I can’t remember how many times I’ve watched <Reply 1988>, but this time, our editorial team noticed something interesting. Whenever the female protagonist, Deok-sun, appears on screen, there’s always someone asking in the comments, “Why is her Adam’s apple so prominent?” Some might even ask, Why do girls have Adam’s apple?
In our conventional understanding, the Adam’s apple is a secondary sexual characteristic of males, so it seems especially odd for a girl to have a large Adam’s apple. So, why do some girls have larger Adam’s apples? Or rather, is it okay for a girl to have an Adam’s apple that we can see?
Adam’s apple? No, Eve has it too.
The human throat is made up of 11 cartilages, the largest of which is the thyroid cartilage. The protruding part is what we see as the Adam’s apple or in more scientific terms, laryngeal prominence. This cartilage sits just beneath the thyroid gland and wraps around the trachea, protecting our larynx, or voice box, and vocal cords, which allow us to speak, sing, laugh, and cry.
The Adam’s apple gets its name from the Biblical story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, where the serpent tempted them to eat the forbidden fruit. When Adam ate the fruit, a piece of it got stuck in his throat, forming his Adam’s apple.
But as mentioned earlier, Adam’s apple is actually just cartilage, around our voice box. Didn’t Eve talk or breathe? This cartilage is present in both men and women and typically develops in fetuses at 2 months. This cartilage isn’t different until puberty and the influx of sex hormonal, resulting in a typically larger Adam’s apple in men.
After puberty, the hypothalamus and pituitary gland begin to secrete hormones that promote the development of the ovaries/testes, which then produce a large amount of sex hormones. These hormones circulate throughout the body, causing changes in corresponding areas.
Generally, testosterone affects the size of the Adam’s apple. Men have more testosterone, which causes the two plates of the thyroid cartilage to form a right or acute angle, making it very prominent from the outside, forming a visible Adam’s apple. But there could be other factors, such as a larger larynx (a larger voice box).
In women, with less testosterone, the two cartilage plates form an obtuse angle, making the neck appear flat. This doesn’t mean women don’t have an Adam’s apple; it’s just not as noticeable!
Whether or not the Adam’s apple is prominent depends largely on two factors: the cartilage development due to the amount of androgens and the thickness of fat in the throat and neck area. Therefore, if the thyroid cartilage expands outward during development, if the neck is relatively thick, or if there is a thicker layer of fat due to obesity, even Adam might not have a trace of the “apple.”
Why do girls have Adam’s apple?
The key factor affecting the prominence of the thyroid cartilage is testosterone, meaning, generally, women won’t have a prominent Adam’s apple, but special cases can occur.
Firstly, both estrogen and androgens exist in both males and females. However, our bodies don’t always do what they’re “supposed” to do, causing hormonal imbalances. Women might secrete too much androgen, and men might produce too much estrogen.
Excess androgens can make the Adam’s apple slightly larger, and it might also manifest in excessive body hair or facial hair growth. It can also cause deeper voices.
High levels of androgens in girls could be due to lifestyle reasons, such as staying up late or consuming foods high in androgens. It could also be related to conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome or insulin resistance.
Secondly, as mentioned earlier, whether the Adam’s apple is visible is related to a person’s weight. Some chubby men might not have a noticeable Adam’s apple, so when a girl is very thin, with almost no fat around her neck, even if her Adam’s apple isn’t protruding, it might appear more obvious.
This is entirely normal, but if you’re in this situation, it might mean you’re too thin, and perhaps it’s time to consider gaining weight.
Lastly, a girl’s Adam’s apple might protrude because her parents have prominent Adam’s apples. Due to genetics, her thyroid cartilage might naturally be a bit larger. It could all just be down to body type.
Another scenario is when a girl appears to have an “Adam’s apple,” but it’s the result of a thyroid condition.
Thyroid enlargement, thyroid nodules, and thyroid cancer can all cause the Adam’s apple area to protrude.
But don’t worry, this is rare and easily distinguishable from a normal Adam’s apple. If you’ve passed puberty and your Adam’s apple suddenly enlarges, you might have a thyroid condition.
If you have a thyroid condition, seek medical treatment promptly. But if it’s a normal protruding Adam’s apple, is there a way to make it smaller?
This might be a concern for some women with large Adam’s apples, as they might have faced mockery; conversely, some men might feel less masculine due to a less prominent Adam’s apple and consider various surgical options to enlarge it.
Such surgeries exist and fall under the category of cosmetic surgery, or plastic surgery. The procedure typically involves reducing or augmenting the size of the thyroid cartilage. However, the risks are significant, potentially leading to hematoma, nerve damage, and a deeper voice. Some surgeries can make voices deeper, and girls can end up with a “duck voice” as the quality of hospitals offering these surgeries varies greatly.
The thyroid cartilage is crucial for our speech, eating, and swallowing. Any carelessness can have severe consequences, so if it’s just normal development, it might be best not to tamper with it with surgery.
In other words, if everything is normal and healthy, is a visible Adam’s apple, or the size of it, really that important?
Gender doesn’t need to be so rigidly defined.
It’s not only Lee Hye-ri, who plays Deok-sun, but many female public figures with a noticeable Adam’s apple have also faced slander and defamation.
Japanese idol Asuka Saito is one of them. On Japanese forums, many people have made malicious comments about her, “Like a snake swallowing food, terrifying,” “Is she a man?” “Disgusting,” “The more I look, the more she looks like an alien,” “Transgender?”…
The overwhelming negativity not only reflects a lack of physiological knowledge but also shows how much people overemphasize secondary sexual characteristics. If a person’s secondary sexual characteristics are not developed enough or develop in the opposite direction, they’re not considered a real woman/man.
Sometimes, physiological issues are not entirely about physiology but also about our attitude towards them, along with notions of gender identity, which is psychological and cultural.
People think a big Adam’s apple symbolizes masculinity, the bigger, the more masculine, even suggesting strong male sexual ability. Searching “Adam’s apple” on the internet, it’s not hard to find many close-ups of it, portraying it as a “charm point” for men.
But when it appears on women, it’s considered to break the smooth lines of a female neck, making the girl seem less gentle.
Men are also affected by this mindset, with those having less prominent Adam’s apples facing insults, being called effeminate, and being subjected to uncomfortable sexual harassment.
This strict evaluation system doesn’t just look at the Adam’s apple but also body hair, breasts, and other body parts. How many flat-chested girls have heard, “You call yourself a woman with such flat breasts?” How many boys with a high, thin voice have been isolated and bullied?
But as mentioned earlier, our bodies are not set programs; they are fluid and free.
A bit more androgen and a girl might grow long leg hair; breast size is more influenced by genetics, and every girl has a unique chest, different sizes, and different shapes.
Some men have smooth skin, possibly related to insufficient androgen secretion, along with genetic factors and individual differences; some men have naturally short and thin vocal cords, seemingly skipping puberty and retaining a clear, youthful voice, which might have been considered a “curse” due to bullying but eventually discovered as a kind of blessed luck.
Some boys also develop breasts, known as “gynecomastia.” For newborns and adolescent boys, it generally disappears slowly over a few years. If it occurs in adult males, it’s usually induced by certain diseases or medications.
In short, estrogen and androgens are so unpredictable and related to genetics, diseases, and medication use. If it’s caused by a disease, let’s treat the disease; if it’s normal and healthy, let’s consider it a special feature.
We might not completely eliminate stereotypes, but when we meet them, saying “Your voice is so cute/special” instead of “Are you a boy or a girl?” would make everyone happier. It could also stop people from getting surgery to alter their bodies to fit “societal norms.”
Let’s respect and embrace everyone’s bodily differences!
