There are certain 'truths' that we are told from a young age, that we tend to find out the reality of as we grow up; no matter how heartbreaking it is to discover your parents filling up the a Christmas stocking or the relief on finding that your face hasn't stayed that way when the wind changed!

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However, some 'truths' are repeated to us well into adulthood, maintained and reinforced until they become almost unquestionable - largely due to their relentless repetition in the mainstream media.

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How often are we told about the ideal body size or shape for men and women? Why do we take it for granted that a teenager is an antisocial narcissist? Who's checking to see whether all refugees really are 'flooding' into the country ready to steal our jobs and our livelihoods?

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Stereotypes exist to further an agenda, news media can be as ideological as a narrative text - and so can advertisements!

 

Your job is to pick one of these 'truths' and analyse how it is represented as pure 'common sense' in a variety of media texts. How is it legitimised, how is it put forward as little more than straight forward 'facts' - when the reality may be far from it.