SEXTANT: masculinities, sexualities & decolonialities

ABSTRACT

This essay explores the role of language in shaping heteronormativity and the sense of belonging, particularly in non-traditional family structures such as single-parent families. Using personal experiences and affect theory, the author examines how terms like “family” are loaded with social expectations and normative values which tacitly exclude non-normative subjectivities. By analysing marketing concepts like “family pack” and “family pass,” the essay highlights how these terms perpetuate exclusion and reinforce a traditional model of a family that is heteronormative, white, and centred on children. This also connects to broader social norms and concepts of affective citizenship, to emphasise how emotions and language intersect to shape individual and collective identities. The essay argues that normative definitions of “family” marginalise diverse family structures and that this exclusion has political, emotional, and societal impacts.

KEY WOrDS

heternormativity, single-parenting, language, family, belonging

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.