That Baby Voice... Michelle and Mary Kay

[holierthanyou]

I'm doing some online work while half-paying attention to tonight's 20/20 episode with Barbara Walters interviewing Mary Kay Letourneau.  All of a sudden I jerk my head up to look at the screen because it sounded exactly like Michelle Duggar's baby voice... but nope, apparently Mary Kay just has a similar voice/speech pattern.   I'm sure Michelle would be horrified to know of the comparison between her speech and Mary Kay's, but it made me ponder a little more about their similarities... both seem completely incapable of understanding how the "outside world" reasonably criticizes their life choices, both lack self-awareness, and both seem to be fighting to maintain an aura of a wonderful happy life when clearly their lives are miserable and the people around them are miserable too.

[MarblesMom]

Oh, my, I had to go wiki MKL.  I remember that story.  Sigh. 

Agreed that they are both clueless on how their life choices look to the "rest of us."  I am assuming MKL is still married to the Boy Wonder?

And I am glad I missed the audio.

The real question is  - was MKL wearing a green shirt?

[Eatingintheprayercloset]

Mary Kay has some sort of mental illness. I mean how can you have an affair with a pre-teen if you don't!? Many speculate Michelle has mental issues as well. I mean how can you have 19 kids if you don't!? lol joking...maybe. 

 

I don't really think Michelle is oblivious to how the majority of the world views her.....batshit crazy. I just think she believes she's better than the majority of society. Actually, I think the Duggars are aware about  what the general public thinks of them but they are too smug to care. They don't care if they are liked by most, as long as they have the love of the Lord. 

 

(AND AS LONG AS THE TLC $$$ KEEPS COMING)

[CorruptionInc.]

In terms of Mullet - there is a fine line between naive and ignorant, however she's way past the ignorant now...

[Cleopatra7]

MKL came off as really immature in that interview (actually, she does in all the ones I've seen her in). I think she must be emotionally stunted, which is the only reason why she would decide to have an affair with a sixth grader. One of her brother drowned as a toddler while she was supposed to watch him, and I wonder if she just stopped developing emotionally after that. Her father was also involved in a sex scandal, and MKL blamed her mother and the other woman, which explains a lot about her own actions. I remember seeing a Biography about her back when A&E still had some semblance of educational programming on, and one of her former students said that even before the scandal, MKL always had a group of "cool kids" that she favored in her classes, and if you weren't in that group, you were just SOL. I also seem to recall that MKL was diagnosed as bipolar, but she also just seems to be one of those people who just want whatever they want, no matter who gets hurt.

[MamaJunebug]

M. Junebug, MD, has suspected MKL of NPD since watching the documentary of her wedding to Vili. MKL arrived without apology more than 2 hours after the wedding ceremony was supposed to have commenced. When she finally arrived at the venue, she was filmed intently working on her makeup (powdering her chest!), evidently oblivious to any schedule. 

IIRC one of her 4 (?) daughters w LeTourneau was in attendance. 

I remember her ex- got custody of their daughters, moved to Alaska and gave up the family name to avoid notoriety. Hope they're doing well. 

[devoe364]

I also find the comparison interesting and I agree that MKL is definitely emotionally stunted. 

I find the voice thing interesting - perhaps its almost a condescending thing? 

I mean, Sophia Lucia, who was on Dance Moms, faked speaking in a baby voice (one of my favourite Abby moments was when she called her on it being fake). Is it possible both these women are faking their baby voices as well?

If so, this is perhaps a symptom of their mental illness. 

That said, I think we put far too much emphasis on age in our society in general, but I say this as a 34 year old whose last three boyfriends (including the one I was with for a year and a half) are all 24. Of course, the new one will be 25 in a week. That makes it better right?

[Wenny]

I've heard it called SBV (sexy baby voice) either it 1) Makes the person seem cute and think men like it or 2) some trauma happen at a young age. It is like Upspeak (valleyspeak, everything ends in a question) and vocal growl (Kourtney and Khole K, they speak normally but then their voice goes monotone and flat. Just a vocal tick that some people have. I surprised that none of her daughters do it since girl have a habit of conforming to vocal ticks in large groups. 

[Mothership]

1 hour ago, Wenny said:

vocal growl (Kourtney and Khole K, they speak

This is referred to as Vocal Fry and is an affectation that become ingrained-much like the valley girl upspeak.  Makes me think that the baby voice is the same affectation--one that is intentional for whatever reason (I like the two suggested by Wenny) and becomes the norm.

