TOW #9

Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/12/us/because-i-was-a-girl-i-was-told.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

Sexism has been an issue since the beginning of time. Women have always been seen as inferior to men. In the recent presidential election, there was a distinct possibility that a 227-year-old gender barrier would be hurdled: we could have a female president. While this didn't end up happening, the New York Times asked women around the country to share stories of things they were told they couldn't do because of their gender. The list ranged from "I wasn't strong enough" and "technology was for me," to "I wasn't allowed to play with boys."
The way ethos is established in this article is through all of the anecdotes from different women. They each tell their own stories of how people have tried to limit them because they were girls, and how they overcame this. And you know you can trust them, because they are women.
The goal audience is both men and women from America. They want to show women that they're capable of so much, no matter what anyone tells them. And they want to show men that women deal with gender discrimination all of the time, but we won't let it limit us.
The use of the anecdotes makes the article seem much more intimate. The women that tell their stories are of different races, cultures, and backgrounds, but they all share this struggle. It almost evokes a feeling of unity between girls. It acknowledges that we may be different on the outside, but we are all strong and able to overcome gender obstacles.
This article was written because of the presidential election, but it has the potential to relate to so much more. Congress this year has more women than before, women are stepping up politically to show that they can do what men can do, and even the olympics showed that girls can be strong and successful too.
While this is just one article, girls everywhere are growing more confident in themselves, supporting each other, and fighting to break down the gender barrier.