Lecturer in English Language and Linguistics, Heidi Colthup, was interviewed on Radio Kent’s Drivetime show on Tuesday 9 March, about the recent decision by Unilever to drop the word ‘normal’ from their beauty products. Heidi teaches the modules ‘Language in the Media’ and ‘Writing in the Media’, and was contacted by one of Radio Kent’s producers, Jack Hadaway-Weller, who took both modules while completing his degree in English Language and Linguistics at Kent. Jack remembered from his degree that Heidi had talked about how brands use certain language to persuade us to believe or buy something.
Heidi Colthup adds, “Proof that doing a degree in English Language and Linguistics stays with you for life! Always question why brands and the media use the words they do to describe things – what are they really telling us, or selling us?”