Steven Universe

 Steven Universe Season 1 in HD Just $2.99 on Amazon Video (or SD for Only $1.99!) | Free Stuff Finder

I don't want to spoil too much of the show for those who haven't watched it, so spoiler warning!

Steven Universe is an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe (Zach Callison), who lives with the Crystal Gems—magical, mineral-based aliens named Garnet (Estelle), Amethyst (Michaela Dietz), and Pearl (Deedee Magno Hall)—in the fictional town of Beach City. Steven, who is half-Gem, has adventures with his friends and helps the Gems protect the world from their own kind. [1]

The largest themes in the show surround love, identity, and healthy interpersonal relationships. And of course it is very queer. The two things about this show that I felt pertained to topics of decolonization and compulsory heterosexuality (comphet).

Throughout the show we discover that the Gems are an alien race that is colonizing the universe. The Crystal Gems are a group that discovered the beauty of Earth and resisted against their imperial overlords. Steven Universe offers a unique view into a world where colonizers actively worked and resisted against their colony. Many of the Crystal Gems came from a society that did not view them as a "true Gem" the way Western society devalues those who do not fit the "norm."

The show explores gender roles and gender presentation, challenging ideas of comphet. Although the Gems are coded as feminine (femme) and referred to in the show with "she/her" pronouns, the creator Rebecca Sugar's initial intention was to make Gems gender-less. That doesn't stop the show from experimenting with stereotypes surrounding lesbianism and homosexual normativity. Two of the best examples of gender roles being swapped can be seen in Garnet and Stevonnie.

Garnet is a "fusion" of Ruby and Sapphire. While Ruby takes on more masculine (masc) traits such as strength and anger, she is often presented as more femme and submissive. Sapphire is also presented with femme traits of sensitivity and being emotional, she can have a more dominant, logical, and stoic qualities to her demeanor.

Steven Universe Celebrated A Lesbian Wedding

Stevonnie is a fusion of Steven and Connie. They also experience a similar swap of gender roles and presentation. One of the most notable is that Steven is the shield and healer, while Connie is the Knight. Steven is often the emotional one and Connie is more logical.

Halloween 2018: A Quick Steven Universe Costume | The Pen and Needle

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Universe

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