[19Kittens]

Creepy thought: maybe Mullet does the baby voice because Jimboob thinks it's "sexy"?

 

[imokit]

Just now, 19catsandcounting said:

Creepy thought: maybe Mullet does the baby voice because Jimboob thinks it's "sexy"?

 

[devoe364]

9 minutes ago, 19catsandcounting said:

Creepy thought: maybe Mullet does the baby voice because Jimboob thinks it's "sexy"?

 

 Thanks. Thanks for that. 

[19Kittens]

1 minute ago, devoe364 said:

 Thanks. Thanks for that. 

I just couldn't keep it to myself anymore lol

[devoe364]

Just now, 19catsandcounting said:

I just couldn't keep it to myself anymore lol

We were all thinking it;... weren't we? 

[Wenny]

21 minutes ago, devoe364 said:

We were all thinking it;... weren't we? 

Yes, begrudgingly. 

[Cleopatra7]

12 hours ago, 19catsandcounting said:

Creepy thought: maybe Mullet does the baby voice because Jimboob thinks it's "sexy"?

 

Gothardism in general probably teaches that female helplessness is attractive (or "godly" as they might say) which includes the baby voice, although I recall that Kelly Bates doesn't use the baby voice. 

As for MKL, I think it's telling that the little we saw of her teenage daughters with Vili suggested that they were more mature than their mother. I also wondered how they dealt when their parents did that "Hot for Teacher" party. I get that they probably don't have that much money, since Vili didn't finish high school and MKL is...MKL, but that had to have been humiliating for the girls.

[devoe364]

Just now, Wenny said:

Yes, begrudgingly. 

Its unfortunately, but I really think it is a symptom of some kind of deeper trauma.

 

[anne.stults]

Wish I could post a link but I cannot figure out how to do it.  Anyway, Dr. Drew said the baby voice is usually in someone who has suffered sexual abuse.  He said the age of the baby in the voice is from about the time they suffered the abuse.  

[2manyKidzzz]

11 minutes ago, anne.stults said:

Wish I could post a link but I cannot figure out how to do it.  Anyway, Dr. Drew said the baby voice is usually in someone who has suffered sexual abuse.  He said the age of the baby in the voice is from about the time they suffered the abuse.  

That is really interesting. I wonder how he came to this conclusion or what studies he refers to. Very interesting. MKL is so very strange. 

[EyeQueue]

I would suspect Michelle's is an affectation. Hasn't she been caught on tape not using it?

I notice a lot of women who do this because, for whatever reason, they think it's attractive to men. Even highly-educated professional women I know will lapse into a sort of higher baby voice when men come around and start talking to them.

Internalized chauvinism, maybe? I don't know.

@devoe364: I also loved that moment with Abby Lee told Sophia to knock that baby voice crap off. I don't really care for Abby Lee--I find the way she treats children abhorrent--but I'll give her that. She's not about to dumb herself down and change her vocal register because she thinks it's "cute."

[Ungodly Grandma]

57 minutes ago, Cleopatra7 said:

Gothardism in general probably teaches that female helplessness is attractive (or "godly" as they might say) which includes the baby voice, although I recall that Kathy Bates doesn't use the baby voice. 

As for MKL, I think it's telling that the little we saw of her teenage daughters with Vili suggested that they were more mature than their mother. I also wondered how they dealt when their parents did that "Hot for Teacher" party. I get that they probably don't have that much money, since Vili didn't finish high school and MKL is...MKL, but that had to have been humiliating for the girls.

Now you have me googling Kathy Bates, is she related to Gil?

[Cleopatra7]

Just now, Ungodly Grandma said:

Now you have me googling Kathy Bates, is she related to Gil?

Kathy Bates is Gil's wife.

[Ungodly Grandma]

5 minutes ago, Cleopatra7 said:

Kathy Bates is Gil's wife.

Kelly Bates is Gil's wife. Kathy Bates is an actress. Am I missing something? I'm fairly new here.

[Gobsmacked]

You mean Kelly Bates.

[AliceInFundyland]

10 minutes ago, Cleopatra7 said:

Kathy Bates is Gil's wife.

I was just struck with an image of Gil in bed and and Kathy Bates in Misery (oddly, the clothing/voice is appropriate) about to whack the shit out of him. Never had that thought before. Nice.