I'm from very rural South Carolina, so I can only imagine what people from other places think when they hear me speak. They'd be wrong. lol I've had many of my husband's family or friends or coworkers make fun before they met me or actually talked with me. They usually leave impressed.

Southern does not mean idiot despite what media would have you believe. Again, whatever you think about Southerners, and I know the general perception, that's not me.

Though I will concede that it may be true for many of my fellow Southerners.
I'm very good at code-switching. I speak like my family of origin when I am with them or on the phone with them, and my accent is very, very thick. Even my kids make fun of me at that point and tell me they can't understand what I'm saying. Outside of that specific situation, you'll just catch a hint of a Southern accent. My DH is from Detroit, so he has moderated my accent through the years, I believe, as I have his. He always says I have an "classy" Sothern accent, whatever that means. Our children are pretty non descript to me, but his family says they sound Southern, my family says they sound Northern. We live in a metro area just south of Charlotte, and most of my associates are transplants, so it only makes sense that my accent has moderated through the years. Even I do a double-take when I hear a very Southern or country accent these days.
When I'm in Detroit visiting DH's family, though. Those people are LOUD. lol