Gender Representation and LGBTQ+ Portrayal in Steven Universe

Kayson Carlin

Bowling Green State University

April 18, 2018

 

Gender Representation and LGBTQ+ Portrayal in Steven Universe

            Cartoons have spread far and wide, and cover a great variety of topics, from educational television shows for children, to nationalistic propaganda during wartime. Certain themes addressed in cartoons, like all media, change with the societal and/or political climate. For example, in the 1950’s, American cartoons have included references to the Cold War. Even characters were coded as Russian or communist. At that time, it was a relevant issue for audiences who watched international political tension rise day after day. 60 years later, we find ourselves concerned with different issues that affect our daily lives, such as representation of certain minority groups. Today’s cartoons are beginning to reflect ideas of gender and queerness by either explicitly acknowledging it, or subtly coding characters, similarly to certain ethnicities and affiliations of those from time gone by. However, there is concern when it comes to proper representation and how certain groups of people are displayed. Steven Universe (Sugar, 2013) is a fairly recent, ongoing animated series on a major network, that approaches such issues in a positive way, without becoming overbearing or preachy. It contains characters that are considered gender-variant, and queer, and takes their struggles seriously, giving them validity where other cartoons may play them off as a joke. Steven Universe provides visibility for these underrepresented groups.

The 2013 American cartoon Steven Universe centers on a young boy, Steven, and his family of gemstone based aliens as they protect earth from invaders who would wipe out the human race. Millenia before the start of the series, Earth was a colony for these gemstone aliens, until a soldier named Rose Quartz, rebelled. Believing that life on Earth was precious and should be spared, she gained a following of like-minded gems, eventually leading a rebellion and succeeding. In the present, the story continues with Steven, who learns that he is half-human, half-gem, the first hybrid ever in the universe, having inherited his gemstone from his mother, Rose Quartz, who gave up her physical form so that he would live on in her place. With him are the last three remaining gems on Earth; Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst. Together they help each other heal after the loss of their beloved leader, Rose Quartz, as well as defend the planet from the returning threat of the gemstone home world.

In the lore of Steven Universe, the gemstone based beings are technically sexless, as they are quite literally humanoid forms of rocks. However, every single gem shown in the series thus far is considered female. From this fact, Steven Universe makes a distinction between sex and gender as two different concepts, portraying gender as a social construct. Gems do not have human anatomy, and as such, they have a “fluid, self-described gender” (Tishma) of whatever they wish; in their mind/personal identity, or how they present themselves. Interestingly, every gem uses feminine pronouns i.e. “she/her”, despite not being anatomically female. Though the details of why this is have not been discussed, it’s created a starting point for gender variant characters, especially when looking at how some gemstones present.

A central figure, Rose Quartz, is a gem that embodies femininity. Despite starting a savage war against her own people, she is portrayed as a kind, just, and protective motherly character. She wears a long, white gown, and often gracefully floats just above the ground. Her hair is pink, a color commonly associated with femininity, and her preferred human form is that of a bigger-boned woman. In fact, her entire character theme is associated with the color pink and rose motifs. From these characteristics it is evident that Rose represents someone on the effeminate female side of the gender spectrum. In stark contrast is the antagonist, Jasper, who is on the masculine side of the gender spectrum. Jasper is a tall, muscular humanoid with a sharp jawline and husky voice. She is seen wearing trousers and boots as opposed to more “flowing” clothing such as skirts or dresses that other gems have been known to wear. She is a soldier, physically strong, huge, headstrong and unrelenting (Tishma). Aside from her physical appearance, Jasper also displays male-coded personality traits, such as a disdain for emotions that she considers weak. Within the storyline, her position of power is one often filled by men, and she often bullies others to go along with her. She has no interest in anything outside of combat, and victory, again landing her squarely in the hyper-masculine square (Tishma). However, Jasper is still considered female, using she/her pronouns. This can be read as a representation that not everyone who is female is necessarily feminine. With Rose Quartz and Jasper, two vastly different characters, Steven Universe is portraying gender expression variance by having effeminate females, hyper-masculine females, and everything in between.

