Automobility and 'My Family' stickers

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Doyle, Kylie
Tranter, Kieran
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2015
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In this paper we explore the phenomena of 'My Family' stickers; the growing trend of stick-figure decals affixed to the rear window of motor vehicles. We suggest that the 'My Family' equipped vehicle generates excessive meanings about family, about road culture, about success and about forms of Australian belonging. It is argued that to represent 'My Family' on a motor vehicle is to stake a claim for belonging in a context where that belonging is challenged. Scaffolded by the semiotics of the motor vehicle we highlight how 'My Family' stickers demark a desire to belong: to a specific family unit, to a vision of feminine success, to white middle Australia - yet at the same time highlight the lack. Ultimately, we speculate that the placement of these decals on a vehicle shows a wanting to belong but also exposes anxieties about that belonging.

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Continuum

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© 2014 Taylor & Francis (Routledge). This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Continuum on 29 Oct 2014, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10304312.2014.968524

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Law and society and socio-legal research

Screen and digital media

Communication and media studies

Cultural studies

Cultural studies not elsewhere classified

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