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Barthes views society as a dynamic construction that is perpetuated by signs of the dominant values within a culture. He implies that myths are derived from these signs, and hence these social myths come to regulate what we perceive as natural in our society. In Barthes' context myth does not refer to ancient myths. As Roland Barthes explains it, myth is a type of speech, a system of communication evoked to carry a message. Though …

…and occur in popular culture in an attempt to naturalise elements of human life. Advertisements use the myths to add meaning to their product. In doing so, myth interpellates the cultural meanings of gender, and represents to the world, ideologies of what is socially acceptable, or what is perceived to be socially aspired by the majority. Word count: 765 Reference R. Barthes, "Myth Today". D. Tallack (ed), Critical Theory: A Reader. Hemel Hempstea: Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1995: 27-42