Steven is the only gem considered male, as he is half human and thus has a human, male body. Despite this, he has many characteristics that are typically coded as female. He is gentle, caring, and wishes to avoid conflict by meaningful communication instead of fighting and violence. He readily expresses his emotions, such as fear, sadness, loneliness, and most importantly love, unlike a typical male protagonist in many cartoons. And while his confidence, independence, and adventurous spirit classifies him as masculine, his deep nurturing core makes him feminine (Tishma). Further evidence of this is shown in battle, where his weapon of choice is not actually a weapon at all. While the gems wield spears, swords, and whips, Steven uses a pink shield to protect others instead of inflicting harm. He even has healing powers when his friends and family are injured. Both of these aspects are normally reserved for female characters, who are commonly portrayed as unwilling to fight, preferring to utilize their “maternal instinct” to heal and care for others. These traits are not used to reflect negatively upon Steven nor do they detract from his bravery and other such heroic traits. Thus, his character provides viewers with exposure to a male with stereotypically feminine traits being taken seriously (Clark p.82). The show takes this a step further in an episode called “Sadie’s Song”, where Steven performs a song onstage, decked out in a dress, heels, and make-up. The event is not used to embarrass, emasculate, or punish his character, rather, the crowd supports him, not because the drag is funny, but because they genuinely enjoy the performance (Clark p.83). Continually throughout the series, Steven’s character is used to break and challenge gender roles and norms.

Midway through the first season of Steven Universe, viewers are introduced to the concept of fusion- when two (or more) gems become so in sync, they fuse together to become an entirely new gemstone. This is commonly done when one gem cannot complete a task by themselves, and enlists another to utilize both their strengths. Fusion can also happen when two gems form a strong bond and desire to be with the other, which will be discussed later. Steven, being half-human, half-gem, can fuse with both gems and other humans, which is how the character Stevonnie is created. Stevonnie is a being created from the fusion of Steven (male) and his friend Connie (female), and uses they/them pronouns. Since they are literally a combination of male and female, Stevonnie has an androgynous appearance, neither distinctly masculine or feminine. They are simply described as “an experience” (McDonnell p.78). Stevonnie can be viewed as a representation of a transgender character, intersex character, agender character, non-binary character, and/or a genderfluid character (Clark p.51). Again, Steven Universe is clearly displaying gender, gender presentation, and sex as separate concepts.

As stated in the previous paragraph, fusion is a strategy to make gems stronger, as well as a metaphor for a relationship. Garnet is a central character that is a permanent fusion between Ruby and Sapphire, two gems that are portrayed as having a romantic relationship. Since the gems use female pronouns, many interpret this relationship between Ruby and Sapphire as a lesbian relationship and see Garnet as a physical embodiment of a lesbian relationship (Clark p.54). She is portrayed as strong and level headed, formed out of Ruby and Sapphire’s strengths and often described as “better together”. This provides a positive representation of not only a same-sex relationship, but a healthy one as well.

Pearl and Rose Quartz are other primary characters that can be considered LGBT. In flashbacks and soliloquies, Pearl discusses her devotion, and almost obsession of Rose. She recounts how she risked her life to protect their leader, and how jealous she became when Rose began seeing Steven’s father. On multiple occassions, Pearl has even asked why Rose chose Steven’s father over her. Because of this, Pearl’s orientation is considered to be a lesbian due to her perceived romantic love and devotion for Rose Quartz (Clark p.45). This is further cemented, when she later develops a romantic crush on a pink haired mystery woman she meets at a party. On the other side of the equation is Rose Quartz, who conceivably had feelings for Pearl as well before she fell in love with a human man. From this perspective, it can be argued that Rose’s orientation is bisexual.

The inclusion of characters who are not cisgender or heteronormative not only provides a unique perspective in storytelling that is often left out, but also serves as a connection for LGBT+ youth. Steven Universe is obviously a show targeted towards the younger generation, and young people are becoming more familiar with queer identities as a result. It bridges the gap for children who are questioning their own identities, by providing them with characters they can relate to. It invades the darkness, breaks the silence, and tells them “you exist” (Dennis p.96). Such positive representation is critical in forming a healthy foundation for self discovery and acceptance. Steven Universe goes above and beyond what is expected of your average cartoon.

 

 

Bibliography

Clark, Heather. My Lesbian Space Rock Show”: Representations of Intersectional Identities in Steven Universe. Humboldt State University, May 2017. Document.

Dennis, Jeffery. “Queering Without Difference.” Journal of LGBT Youth 5.3 (2008): 96-98. Journal Article.

McDonnell, Chris. Steven Universe Art and Origins. New York: Abrams, 2017. Book.

Tishma, Mariel. Masculinity in Steven Universe. 8 November 2016. Web.

