Rhetorical Analysis Of Debbie Sterling's Goldieblox Talk

What is an engineer? An engineer is someone who uses math and science to design and build solutions to problems. When most people think of engineers, they don’t picture women in this role. In fact, only 11% of engineers in the United States are women. I held the role of Industrial Engineer for a large packing house and saw this statistic firsthand. In my organization, I was one of 8 engineers, the only female. I felt the stigma that I wasn’t as qualified simply because I was a woman. Debbie Sterling, an engineer turned entrepreneur, took on the challenge of fighting this stigma in her TEDx Talk given on April 19th, 2013 she tackled the issue of gender stereotypes and effectively used the rhetorical strategies of ethos, logos, and pathos

As an engineer and woman herself, she showed her first-hand knowledge of facing gender bias in the engineering field. She also showcased her academic achievement by talking about her time at Stanford, a prestigious university. Sterling referenced places she had proposed GoldieBlox like the New York Toy Fair; the international biggest toy show in the U.S. and also the large number of preorders she received; 20,000 units from stores all over the world who wanted to carry GoldieBlox. The allusion to a high demand for her product gave validity to her argument that there was a need for STEM toys geared towards girls.

Another key part of her speech was how Sterling used logos to present logical arguments in support of her viewpoint. She provided statistical data like the fact that only 11% of engineers in the United States are women to highlight the underrepresentation of women in the engineering field. She also used logical reasoning to explain how early exposure to engineering toys and activities could help bridge this gap citing a global

She has a very down-to-earth, relatable style of talking and she shared several personal stories throughout her talk. One of the stories she shared was how she had been brought up playing with dolls and makeup kits instead of Legos and Lincoln logs giving her a disadvantage and underdeveloped spatial skills. This story was relatable to a lot of people in her audience because so many toys are marketed toward specific genders. Sterling speaks with a lot of vivid descriptions and details in her stories; she has a strong skill in drawing in her audience. For example, this story “ I remember when I was a little girl, adults would pat me on the head — well, actually I come from a Jewish family; so they would grab me by the punim and say, “Debbie, you are so smart, good for you.” And I remember as a little girl being so disappointed, wishing that they told me I was pretty. I wanted to be pretty, I didn’t want to be smart.” This was one example of many in her talk where she draws you in with details of her life and struggles along the