Dentro e fuori dal carcere, dentro e fuori dal set. Le figure femminili in "Mare fuori" e le nuove attrici della serialità italiana

"Mare fuori" is an Italian television series produced by Rai Fiction and Picomedia and created by Cristiana Farina, now available on Netflix. The series is also known by the international title "The Sea Beyond" and focuses on the events of the inmates and staff of an imaginary juvenile detention institute in Naples, freely inspired by the Nisida prison. Beyond its unanticipated audience acclaim, "Mare fuori" has functioned as a catalyst for the emergence of a novel cohort of Generation Z actors, whose rapid ascent to celebrity has been significantly increased by their use of social media platforms. Consequently, this series presents a compelling case study for the examination of teen dramas’ celebrity phenomena and their intricate relationship with gender constructs. This essay focuses on the female characters in "Mare fuori" and on a dual journey: the onscreen one, analyzing the gendered representations of female inmates, victims and perpetrators of crimes; and the offscreen one, the movement from anonymity to stardom, through an analysis of "Mare fuori"’s main actresses and their self-branding on social media.