Auteur Analysis of Taika Waititi

Kayson Carlin

November 14, 2017

 

Auteur Analysis – Taika Waititi

Born to a Jewish mother and Maori father, Taika Waititi graced the world in August 1975 in Wellington, New Zealand (Defender Films). Originally an actor, he moved on to writing and directing in the mid to early 2000s. His first short, professional film Two Cars, One Night (2003) was nominated for an Academy Award, and has since developed into an innovative and creative up-and-coming filmmaker. Despite only having a small repertoire of professional films, Waititi has shown to have a unique style which includes male-centric characters, a charming sense of humor, and nods to his own Maori heritage.

As of the time of this writing, Waititi’s films tend to focus on slice of life situations from a male perspective. The main characters in each of his films have a range of ages, but are always men; Ricky (Julian Dennison) and Hector (Sam Neill) from Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), Boy (James Rolleston) from Boy (2010), and nearly the entire cast of What We Do in the Shadows (2014). Whether this is on purpose or done subconsciously has yet to be seen, but it still shows a trend Waititi has followed so far. The situation on hand has always been explored from a male view. In Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Bella (Rima Te Wiata) plays a big role in Ricky’s character development even though she is not physically present for the majority of the film. The viewer does not see events from her point of view; likewise, her experiences, thoughts, and emotions are not directly explored. The only references to this are secondhand from Hec, her husband. On the other hand, the complexity of Hector and Ricky are explicitly shown through their actions and dialogue. To go a bit further, Waititi’s works mostly address masculine relationships; man and foster son, boy and his estranged father, and a group of male friends. These dynamics are at play in all of his films, and give insight into atypical male bonding.

One major signature of Waititi’s work is the use of humor within the narrative. “Waititi’s films have been regional slices of life, a fascinating blend of sentimentality, zaniness, angst, and a unique type of awkwardness that exists somewhere between Wes Anderson and Jared Hess” (Perkins). Every single film he has directed plays on the same type of comedy. His films tend to incorporate absurdity, often delivered in a deadpan way (Carew, p.22) In What We Do in the Shadows, the entire concept of vampires living as flatmates in modern-day Wellington is absurd, yet it is grounded in somewhat relatable situations; dealing with messy roommates, meeting new people, and adjusting to change. “Waititi doesn’t force these moments, nor lean on the sentiment behind them, preferring to let a comedic tone and naturalistic emotions shine through” (Ward, p.11). The same is true in Hunt for the Wilderpeople. It’s absurd and comical to find a grumpy old man and a boy who believes he is a gangster, together in the New Zealand wilderness, fleeing from child welfare services. Waititi adds to this zaniness by inserting moments of dark humor into situations, such as Ricky unknowingly describing Hector as a pedophilic molester, or Petyr’s “freak sunlight accident” in What we do in the Shadows, resulting in his death. With previous experience in comedy, it’s no wonder that off-beat humor finds its way to the front of Waititi’s films.

A unique part of Waititi’s films is his inclusion of Maori culture. “His domestic work is primarily characterized by a veneration of nature and indigenous culture” (Perkins). Coming from a Maori background himself, Waititi adds either a sprinkling of his heritage, or fully embraces it. Characters such as Ricky from Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and the boys in Two Cars, One Night, are clearly from Maori decent. Yet in each film, they are presented as “normal” modern day people, demystifying any assumed exoticism. It’s clear that a statement is being made about the romanticism of native culture that is seen in other cinema. To an American audience, it may be difficult to understand the implications of such representations. “Ways of seeing the world and ways of portraying the world in the movies differ for each country and culture, and it is necessary to understand the cultural conditions that surround a movie if we are to understand what it is about” (Corrigan, p.90). This rings true, especially for Waititi when he incorporates native cultures of New Zealand into his films. “Wilderpeople taps into the growing pride in national cinema that has emerged in the wake of Waititi’s gradual reshaping of New Zealand film on the world stage” (Flux, p.17) Even in What we do in the Shadows, the setting takes place in Wellington, New Zealand. The meaning behind those representations resonate differently with New Zealanders than they do with other parts of the world, but is still recognizable and comparable to other native cultures that have been oppressed such as the Native Americans in the United States. Given the underrepresentation of minorities in cinema, this makes Waititi unique as he not only includes minority cultures in his work, but is one as well.

Taika Waititi has proven himself as having an exceptional vision when it comes to filmmaking. The quirkiness embedded in his work signify them as one of a kind, just like the explosions in Michael Bay’s movies, lens flares in J.J. Abram’s Star Trek films, or unreal plot twists in an M. Night. Shyamalan storyline. It is yet to be seen if his future films make an attempt to address situations from a female perspective, or include central female characters. But his inclusion of indigenous minority cultures and actors certainly make him noteworthy. It feels like Waititi is just at the beginning of a, hopefully, long career in filmmaking.

