While instances of overt, aggressive sexism have decreased during the past half-century, sexism persists, more embedded. Internalized sexism is one of the more subtle forms of contemporary sexism, not extensively examined but surprisingly influential as some studies illustrate.

Internalized sexism is also prevalent in the perception of voice. A persuasive voice for public speaking and is often described as booming—loud, deep, and resonant—a quality more often physically tied to male voices than female ones. Female voices—quiet, less resonant, “weak”—are thus often given less authority. Female voices also lack representation, with females accounting for only 30% of speaking characters in top grossing films, for example. Many women subconsciously associate female voices, including their own voices, with weakness or lack of authority and ultimately connect themselves with such.

Man of My Words is a wearable self-feedback voice changer for women aiming to disrupt this self-association between voice and hierarchy. When they speak into the device, they will hear their voice real-time in a male voice, thereby having the perception of speaking in a male voice. Man of My Words aims to disrupt the association women make between their voice and social hierarchy. By this experience, women can hopefully attribute to themselves to the authority and power they usually only associate with men.