Emotional Expression on Steven Universe

Who wants to watch a cartoon about people crying?

Steven: I do.

(Opening music)

This is the first in a series of videos

that will be exploring what Steven Universe has to say

about men, boys, and masculinity.

Steven Universe is an animated show on Cartoon Network created by Rebecca Sugar.

It focuses on the adventures of the Crystal Gems:

Garnet

Pearl

Amethyst, and, of course,

Steven.

The series is exceptional for a whole bunch of reasons,

not least of which is because it's filled with powerful, confident women who are central to the show and its plot.

Now if you haven’t seen the show yet, just pause this video right here

and go and do that, because it is good.

I mean really seriously good.

Currently, there are something like 85 episodes and they’re about 10 minutes

long each, which means that if you start right now, you could watch them all

in like 15 hours. So once you’ve gone and done that, just come back, unpause the video

and keep watching. Alright? Alright.

Connie: Ahhhh this show is so good!

Those of you who do follow the series probably already know that Steven

Universe has received a huge amount of praise for its diversity,

for its feminist themes and for its positive depictions of queer relationships.

Garnet: Hahaha. Steven, thank you!

It really is remarkable for an adventure show to do any of this, let alone one that’s made for a younger audience.

But today I want to talk about something else that makes the show really extraordinary

something that gets maybe a little less attention

and that is the way that it represents masculinity.

Now it may not seem like it at first glance

but there is a ton of depth to this show,

so I want to break this discussion down into a few different parts.

But I want to start off by talking about emotional expression,

and highlight the ways in which crying, affection and fear are framed on the series.

Steven: I guess I’m just too tough to cry.

Pearl: Just today you were crying about snakes.

Steven: They don’t have any arms!

You’ve probably heard the old adage, “boys don’t cry,” but on Steven Universe