Today I will be discussing the Cartoon Network series, Steven Universe. It has been picking up in popularity thanks to the internet, it does my heart good. Steven Universe is about a boy named Steven and his family - a group of female aliens with special powers called The Crystal Gems. Their aim is to protect Earth from their home world and other various threats. Steven's mother, Rose Quartz was the leader of the Crystal Gems; she gave up her physical form in order to bring Steven into the world. Steven is half gem, half human. Luckily he still has his ex-rocker father Greg who lives in his van. Steven must learn about his powers and his mother's legacy in order to take her place. We find that he takes care of his adoptive mothers of sorts as much as they take care of him.
At Connecticon I attended a very informative panel analyzing the LGBTQ aspects of Steven Universe, many I had never picked up on. Since returning from con I have been paying closer attention to the metaphors and hidden things within the show and I have picked up on so many more. Steven Universe is surprisingly deep! In this post I will be sharing my findings as well as some aspects I learned from the panel.
Not only is Steven Universe an awesome show, but it's revolutionary. It has feminism, showing that being gay is OK, it has so much realness for a show that is such a fantasy. It is not merely a kids show, though being suitable for children; they just won't pick up on any adult themes. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. It draws much influence from anime, especially the magical girl genre. I feel so proud to live in an era where a show like this can grace our TV screens. Growing up in the 90s we couldn't have Haruka and Michuru on Sailor Moon be the beautiful couple they are, we grew up knowing them as creepily close cousins. What sad times.
Anyway, these are the things that I have uncovered. There are spoilers for the show, but mostly for the first two seasons. I very briefly touch upon season 3, but I haven't had the time yet to really go in depth analyzing it and I am not caught up with season 4 yet. If you enjoy this post please comment and let me know, I'll start a part 2! I have literally spent months working on this single post which is why I haven't posted in a while.
Fusion = Sex
Fusion is a huuugeee metaphor for sex. What is fusion? The combination of two gems, becoming one and resulting in something new and beautiful. Sound familiar? Fusion is also very intimate - the two gems fusing need to be in sync and they go about a dance until they form a whole new gem; not unlike the act of sex and having a baby. This is a reason why fusion causes a bit of a rift between Greg Universe (Steven's dad) and Rose Quartz (Steven's mom). Greg cannot fuse with Rose because he isn't a gem, therefore he cannot be that intimate with her. This may also be a metaphor for infertility - since Greg cannot fuse with her in that way they cannot form a new gem. However, they do find a way to work around that - literal sex bringing Steven into the world.
Garnet is a big metaphor for gay sex and the sacredness of sex. Ruby and Sapphire become Garnet; they were taught that it is wrong for two different gems to fuse - ie biggots' view of same sex relations being wrong (idiots). But once they fused they discover how beautiful it is and how much they love each other - so much that they never want to separate. It is canon that Garnet is a relationship. A beautiful one at that. Garnet's views on fusion explains why she was so excited when Steven and Connie fused into Stevonnie. As long as the fusion isn't toxic, Garnet is supportive. In turn you could say she supports relationships and love as long as it isn't toxic.
On the show Garnet also serves as a metaphor for being closeted. For the majority of the first season we, the viewers as well as Steven don't know that Garnet is a fusion. Garnet keeps it hidden because of the stigma with different gem fusion and she is afraid of how those she loves (Steven) will reach towards the news. Sound familiar? But Garnet did not need to fear; Steven accepted her and was even excited to learn who she truly was. I love that Steven Universe does this to support the LGBTQ community.
Rape & Consent
The gem piece fusions that eventually form the cluster in season 2 is a huge metaphor for rape and consent. They are pieces of departed gems forced to fuse together against their will; this angers Garnet. She even mentions how atrocious it is for gems to be forced to fuse against their free will. Even worse, these poor gems were smashed and forced to fuse together as punishment for the rebellion. This can be taken as a metaphor for rape and how it isn't OK. And how consent is important. As a rape and molestation victim myself, I feel that this is so, so important and I cannot thank Rebecca Sugar (the show's creator) enough.
