Associate professor
Hélène Breda has been an Associate Professor at LabSIC since 2017 and is an associate researcher at IRCAV. Her research focuses on gender norms in audiovisual fiction, the intersections between sexuality and media, and gendered audiences and reception of (popular) cultural productions. After many years working on television series, she turned her attention to online feminisms, commonly referred to as “fourth-wave” feminism. Her most recent research examines the incorporation of feminist discourses and themes into series produced for streaming platforms, particularly Netflix teen dramas. She has been a member of the “Sexteens” research network since 2022. Another strand of her research lies within the field of fan studies. Since 2022, she has been studying the French Disney and Disneyland Paris fandom. She is a founding member of the “Fans” Research and Study Group (GER), accredited by the French Society for Information and Communication Sciences (SFSIC).
Contact :
Languages : Français, anglais.
Research areas
- Representations of identities, gender roles, and sexualities in fiction (television series and films) and the media
- Online feminisms
- Media representations of feminism
- Gender norms in teen dramas
- Gendered reception and criticism of (popular) cultural works
- Fan studies
- Disney and Disneyland Paris fandom
- Transmedia
- Narratology of television series
Scientific publications in English
Breda H. and Corroy L., « Rewriting romance. Netflix teen dramas and the reconfiguration of sentimental norms », Youth & Globalization vol. 8, 2026.
Breda H., « Fighting rape culture, one episode at a time. A feminist (r)evolution in the depiction of sexual assault in Netflix serialized teen dramas », in Larochelle D. L. (ed.), Critical Perspectives on Mass Market Entertainment, Leyde : Brill Publishers, coll. « Studies in Critical Social Sciences », 2025.