Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
placeholder article
placeholder article

10 Reasons Why Steven Universe Makes Me Cry Every Time

Arabella Villanueva
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Andrea Gallier
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SFA chapter.

I wasn’t expecting to face my identity crisis through a cartoon, but here we are. One of my very favorite shows to watch is Steven Universe, an animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. Steven Universe is an adventurous, loving, and noble kid who is discovering his identity as half gem and half human. His pursuit to discover his powers, make friends, and fight for justice are more relatable than most of the things on television. Here are 10 of the many reasons why I adore this show:

  1. Steven doesn’t have a traditional family, but it is obvious that he is loved and has a place to call home with the Crystal Gems and Greg.

  2. The Crystal Gems love the earth, and they delight in protecting the people in it. They love humans and believe everyone is valuable and worthy of love.

  3. We watch Steven discover his identity. He seeks the truth about his late mother and gets hurt along the way but ultimately builds confidence and purpose. Not only do we see Steven explore what it means to be himself, but we also see the growth of the other humans and gems.

  4. The music is beautiful. Rebecca Sugar and other writers of the show compose catchy and meaningful songs for the characters to perform.

  5. Steven is a protagonist who makes mistakes and works hard to apologize and repair his damages.

  6. The show addresses issues such as racism, consent, pedophilia, and abusive relationships. It provides guidance through those issues in an appropriate manner for children.

  7. There is diversity in the human population and gem population. Issues of racism, oppression, and classism are addressed with the gem population (Amethysts from the kindergarten, for example). There is also no regard for gender roles or heteronormativity.

  8. Mental health affects the characters realistically. One of my favorite episodes is “Mindful Education” where Connie has panic attacks during sword training, and Garnet helps her reflect and heal. Steven has periods of physical and emotional exhaustion after intense missions.

  9. The plot! Not only is this show hilarious and heart-warming; It also has an intriguing story from the history of the Gem War to present day Homeworld.

  10. Onion

Arabella Villanueva is a Filipino-American Music Education major at Stephen F. Austin State University. She performed with SFA Orchestra of the Pines and is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda. She was also an executive member of the SFA Renew chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Arabella enjoys making playlists, crocheting, drawing, and quoting Parks and Recreation. Rumor has it that there's a song about her written by the Arctic Monkeys and an opera composed by Richard Strauss. Instagram: @ad0rabella
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar
Andrea Gallier is a Journalism major and Dance minor at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. Her passions include: dancing, traveling, hiking, backpacking, camping, The Walking Dead, and (of course) writing. Andrea sailed with Semester at Sea in Spring 2016 and is an aspiring travel writer. She has also worked as a contributing writer at The Pine Log at SFA and is a member of Dimensions Contemporary Ballet, a dance company in Nacogdoches. Website: http://andreagallier.wixsite.com/portfolio Twitter/Instagram/Snapchat: @andreagallier