Another example of a metaphor for consent is the episode "Alone Together" where we first meet Stevonnie. When Stevonnie is at the rave, Kevin tries to force them to dance with him. Dancing is a very important and intimate aspect of fusion - each crystal gem pair dances to fuse. Kevin walks over to Stevonnie and begins to dance, making Stevonnie uncomfortable. Stevonnie walks away and speaks to themselves "I don't understand what's wrong. You have fun dancing but this dance isn't fun. You're supposed to like this, why don't you like this?" - what does this sound like? Someone having sex and suddenly finding it wrong and unappealing. Kevin follows Stevonnie and Stevonnie declares that they don't want to dance anymore - like saying you don't want to have sex anymore; revoking your consent. Because it is completely justified and your right to revoke your consent at any time!
In the episode "Beach City Drift" the event is touched upon again. Connie and Steven tell Greg about what happened. Connie states "He kept asking us to dance with him, even though we said no. It was really uncomfortable" and Steven proclaims "He didn't even care how we felt at all". Think they're making a bigger deal out of it than they should? BAM consent metaphor!
In the episode "Beach City Drift" the event is touched upon again. Connie and Steven tell Greg about what happened. Connie states "He kept asking us to dance with him, even though we said no. It was really uncomfortable" and Steven proclaims "He didn't even care how we felt at all". Think they're making a bigger deal out of it than they should? BAM consent metaphor!
Anxiety
Anxiety is also depicted in the episode "Alone Together" when Stevonnie is dancing by themselves. They discover everyone staring at them and begin to have a panic attack including symptoms such as sweating, rapid and fast speech, heavy, fast breathing. We see an animation if everything closing in tightly upon Stevonnie - this is exactly what anxiety feels like.
Lapis Lazuli: Abuse Victim
Lapis is a clear cut victim of abuse. In turn, she displays the signs and effects of a toxic, abusive relationship. Lapis is brought to Earth, far from her home only to be trapped in a mirror and her gem cracked. She is forced into seclusion and injured.
Then Lapis is forced to fuse with Jasper to create malachite. She is forced to stay in this fusion/relationship and endure abuse from Jasper. When Lapis disobeys Jasper, things get physical.
Abusers will do all they can to isolate their victims - to keep them away from their friends and family. They turn their loved ones against them, like how Jasper reminded Lapis of how the gems trapped her on earth and tried to use her. They will build up their self esteem to only tear it back down. Jasper does this to the point where Lapis blamed herself for the abuse - a thing most victims do.
At the beginning of Season 3, the gems rescue Lapis. In the episode "Same Old World" we see the lasting effects of the trauma that the relationship caused. Lapis shows signs of PTSD. She wants to fly far away and get away from the place that reminds her of those painful times. She discovers that she can't really escape it. Her and Steven go for a fly and she sees the ocean and galaxy warp; she becomes consumed by the memories so much that she nearly drops Steven into the ocean. Throughout season 3 we see her deal with this trauma.
In the episode "Alone At Sea" Steven brings Lapis on a boat that Greg rents. Lapis admits that she misses Jasper, that they were together for so long. This is a thing that domestic abuse victims go through. Then Jasper reappears and tries to get Lapis back. First she puts Lapis down; telling her that she's a monster and how everything is her fault to Jasper claiming that she was wrong and that she had changed. Lapis sees through this now that she is detached from the situation and stands up for herself, saying "What we had wasn't healthy. I don't ever want to feel like what I felt with you. Never again."
Even though Lapis was abused, the purpose of this trait for her is to show her strength. She survived it and she keeps going despite all of the trauma it caused. We see her gain back her power as she develops as a character and it is so important. Victims of abuse aren't just victims for the rest of their lives. They aren't weak or susceptible. Showing that women and men that go through abuse are stronger than you think.
