If you’ve been on TikTok in the past week, you’ve most certainly heard the voice of iconic actor, artist, socialite and former dominatrix Julia Fox explaining how her role as director Josh Safdie’s muse for the film “Uncut Gems” compares to her relationship with Kanye West. Fox was recently the guest on Alex Cooper’s podcast, “Call Her Daddy,” where she spilled the tea on her (now former) relationship with Kanye, participation in sex work, and dived into sensitive topics of substance abuse, sexual assault, and her upbringing in the East Village. Immediately after the release of her podcast episode, TikTok was blowing up to the tune of Fox’s unmissable vocal fry and uptalk, pronouncing “uncut gems” as “uncut jaaams.” Countless celebrities, social media influencers and small creators have been using her voiceover in their own videos, poking fun at Fox’s voice and statement. 

@spotify

Here for @juliafox #kanyewest being each others’ muses 💕 #juliafox #callherdaddy #daddygang #ye #popculturetea

♬ Unka Jahms on Spotify x Call Her Daddy podcast – pawtify

As someone who has always been told my voice is too “feminine,” too “gay,” I argue that turning someone’s voice and pronunciation into a punchline is not only hurtful, but typically reinforces sexism and homophobia. Vocal iterations are a critical identifying variable of our gender and ethnocultural perception by others. If you hear a voice without any context, you may subconsciously identify that voice with a specific gender, sexuality, race and class. In our perception of others’ voices, we tend to make large assumptions about their background and experience. These assumptions are the foundation of stereotyped accents. People love critiquing others’ accents. There is a phenomenon, an obsession, with contrasting British and American or Northern and Southern (USA) accents. There exists an eroticization of voices which are unique or different from one’s own. This fascination creates space for judgment and assumptions about one’s character, experience and background. Ultimately, for feminine-presenting folx, voices are hypersexualized and criticized. Fox’s vocal fry is one example of a vocal iteration criticized for its perceived sensuality and ignorance. Vocal fry and uptalk are typically associated with the “valley girl” accent and stereotype made famous by the Kardashian family. Young women predominantly use vocal fry and uptalk either due to environmental vocal influences, cultural choice or due to social inhibitions. Due to the patriarchal structure of society and a history of mansplaining, women often end their statements on a higher register, as if they are asking a question. In our society, women ask the questions and men know the answers. (sidenote: In highschool, I recognized the same occurrence in my voice when my Debate coach suggested that I had a slight British accent. I associate my uptalk with an upbringing of patriarchal mansplaining in my family and community and people questioning my sexuality and masculinity. I always had something to prove and was therefore never sure if I was hitting the nail on the head in my statements.)

While the Kardashians are a brilliant, iconic, hard-working group of women, criticism of their “lack of talent,” perceived lack of intelligence and media-espoused hyper-sexuality have created a harmful association between them and the Valley Girl. Youtuber “marinashutup” explains in her video for Everyday Feminism, “Why do Women Talk Like Kim Kardashian?” that women who use vocal fry are perceived to be less educated, gold diggers or reliant on “daddy’s money” and unprofessional. This vocal stereotype has harmful implications for feminine-presenting folx. According to the same video, a study by Duke University found that employers are 86% more likely to hire a feminine-presenting candidate without vocal fry than a candidate with vocal fry. This statistic shows how assumptive people are towards other’s voices. When this level of discrimination exists against predominantly young, white women, the implications of vocal discrimination across racial and class categorizations is likely to be significant. 

Turning vocal fry into a meme reinforces the idea that these vocal iterations are nothing more than a joke and that the words they carry are insignificant. The popular focus on Fox’s vocal fry has left her experiences and emotions to be nothing more than a TikTok meme. This suppression of intelligence and valid experience is universal for people with vocal fry and uptalk. As a result, life-threatening incidents of sexual assault which disproportionately threaten women go unbelieved. Additionally, knowing that they are unlikely to be believed, people with vocal fry and uptalk are discouraged from reporting violence against them. Fox speaks about this experience in “Call Her Daddy.” After coming out that a former romantic and business partner had sexually assault her at his nightclub, many of her friends and those in her community of the Lower East side did not believe her. She remembers being called “dramatic,” a typical stereotype of the Valley Girl vocal fry. Fox recounts the second time she was assaulted, but still today has not identified her attacker. She blames her experience the first time with her inability to come out after the second. This is a blatant example of how women are so often discouraged from reporting sexual violence. It is empowering that she was able to defend herself the first time, but when her community turned their back on her voice, she was silenced.