 

 

Works Cited

Carew, Anthony. “Bloody Good Comedy: What we do in the Shadows.” Metro 183 (2015): 18-23.

Corrigan, Timothy. “Six Approaches to Writing About Film.” Corrigan, Timothy. n.d. 87-113. 2017.

Defender Films. Taika Waititi Biography. 2005. <http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0169806/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm&gt;.

Flux, Elizabeth. “On the right trek: Taika Waititi’s ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’ and New Zealand film.” Metro 190 (2016): 14-19.

Perkins, David. Regional Storytelling of Taika Waititi. 25 August 2016. <http://screenprism.com/insights/article/what-are-the-techniques-and-characteristics-of-taika-waititis-filmmaking&gt;.

Ward, Sarah. “There’s no place like home: Finding family in Hunt for the Wilderpeople.” Screen Education 85 (2017): 8-15.

 

Film Genealogy of Magical Girls

Kayson Carlin

25 April 2017

Bowling Green State University

 

Building A Genre Using Magic and Love

Over the past century, film has gained incredible momentum, from audiences watching a 46 second reel of workers leaving a factory, to multimillion dollar blockbuster hits that employ cutting edge technology. Auteurs were made, genres were discovered, and technology advanced. Throughout all these years, film has been intertwined with history, economics, societal expectations, cultural customs, religion- everything you can think of. The result is somewhat like a family tree; each movie, director, genre, etc is connected in some way or another, either directly or somewhere far down the line. Of course, the same can be said for everything in this world. But in this paper, I will look at a specific genre of animation, and how it connects to the bigger picture of film’s overarching genealogy, with an emphasis on Japan.

Animated movies have been made in nearly every major country with a film industry. Dating back to the early 19^th century, animation has been used to not only create spectacular visuals but to tell a narrative, or story as well. The technique of moving drawn images progressed differently in parts of the world, but none quite as uniquely as Japan. It even has its own name, to which everyone knows exactly what is being described – anime. Unlike the common western idea that all animated pieces are meant for children, anime is intended for any age group whether it be housewives or salary men, and is widely accepted. From emulating Walt Disney’s early cartoons to exploring modern socio-economical issues, anime has evolved to become the most popular medium used today in Japan.  Anime contains many different genres and sub-genres, but one of the most prominent is a genre known as “mahou shoujo” or magical girl. This genre originated in Japan in the early 60s, and although it has found footing in other countries, it is still uniquely Japanese. Though there are girl superhero films in the west, magical girl anime films feature elaborate transformation sequences and characters with more girlish, feminine appeal (Saito). These films are generally produced for a younger female audience, and features a “feel good” atmosphere. Themes of magical girl films tend to include love, friendship, magic, and happiness. There are, of course, later magical girl films that challenge not only the common ideas, but the entire construction of the genre.

In order to understand the history of the magical girl genre, first one must look back to World War II. The origins of this genre started in manga– a form of Japanese comic that came about during the war to provide some relief to citizens. Directly after the war, books and magazines boomed because they could be published with minimal labor, and used cheap material which was often recycled (Prough). Children rapidly consumed popular manga because it captured the whimsical life that they longed for, but couldn’t fully have. As the children grew up, publishing companies continued to churn out titles to match their consumer’s age. Eventually by the early 60s, those same kids were old enough to begin creating manga of their own (Prough). Initially it was mostly men authors who enlisted the help of their wives, but in the late 60s and early 70s there was a surge in female authors. This was because of influence from the feminist movement, which promoted female empowerment. Since these women had spent years working in the background of their male counterpart’s shadow, they too were skilled at creating manga and were finally making their way into the light of day. Encouraged by pro-female ideology, women authors began writing girl-centered manga, and one way to express their independence was giving the girl characters some sort of magical power. This was used as a metaphor for how “powerless” women felt under male oppression. By giving the character magical powers, they were literally giving them power to be strong on their own. By this time, anime began to adapt manga to capitalize on it’s popularity, which included the magical girl genre.

Prior to 1960, a vast majority of artists, writers, and filmmakers were men, and featured heavily on male-centric narratives. It wasn’t until the mid 1960s that positive female-centric stories were widely available, created by women themselves (Saito). A major contributing group to female visibility and empowerment, which later lead to the start of the magical girl genre, were the members of the all-female, Showa 24. The Showa 24 (named so because most of the members were born in 1949, the 24^th year of the Showa era according to the traditional Japanese calendar) created numerous manga with female protagonists, and female character driven plots which garnered the attention of women readers, who could identify with not just the characters, but the themes as well. Their artwork and layout was inspired from film, treating each panel as if it were a frame from a camera, adding diverse views of characters (Newitz). One creator in particular, Moto Hagio, is considered the “founding mother” of modern female manga, due to her unprecedented take on female-centric characters at the time, presenting them as complex human beings (Lunning). Later in the decade, the work of the Showa 24 would intersect deeply with the feminist movement, and come to be accepted as the original influence on magical girls, whose core values are empowerment, femininity, and friendship.

