Note: This article contains spoilers.
On Jan. 4, one of my favorite shows returned with four new episodes. “Steven Universe” revolves around the life of a young boy named Steven who is being raised by the Crystal Gems, a group of women from another planet who have vowed to protect the earth. Steven is half-Gem, half-human, and his mother, Rose Quartz, had to die for Steven to live. While the Crystal Gems teach Steven how to control his Gem powers and about the history of their home world, Steven in turn teaches them about the humanity they have sworn to protect.
Creator of the show Rebecca Sugar is the first woman to create her own show for Cartoon Network, and the theme of female power follows through in the series. In fact, “Steven Universe” is packed with feminist appeal and lessons that breathe of love and equality.
The Crystal Gem team consists of Gems named Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. The first thing you notice about them is easily the physical range between the three. Garnet is very “thick.” She’s is a lot taller than the other two and is characterized by her shapely hips, red skin, and square Afro. Pearl is tall but in the averagely tall sense, her skin is a very light blue, and she has the shape of a long and lean ballerina. Amethyst is the shortest and has a chubby, sturdy frame and purple skin. Immediately the show throws away all ideas of the stereotypically thin, white, and straight-haired female protagonist and gives a group of heroines with different body and hair shapes, as well as skin colors. Showing us the differences between the Gems is combined with the fact that these differences are never questioned or addressed in the show. Viewers know the three women are from the same world and quickly accept the physical differences between them. It is said that the Gem’s physical appearance is based on whatever form would best sustain them, just as the racial differences in human forms are based on whatever will sustain them in the area they are born in.
Some episodes include a cute song that actually holds a didactic lesson for those watching. For example, in the episode “Sworn by the Sword,” Steven’s best friend, Connie, asks Pearl to teach her to sword-fight. On top of being Steven’s love interest, Connie is a smart, young Indian-American girl who shows great potential to be an expert sword fighter. Pearl and Connie sing a song titled “Do It for Her,” in which they discuss the ways in which choosing to fight for a loved one is not a sacrifice but an honor, because in return they will have many further years with them. Stereotypically, the female love interest of a show is saved by the male character and on the rare occasion that she is depicted as smart, she is coupled with attributes of clumsiness and an obsession for the male lead. Not only is Connie willing to become Steven’s knight, she also seems to be unaware of Steven’s feelings for her and is strong in her sword-fighting skills. By the end of the episode, the two decide that one should not risk the their life for the other, but rather that they are stronger as a pair and should fight not for just each other equally, but for their world as a whole. All Gems have a weapon and Steven’s is a shield, which purposely complements Connie’s sword, making them equals.
The show also teaches lessons of same-sex love. Gems can “fuse,” which is a way for them to combine their two physical forms into one body. Garnet is the fusion of two Gems named Sapphire and Ruby. Usually, fusion is used as a way for two Gems to become more powerful in times of conflict; the physical form of the fusion is very tall in size and has all the powers of the two separate Gems. The Gems typically un-fuse after the conflict has been resolved. Garnet, however, remained a fusion for an entire season before viewers knew she was one. Sapphire and Ruby choose to stay fused because their bond is so strong that they cannot bear to be apart from one another. Garnet is a symbol of their love. All Gems, besides Steven who is a half-Gem, are female and use feminine pronouns, which makes Garnet a symbol of same-sex love. After the reveal, many people began pushing for the episode to be taken off air, arguing that their children were too young to see or understand a homosexual couple. But the show could not have made it more clear: It doesn’t matter that Ruby and Sapphire are both women; it only matters that they love each other and together they create something that is stronger than their individual selves.
Sticking with the theme of social issues, “Steven Universe” continuously addresses the idea of non-nuclear families. Instead of Steven being raised by his mother and father, he is a “mixed” child who is raised by three women. In the episode “Fusion Cuisine,” Connie’s parents want to meet Steven’s, and Connie is afraid that her parents will not accept the idea of Steven’s non-traditional family. So the three Gems fuse into one and attend a dinner with Connie’s parents, pretending to be Steven’s mother. Steven’s father also attends the dinner and everyone watches the internal struggle of the three different personalities and the fusion comes undone. At first Connie’s parents are taken aback, because who wouldn't be when one giant woman turns into three? But they quickly deem the four guardians of Steven as great parents after they discipline him for trying to escape the situation. It goes to show that conforming to the traditional may not only cause harm to those involved — as the Gems crashed after un-fusing — but is also not necessary for acceptance.
My nephew watches “Steven Universe” with me and he knows all the words to every song in the musical show. That’s what’s so perfect about the show. The songs and the script evoke lessons that parents often struggle teaching their children. These are lessons that you can only teach by way of leading by example. But Rebecca Sugar has found a way to teach children the lessons they must mature with in order for the world to blossom into the place of acceptance and equality that we all hope it will be.
