We know that queer folks have impeccable music taste — but according to a headphone company’s personalization questionnaire, they have a unique sense of hearing, too.
An X user named Jerome took to social media to share his experience setting up earbuds from the brand Jabra. In the screenshot Jerome shared, he was asked to select his gender from three options: male, female, or nonbinary. The question also came with a brief explanation: “Your hearing profile is partly determined by your gender.”
The question is part of Jabra’s MySound feature, which asks users about themselves to automatically optimize their audio settings, first by asking their age and gender, then having them react to a series of tones. Most of that sounds perfectly reasonable, but even if hearing ability is partially determined by sex (studies have shown that women can hear better at higher frequencies than men), how could being nonbinary, a gender identity generally divorced from sex, play a role in someone’s aural abilities?
Your internet debrief
Stay ahead of the most scandalous, hilarious, and mind-boggling internet content delivered directly to your inbox.
Related
It seems that no theater (or movie theater) is safe.
Apparently, being ambidextrous and bisexuality go hand in hand — pun intended.
Plenty of folks, including Jerome, mused on what possible difference the nonbinary settings could make. “Imagining headphone engineers crafting the perfect non binary hearing profile,” Jerome wrote.
Some thought the option would optimize the earbuds for certain music genres, like hyperpop, nu metal, or indie rock.
Others thought it might try to match the nonbinary experience by breaking from expected binaries, putting sound into just one ear or forgoing stereo sound for mono.
Optimized for only having one headphone in
— henry houthini (@halldorlactase) November 26, 2024
Perfect for non-binaural beats
— weggles (@weggles) November 26, 2024
Still others thought it might work in reverse: try listening to nonbinary mode, and you might just discover something about yourself.
Listening to these and deciding my gender by what sounds best.
— Kind Raccoon (@2boring4U) November 26, 2024
Sign up for the INTO newsletter and get your twice-weekly dose of stories that shape the queer experience, culture, and lifestyle.
