While it's true that genetic girls have more "melodic intonation" to their voices, upswinging the end of all your sentences just makes you sound like a ditzy Valley Girl. (Hardly the ideal female role model for anybody over the age of 18.)5. Pinching your voice
Males have a larger throat space than women, giving their voices a richer, deeper quality. While there are tried and true ways to reduce the throat space, constricting your throat too much can lead to a pinched sounding voice. (Think Pee Wee Herman or Kermit the Frog.)
Have you ever been shocked to hear a recording of your own voice? If so, then you know that the way you sound to yourself is completely different from the way the rest of the world hears you ...
That means you're probably not even aware of all the voice feminization mistakes you're making!
That's the bad news. The good news is that there IS a solution.
You may not believe it right now, but I'm here to tell you that anybody (including you) can quickly and easily obtain a passable feminine voice with little bit of the RIGHT kind of training.