Steven Universe and the Importance of Representation in Children's Media

(l2r: Garnet, Amethyst, Steven, Pearl)

It seems like it's harder to find original programming, wether it's television or film. Though there's a lot of great television out right now, it's pretty standard and many of the situations are predictable. Cartoon Network, though, produces a lot of media that's innovative, creative, and fun. One of their newer shows that really impressed me was Steven Universe.

The show follows Steven Universe, a boy who is half human and half "gem" ; a type of supernatural person with powers. The supporting characters are all admirable female characters. (I dislike the term "strong female character" just because it's somewhat vague.) There are three Gems; Pearl is knowledgeable but worrisome, Amethyst is carefree but impulsive, and Garnet is level-headed but fierce. All of the characters range in body type, demographic, and of course, personality. 

The minor characters are rather developed as well, and there is a diversity in terms of personality, body types, race, sex and gender. One of the best parts of the show is that the Steven, a male character, looks up to Pearl, Amethyst, and Garnet, all female (or at least they identify as female.) It's really important to see a boy character look up to three female characters; that's usually not the case.

I think representation is important, more so for children's media. When children see people similar to them in the media, it has a positive impact. I know when I was little, I felt empowerment from girl characters like the Powerpuff Girls or Numbah 5 from Kids Next Door. I feel like Rebecca Sugar, the creator of the show and also the first woman to have a show on Cartoon Network, is conscious of this.

There is also the topic of the characters and how queer the show's characters are. Though a lot of people have found different instances in the subtext, there was one scene where two characters who identified at female were reunited and they showed affection with each other. It was confirmed by someone on the show's crew that it was romantic. This is one of the most important representations on the show, because LGBT characters are so scarce in children's media; they're almost non existent. The queer characters represented in the show help children who might feel different, and it tells them, "You are not alone."

Twilight and Adored Sexism

Though the phenomenon of the Twilight Saga is over, for the most part, it still left an impact on our pop culture and also showed that yes, you can invest into a female-centered movie and make a lot of money. Though I like that there was a female director behind the first film, and that the film made a good box office, this film and book series is very problematic.

Most people know the story of Twilight, or have an idea about what it is about, so I'll just dive into the issues in the film that are problematic. In the first film, Edward watches Bella as she sleeps, and he endangers her life because he wants to be with her. Those two things are admired by the young female audience, when they should be repulsed instead.

The series gets worse. There are other things that are seen as romantic or dramatic but are actually rather creepy, violent and/or sexist. The examples of this are 1) Jacob force-ably kissing Bella. She breaks her hand trying to get away from him. 2) Jacob imprinting on her child, both in and out of context this is very creepy. 3) Edward controls Bella's life. 4) Bella is fully dependent on Edward, and when he leaves she spirals into a depression and is very anti-social.

The sexism in Twilight is more so based on religious and traditional roles and not the sexism that we see today; looking at women like they are objects. Bella's role in the films and books are very akin to fundamental religious roles, such as a man being in control of a woman's life, and being dependent on a man.

Had this been a book that mustered average sales and was not a world wide phenomenon, I would have passed up writing on it. Twilight, though, went on to not only be a bestseller, but influence other writers. Most Paranormal Romance novels today feature a similar Bella characters... the archetype of the weak whiny woman and they also feature a similar Edward character. Twilight's success turned to fan-fiction, and then that Twilight fanfiction turned to Fifty Shades of Gray, which is a whole other discussion.

Diner and Old-Fashioned Sexism

            “Diner” is a film directed and written by Barry Levinson, and was noticed by the Academy for it's writing; this film is considered a “sleeper” classic amongst many film enthusiasts. It has because one of my favorites, mainly because of the young actors who would later become big and the location of a retro Baltimore… but the more I watch it, the more I start liking it less. Though the film is mostly just young men out of high school just “bullshitting” their nights away at a Diner, it has casual sexism laced within it’s plot.

            It’s misogynistic from its start. Steve Guttenberg’s character Eddie is about to get married but before he does he tasks his mother to make him a sandwich. While not exactly sexist, the way he treats her is like a servant. Later, they go to a film and to summarize what happens, Mickey Rourke’s character Boogie sexually harasses his date in the theatre and his friends laugh at this incident. This is done after a bet with his friends; the characters constantly make bets about “getting with women” like having sex with them is nothing but a goal to achieve.

            Daniel Stern’s Shreevie is one of the more irritating characters. He complains that he doesn’t have anything to talk about with his wife, but doesn’t take the time to talk to her, trying to ignore her when she tags along with the main male characters. When Shreevie notices that his records are out of order, being the music geek he is, he values the organization of his records over his wife’s feelings.

           

 (Don't Touch My Records scene)

            The scene that stands out the most and made me kind of angry at how subtly sexist it was is the scene where Eddie gives his fiancée a football test before he marries her. If she doesn’t pass, they don’t marry. Does his fiancée give him a test on something she is passionate about? No, she doesn’t. It doesn’t go both ways. 

The sexism is romanticized in the film, as everything seems resolved by the end in the wedding. It’s just how young men acted back then… like the phrase says “boys will be boys.” I think this problematic because it normalizes sexism and negative attitudes toward women, especially wives and mothers. It's kind of subtle, because although the film portrays the female characters in a respectful way in terms of their writing and character, how they are treated by men is "Mad Men" sexist. A reflection of the time, sure, but it’s just as sexist as it is today.

(Football Test scene)

The Makeover Movies

With the announcement of a remake in the works of the 1999 film She's All That, I thought it would be appropriate to further explore one of the concepts discussed in my John Hughes movie. This is the makeover movie, in which the female character has to change her appearance to get the man.

This is seen in a litany of teen movies. She's All That, a teen romance comedy about a popular boy making a bet with his friends to take a nerdy girl to prom, is one of the most notable movies to use this trope. The female character has to change for the jock, trading in her eye glasses and smock for a short dress and a new haircut.

This trope even seems to sneak into children's movies as well, like Scooby Doo 2; Monsters Unleashed. Velma, a character iconic for being smart, has to change into a skin tight body suit to impress a male colleague. This is also evident in the film, The Princess Diaries. While the female character's objective is not to get a man, the makeover from frumpy to fancy takes center stage... not her learning how to run a country. Who needs a history lesson and training in politics when you have a nice pedicure?

Does the conventionally unattractive male character have to change for an attractive female character? No. In the film Just Friends, the main male character changes for himself over a ten year period, and not for the girl he was interested in when he was unnattrctive in high school.

In I Love You, Beth Cooper, the male character is nerdy and unattractive and wants to impress the beautiful female character, Beth Cooper. Does he change for her to win her affection? No.

My overall conclusion is that male characters can stay static and still get the girl, but female characters have to be dynamic and change themselves in order to get a date or be taken seriously.