It’s a shame Afua Hirsch tried to make a feminist point about being advised to pitch her voice lower when broadcasting (Women who dare speak out won’t be trolled into silence, 13 June). As a man, I find that if I pitch my voice slightly lower when facing a microphone or even a live audience, I shall speak more slowly. It is a great aid to communication.
I am no fan of Margaret Thatcher, but I doubt she was trying to cultivate a more masculine tone through voice coaching. More authoritative, certainly. There is nothing worse than listening to a high-pitched male or female voice speaking nervously and almost inevitably too fast. Mind you, the rasping Thatcher tone and hectoring manner would have been unpleasant in any key.
As for Elizabeth I, she was surely not disavowing her own femininity in her speech at Tilbury. If anything she was emphasising it.
Tully Potter
Tonbridge, Kent
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