Pearl: Mental Abuse Victim
While Lapis represents a physical abuse victim, Pearl represents a mental/emotional abuse victim. Many people don't know about mental abuse; it can leave scars as badly as physical abuse can. It's just that those scars aren't visible. On home world, Pearls are seen as slaves, objects that are supposed to just stand and look pretty. Pearl was different though and she escaped; she became strong and able to stand up for herself. But she is constantly reminded of what she "should" be by enemies; and she is reminded of the labels and taunts gems have thrown at her - they left a mark. She starts to believe that she is weak. Then Peridot comes along and is always throwing around those abusive insults that Pearl has heard probably a thousand times not only from others but from herself as well. It may not seem like abuse to most people, but think about it. Think about if every single easy, multiple times a day someone were to start telling you how useless you are and how inferior you are. That can royally fuck someone up and have huge lasting damage.
I have experienced mental abuse a lot in my life. No, I'm not talking about bullying. From family and even in a relationship where the person was supposed to love me; treating me like an object, like I'm nothing and uttering some really damaging things. I am still struggling to cope with the weight of it. Mental abuse is such an important topic and I'm really happy that SU deals with it.
Pearl Has PTSD
Another thing I am sadly familiar with - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Pearl lives in the past for a lot of the show. It has been confirmed that Rose Quartz was Pearl's lover. Pearl loved her with all that she had and lived purely for Rose. Rose was her savior, her everything. Which is why Rose losing her physical form (aka Rose's death) made such a damaging and huge impact upon her. She seems to get flashbacks - often mistaking Steven for Rose. When she speaks of the rebellion and how she fought with Rose she seems to get caught in flashbacks and sometimes unaware of what is truly happening. She never fully got over her death. She had to learn to live for herself and she lost the one encouraging person that loved her for who she was.
In the episode "Sworn the the Sword" we see Pearl caught up in her flashbacks of Rose; several times she confuses Rose with Steven. In the song "Do It For Her" she sings "You'd do it for him, and you would do it again. You'd do it for her that is to say you'd do it for him." She forces what her experience and relationship with Rose upon Connie and Steven. She repetitively tells Connie that she is nothing, because Pearl felt she was nothing compared to Rose; that her life didn't have meaning. When Steven has a problem with the things she feeds into Connie's brain, Pearl has an outburst saying "Why won't you just let me do this for you Rose?!"
Loss and Grief
This again refers to losing Rose. It is a major theme of the show. Steven grieves for the mother he never met and struggles with her legacy and with the Crystal Gems' comparisons between him and Rose. He strives hard to just feel close to her and seems to have mixed emotions on her. Greg also sort of lives in the past, still grieving the loss of his "wife". He still lives in his van which he toured in while he was a one man band; which is also how he met Rose. He also has a storage unit with so many things within it that he seems to have trouble parting with. Perhaps a lot of it reminds him of Rose? He reminisces about her as lot to his son and shows him videos with her on it. I noticed on the episode "We Need To Talk" where Greg shows Steven and Connie the tape of Greg's music video with Rose, where Rose and Pearl fuse into Rainbow Quartz; that Greg had already had the tape in his VCR. Could it be he watches the videos often to see his departed love?
There is of course Pearl - who was in love with Rose as previously mentioned and Amethyst who seemed to see Rose as a big sister type figure. Both Pearl and Amethyst blame Greg amidst their grief for their loss. In the episode "Maximum Capacity" where Amethyst helps Greg clean out his storage unit we witness an explosion of emotion from her on how Rose was always there for her until Greg came along.
In the episode "Rose's Scabbard" Pearl practically has a breakdown over her memories of Rose and her missing her. She declares "Everything I did, I did for her. And now she's gone, but I'm still here".
Sex/Relationship Because of Someone Else
In the episode "Beach City Drift" in season 3 Connie and Steven decide to fuse into Stevonnie so that they can race Kevin to get revenge upon him for hurting them. It's sort of like when people date someone else to get back at their ex. In the end Steven and Connie realize how they fused because of Kevin - they got together because of their hatred for Kevin and how wrong that is. That they should only fuse , should only be together for themselves. As mentioned before, fusion is sacred.
This also happens with Sugulite in the episode "Cry For Help" in season 2 when Garnet is so upset at Pearl for what she did she angrily commands Amethyst to fuse with her and says "Let's just get this over with . This fusion was formed because of rage.
