The thesis examines American teen dramas on Australian television in the period 1992 to 2004. It explores the use of the genre by broadcasters and its uptake by teenagers in an environment where American popular culture has frequently been treated with suspicion and where there are perennial arguments about the Americanisation of youth and their vulnerability to cultural imperialism. The thesis argues concerns about Americanisation and cultural imperialism in relation to youth culture, young people and the media are misplaced. American teen dramas are investigated as an example of the ways imported programs are made to cohere with national logics within the Australian mediasphere (Hartley, 1996). Utilising Yuri Lotman's (1990) theory of cultural 'translation' this thesis argues teen drams are evidence of dynamic change within the system of television and that this change does not result in a system dominated by imported product, but rather a system that situates foreign programming amongst domestic frames of reference.

Ce mémoire de maîtrise présente une étude des normes genrées auxquelles sont soumises les idols féminines de la K-pop. La construction, par l'industrie du divertissement, de ces vedettes de la culture populaire sud-coréenne, est un lieu de négociation entre les valeurs traditionnelles et modernes. Ce contexte se manifeste par une personnalité paradoxale, unissant l’innocence enfantine et la sexualité explicite. Les normes entourant ces célébrités sont étudiées par le biais de trois émissions de télé-réalité sud-coréennes mettant en scène des idols féminines : Invincible Youth (KBS, 2009- 2012), We Got Married (MBC, 2008-2017) et Produce 101 (Mnet, 2016-2019). L’analyse de ces émissions montre que, peu importe le contexte, on attend des participantes qu’elles maintiennent leur image et leur rôle d’idol, qui consiste à divertir et à charmer tout en restant humbles et chastes. Ces normes sont transmises et renforcées, notamment, par le « supertexte », un ensemble de commentaires textuels et/ou graphiques superposés à l’image à l’étape du montage. Ce procédé n’ayant pas encore été théorisé, cette recherche le compare aux intertitres du cinéma muet et à la « televisuality » selon Caldwell (1995). Il appert que la variété des formes que peut prendre le supertexte lui accorde une expressivité qui dépasse celle des intertitres, lui permettant d’asseoir une « autorité esthétique » par laquelle il invite le public à se joindre à son regard hégémonique. Les résultats de ce mémoire, jumelés à la théorisation du supertexte esquissée au cours de cette recherche, approfondissent la compréhension du processus par lequel l’industrie du divertissement sud-coréenne construit et entretient l’image des idols féminines. / This thesis looks into gender standards surrounding K-pop female idols. Curated by the Korean entertainment industry, these women embody the current clash between traditional and neoliberal values in South Korea, which translates into a contradictory image bringing together childish cuteness and mature sexiness. Those standards are studied through three South Korean reality TV shows starring female idols: Invincible Youth (KBS, 2009-2012), We Got Married (MBC, 2008-2017) and Produce 101 (Mnet, 2016-2019). Our analysis of these shows finds that in any setting, female idols are expected to keep up their image and fulfill their role as an idol, which consists of entertaining and seducing while simultaneously displaying a pure and humble personality. Those standards are transmitted and reinforced by the “supertext,” an ongoing textual and/or graphic commentary overlaid on the image through editing. As this object has yet to be theorized, this research compares it to inserts in silent film and to Caldwell’s (1995) concept of “televisuality.” These comparisons allow us to note that the supertext’s various shapes and forms allow for expressivity way beyond that of inserts, through which it invites the audience to join its hegemonic gaze by establishing “aesthetic authority.” The results found in this thesis, paired with the theorization of the supertext drafted through this research, lead to a better understanding of the process through which the South Korean entertainment industry constructs and maintains a certain image of female idols.