Many women who are in the midst of transition are concerned about their voice as it is often a major enemy when it comes to social interactions. Therefore, it is important to understand that there is no single moment to feminize your voice; each person should make the vocal change at their own pace, when they decide to do so, without haste or stress. The voice can betray us, but it can also be our great ally when it comes to deepening the world of human communication and, of course, emotions.
When I work with my patients, I always try to adapt to their requests, their needs, and their expectations. Therefore, as far as transition is concerned, I suggest three moments to work on a voice:
- Before transitioning: feminizing your voice before transitioning will make you gain confidence when passing.
- During the transition: by feminizing your voice during your transition you will be able to keep your masculine voice so you can alternate both voices and transition in a calm way and at your own pace.
- After the transition: feminize your voice even if you transitioned several years ago, there is no age to be free.
Moulting, age and transition
I work with women of all ages: underage girls who are in the middle of or have just completed their vocal molt, teenagers and young girls in their 20s and 30s, and of course, adults and older women. I usually advise waiting until the growth of the larynx is complete, i.e. not working during the molt. However, there is “shape” work that can be done before the vocal molt. Therefore, you can feminize your voice during or just after the vocal molt.
It is true that a person who has had to live a male role for years will have a more ingrained “vocal habit” than one who transitions at an early age. But anatomically speaking, feminization is always possible. So, no matter what age you are, or where you are in your transition, you will always achieve a more feminine voice.
Femininity is not subject to rules or canons, femininity is free. For me, feminizing a voice does not mean imposing a certain way of speaking, in fact, many of my patients discover their own femininity during our vocal training. That is why during the vocal training of voice feminization I constantly take care of personal freedom.