Toxic relationships
There are a few examples of toxic relationships in the show. One being Sugulite, another being Malachite. Sugulite is the fusion between Garnet and Amethyst. When they fuse, it is a bad combination. They become too rash and rough - which is toxic. This can also be a metaphor for rough or abusive sex - Garnet doesn't like fusing into Sugulite because they get carried away and get too rough. Hmmm...now does that sound like an innuendo?
As previously mentioned with Lapis, she is forced to fuse with Jasper to control her and keep Jasper from destroying earth. Jasper is abusive to begin with, then Lapis is forced to spend months trapped in this fusion; this relationship dealing with all types of abuse from Jasper. This is a very toxic relationship.
Sardonyx in a way becomes a toxic relationship too. Pearl and Garnet fuse to form Sardonyx. Sardonyx's first appearance is when Peridot uses a transmition tower to try to relay a message to Yellow Diamond and home world. Pearl loves the feeling of being Sardonyx - of feeling whole and good. One could take this as she loves the sex between her and Garnet. Pearl takes things further by pretending that Peridot was wreaking havok, trying to relay a message again just so that she could fuse with Garnet. It happens a few times before Steven and Amethyst catch her. This is metaphorically a partner or an ex partner manipulating someone into sex. Which is why Garnet was so upset over this manipulation; since we know her feelings on fusion.
And Amethyst ties this all together. Though in this case she isn't toxic. Amethyst feels down, even depressed when Pearl and Garnet have started to fuse; instead of Garnet fusing with her. This is a metaphor for an ex when their former partner finds a new one. She is jealous that Garnet will not fuse with her anymore. Furthermore, Garnet compares Amethyst to Pearl a lot. She asks her why she cannot be more like Pearl which seems to greatly pain Amethyst and makes her feel inferior.
Amethyst, Child From Rape Or Mentally Impaired
Yes. I know this sounds terrible and out there but please bare with me. Amethyst was born at the Kindergarten, a very dark and terrible place where Gems are made. Amethyst came from one on earth. The purpose of these Kindergartens were to mass manufacture Gems to use as soldiers against the rebels; which was destroying the earth and life on it. At these Kindergartens the homeworld gems didn't even seem to care about the gems, often reffering to them as "subpar" because they were rushed into creation. Peridot refers to Amethyst as a "defective" gem. This is also where the fusions for the cluster are held. Amethyst could be a metaphor for a child born of rape. Why?
Amethyst seems to feel alienated for who she is and where she came from. She hears her friends speak of how terrible Kindergarten is and feels she is being associated with it. Like how if a woman has a child after being raped - this child is a reminder and associated with the terrible ordeal. It also ties into how children born of that situation must feel.
Amethyst also can be a metaphor for mentally impaired children. She is treated differently and like something is wrong with her. Plus, factor in the comments from Peridot about her being defective and the while "subpar" gems thing. She isn't up to society's standards and is left behind in the Kindergarten. In all honesty nothing is wrong with her, she is just different from others and society doesn't understand her.
Sexism - Pearl vs Peridot
When Peridot first joins the Crystal Gems after betraying Yellow Diamond, there is a "Pearl vs. Peridot" dynamic. Peridot is downright nasty to Pearl. She plays the role of a sexist, misogynistic man. She laughs at Pearl for being different than stereotypical, societal expected Pearls. She treats her as inferior - blatantly stating that "a Pearl" which is supposed to just stand and look pretty can do what she can do. In other words, this is a classic case of the idiotic men that still believe women to be inferior objects that belong in kitchens. In true SU style, Pearl proves that she is just as good as Peridot - when she builds a robot to fight Peridot's robot. Even though Peridot's robot won the battle, she lost in the end. Everyone congratulated Pearl; no one respected Peridot because of her "sexist" comments and discrimination.
