Part of growing an audience is learning that people dislike things about you that you were previously unaware you did. The most common negative feedback I get these days is about my vocal fry, which is something I didn’t even know about until the YouTube comments began pouring in.

As people get more of their news and information from videos, and journalists and writers are encouraged to pivot to meet the moment, I’ve seen a lot of women talking about the hidden labor and expectations to appear conventionally attractive on camera. But something I haven’t seen as many people talk about is how our voices are unfairly scrutinized, too. Just yesterday, I appeared in an episode of A Bit Fruity about Clavicular and got comments like “She’s bright and articulate, but the vocal fry is like nails on a chalkboard” and “I am trying so hard but can't focus on what she's saying, the way she talks is very distracting.”

I used to think the backlash to my voice was just a matter of preferences. But as I’ve come to learn, it’s a convenient way to ignore and deflect from what mainly young women are saying.