An interesting fact that should be known is that while the magical girl genre is uniquely Japanese, it was actually an American television series that planted the idea of adding magical powers. Bewitched (1964-1972), which featured a witch using magic in everyday situations, became a surprising hit in Japan. The popularity of this show largely contributed to the rise of magic appearing in creative works, especially with female characters. As stated previously, women with magical powers intersected with the feminist movement, as these characters were given control over their lives, as opposed to previously male-dominated positions.

In more recent  history, the roots of the magical girl genre has been prevalent in the works of Naoko Takeuchi, the creator of Sailor Moon (1992-1997). Inspired by the shows of the 60s and 70s, Takeuchi revolutionized the magical girl genre in the mid 90s (Newson). She combined aspects of male-oriented film, with female-oriented ideology. For example, a popular genre in the 1980s and 90s was super sentai– basically a team of mostly male superheroes that fought together for the common good, such as Power Rangers. Takeuchi took her individual magical girls and turned them into a sentai team, while adding more action not typically seen in girl’s films (Kotani). This broadened the audience demographic, putting the magical girl genre in the spotlight as it’s popularity exploded among male and female viewers. Not only did it create a worldwide boom, it’s effects can still be seen decades later.

Today the influence of the magical girl genre can be seen in western productions, mostly animation. Those who were initially introduced to Sailor Moon as children, were slowly exposed to more “mahou shoujo” works as Japanese companies could capitalize on the globalization. As a result, those children are becoming adults who work in the film, television, and media industry. More and more you see the influence of this genre spring up, especially in television shows. Rebecca Sugar, the creator of Steven Universe (Sugar 2013), an insanely popular series on Cartoon Network, credits magical girl anime such as Sailor Moon and Revolutionary Girl Utena (Ikuhara 1997) for her influences on everything from style to characters, visuals and plot devices. This is incredibly evident as there are scenes that directly pay homage to various magical girl films. The Disney Channel is currently airing Star vs the Forces of Evil (Nefcy 2015), which can be considered the first fully western magical girl series. The show comes complete with transformations, sparkles, and magical attacks. In fact, the creator has been reported as modeling the main character after Sailor Moon herself (Lunning). It can also be argued that Disney has taken cues from magical girls, such as in Frozen (Buck & Lee 2013). Elsa is the only female character to have supernatural and/or magical powers, while her sister Anna is without. While singing “Let It Go”, Elsa is seen transforming into a different outfit using her snow powers, akin to typical magical girl transformations. The overall theme of Frozen is love, friendship, and female empowerment, traits shared by the mahou shoujo genre. As time goes on, it’s clear this genre will continue having an impact on film, television, and media.

Overall, the magical girl genre is extremely fascinating. There are so many aspects and cultural conditions which brought about this unique genre. During my research, I could easily see each stepping stone that made it into what it is today. I believe that magical girls can go beyond anime, because of its core values and themes of empowering women. It can even be used as a tool to promote gender equality. Slowly but surely its influence is spreading across the globe, making its way into film, television, art, even literature. Not just the magical girl genre, but all anime has the potential to cross cultural lines to bring about new perspectives, just as western film has influenced the rest of the world. It really is a two-way street, or perhaps a multi-directional street, in terms of what the world can achieve by bringing their ideas together in a display of astounding creativity.

 

 

References

Kotani, Mari. “Metamorphosis of the Japanese Girl: The Girl, the Hyper-and the Battling Beauty.” Mechademia, Vol. 1, Emerging Worlds of Anime and Manga (2006): 162-169.

Lunning, Frenchy. Women Who Changed Free Expression. 31 March 2015. 17 April 2017.

Newitz, Annalee. “Magical Girls and Atomic Bomb Sperm.” Film Quarterly (1995): 2-15.

Newson, Victoria Ann. “Young Females as Super Heroes: Super Heroines in the Animated ‘Sailor Moon’.” Femspec (2000): 57-81.

Prough, Jennifer S. “Straight from the Heart.” University of Hawai’i (2011): 25-56.

Saito, Kumiko. “Magic, Shoujo, and Metamorphosis.” Journal of Asian Studies (2014): 143-164.