Peridot the Homophobe
Yes, surprise surprise another terrible thing from Peridot before she changed. Peridot played the role of the biggoted homophobe. She was very vocal about how she viewed Garnet's fusion as wrong and disgusting. She went as far as declaring her discomfort and insist that Garnet unfuse while in her presence. This is like when a homophobe can't deal with a beautiful gay relationship or a gay couple displaying affection in front of them. Though, luckily Peridot came around and now seems to have a thing for Lapis! This can also be a representation of the closeted jock; or similar closeted individual. Where they vocally act against gay people but secretly are gay and afraid to come out. It's a lot more common than you think, people!
Gender Fluidity
Steven Universe is all about gender fluidity and acceptance! Even though all of the Crystal Gems, save for Steven are female. Stevonnie is a large example of this - when fused Stevonnie can be either gender; because Stevonnie is a boy and a girl at the same time. Stevonnie can also physically look like a boy or girl; he/she is also perceived as beautiful by everyone he/she meets! No one comments or asks Stevonnie's gender, they all appreciate his/her beauty.
Another example is the Beach Party episode where Sadie is going to sing on stage in front of everyone as a mystery guest - but Steven and her own mother overtake it completely and she doesn't want to do it anymore. Someone must go on stage so Steven does! He sings the "girly" pop song (which happens to be sung by Marceline from Adventure Time's voice actress, Olivia Olsen), complete with Sadie's routine and chosen outfit - a crop top and skirt. He is even wearing heels and makeup. And it is not a problem! Unlike our society, no one makes a comment or judges him. They don't even bat an eye, treating it as completely normal.
There is also the episode where Amethyst, who is female shifts into a buff, manly appearing wrestler to participate in the Beach City wrestling. Amethyst can shift into anyone or anything, regardless of gender.
Lots of Gay
There is literally so much gayness in Steven Universe....and it is all so beautiful! Besides Garnet, there are different characters that represent different types of relationships, especially within the LGBT community. With this point, I will discuss a few topics covered in the panel I attended.
Stevonnie is a representation of how gay people feel when coming out. Even though he/she is in a room full of people, he/she feels alone. He/she feels out of place, uncomfortable with themselves and awkward. He/she also attracts attention
Polyamory is explored in Steven Universe as well. Polyamory is where there is a relationship with more than one person. It has been confirmed that Rose was with both Pearl and Greg at the same time - which is why Pearl was so jealous of Greg. Rose had separate romantic relationships with both of them. It would be all fine and dandy if they all were alright with it. I am unsure if Greg knew the extend of Pearl and Rose's relationship. Pearl didn't like Greg and wasn't happy about their relationship - but she put up with it because of her love for Rose. In a way, this was a toxic relationship for Pearl.
Feminism
This is a HUGE theme of Steven Universe! It has such a powerful message of feminism. To start with - every gem but Steven is female. And they are pretty badass! It does a tremendous job of showing that women can fight and protect themselves. One such example is Connie learning to sword fight so that she can protect Steven. Not only that - Connie is an extremely intelligent young lady. She reads books reminiscent of The Hunger Games and Throne of Glass instead of Twilight. Every female character has multiple dimensions and their quirks. I love that they aren't the stereotypical gender role of female. Jenny for example - a popular girl listens to rock and metal. Then there's Pearl - she struggles with her "gender stereotype" or being compared to a stereotypical Pearl - a weak gem that's just there to look pretty. Sure she is pretty, but she has emotion; she can fight, she is intelligent, caring and strong.
Kindness to Your Enemy
Alright, this isn't an adult theme but I wanted to point it out. This is a theme commonly seen in Sailor Moon. The senshi fight the enemy and try to make friends with them. This often happens in Steven Universe as well. Peridot went from enemy to friend, the gems taking her in when she had nowhere to go. Though Lapis was technically an enemy, Steven was compelled to help her and she was turned towards friendship with the gems. A few times while fighting Peridot Steven would say kind things to her such as "Have a good weekend!".
All of these lessons, metaphors, themes and so much more is why I love Steven Universe. It is a ground breaking and unique show that we need in this day and age. I have never seen such a progressive show.
There you have it! I worked very hard on my theories to give them enough explanation and proof. Any metaphors I missed? Comment below and let me know. What is your favorite thing about Steven Universe??
Xoxo,
Heather Zombie💜
