Steven Universe and the Double-Sided Coin of Fandom

Not everything is what it appears to be.

“For a fusion to work, there needs to be balance. An imbalance can cause your fusion to lose touch with reality, see things that aren’t there, and eventually fall apart.” – Garnet

 

In the modern era of the internet the outsiders and loners have found comfort and comradery in the form of the fandom.  Fandoms are a community or subculture devoted to the appreciation of a particular entertainment source, typically a fictional series.  There was once a time when the most significant debate in fandoms was: which is better, Star Wars or Star Trek? Even these divided groups of fans would clamour to each other on the floor of comic conventions grateful to not be alone in their obsessions.  As the internet came to rise, so did fandoms begin to develop. Suddenly fiction fans the world over were able to come together and communicate, sharing their theories, ideas, and appreciation for seemingly any topic. Today, you can find a community discussing any pop culture niche from the obscurest of anime programs to science fiction television shows cancelled over twenty-years ago.

As positive of a concept that fandoms are, in life, the universe and everything, there is always a balance.  As these subcultures grew, fans fueled by possessiveness and entitlement began to be less accepting of fresh faces and differing opinions.  Online communities became a breeding ground for insults, slandering, and even threats to run rampant. Thus the ‘toxic fandom’ was born. The debate over the quality of Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a perfect example of how divided even the strongest of fandoms can become when opinions differ, and competitiveness over ‘who’s the biggest fan’ is developed.  Joining, or being a part of any fandom has become a discouraging endeavour for even the biggest of fans.

For the most part, it has been easier not to subscribe to any fandom.  Fans are beginning to step back to the sidelines and return to the isolation that they once knew before the internet brought them into these communities.  The feeling of inclusion has dissipated into a fear of sharing your opinions at the risk of being attacked. Fandoms no longer feel welcoming, and can even feel dangerous at times.

However, recently I thought I had discovered a fandom that transcended the toxicity.  A fandom devoted to a series so wholesome and inclusive that fans would need to prescribe to a belief of all-embracing.  Considering the title of this article, I am sure you have figured out that I am referring to the Cartoon Network animated program, Steven Universe.

Steven Universe follows the adventures of Steven, an overweight teenage pacifist with a mysterious alien origin.  Unofficially adopted by a trio of women known as the Crystal Gems, Steven helps to defend the planet from a splinter group of the same alien race.  The show has been celebrated as the first CN program independently created by a woman, Rebecca Sugar. The plots feature characters from multiple races and beliefs, as well as predominant LGBTQ themes.  The characters themselves are often portrayed as non-binary, and the titular character himself is a balance of masculine and feminine personality traits. The series’ aim to promote morals of non-discrimination which is evident in each individual episode which has lead to the show being widely accepted by minority groups – however, it should be said, this show is welcoming to all demographics.

 

The over-arching theme of acceptance became even more visible for me in 2018 when I was fortunate to attend a panel featuring the main cast members of the series (a cast, I should mention, that is as eclectic as the characters in the show itself.).  Before the stars had even made their way onto the stage an audience comprised of members from all walks of life were belting out the lyrics to the shows theme song in perfect unison. As the cast shared their appreciation to be a part of such an inclusive series many audience members expressed their gratitude for the show’s message – some going as far to say that the show helped them to accept themselves and acknowledge their own sexual preferences.  

 

“If every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn’t have hot dogs” – Greg Universe

 

Attending this panel is one of the best experiences that I have ever witnessed of an unprejudiced community coming together in one room.  In fact, it led me to want to assemble this very article to celebrate the love and acceptance that I witnessed from this crowd. However, as I began to research and explore this fan base, I was shocked to discover that the Steven Universe fandom carries a dark history.  Ironically enough, despite the morals of the show, the SU subculture is as riddled with discrimination and rejection as any other fandom. It was within moments of research that I was swarmed with articles, YouTube videos, and lists describing Steven Universe as “the worst fandom”.

How could this be?  How could the fanbase of a show as wholesome as Steven Universe be so full of corruption and discrimination?

I searched for answers by diving myself down the rabbit hole and trying to uncover the situations that gave this fandom such a bad reputation.  I hoped to discover that a lot of the fandom shaming could be explained, or limited to a few extreme members of the group. What I found was a long web of incidents that have created an unignorable theme.

The series was launched in May 2013 but took some time to gain traction.  Most fans give credit to the rise in popularity to the Cartoon Network advertising campaigns, known as a “Steven Bomb”, where the network airs five new episodes in consecutive days.  Around the time of the first “Steven Bomb” in spring of 2015 is when a true fandom began to take shape. But, at the same time, we also find our first incidences of toxicity in the SU fandom.  

In March 2015, a group from another famous fandom commonly referred to as ‘Bronies’, or fans of My Little Pony, wanted to launch a new website devoted to their newfound appreciation of Steven Universe.  There was a backlash from existing SU fans against the site now known as ‘Beach City Bugle’. The SU fans were quick to discriminate against the Bronies as it is commonly comprised of middle-aged white men.  It was their belief that a show created by a woman and that openly touched on themes like LGBTQ should exclusively belong to these groups. Granted, there was a legitimate concern regarding some of the R-rated fanart that has come out of the Brony group.  However, the generalization that all of these fans would be guilty of such acts would go against everything that the show preaches about acceptance and understanding. The debate between these two fandoms has manifested a rivalry that is still prevalent today and is perpetuated by toxic members of both groups.

The next toxic occurrence happened after the release of season 2 episode 12 titled “Keystone Motel”.  The episode featured a group of characters taking a trip out of town and staying at a fictional “Keystone Motel”.  Unfortunately, after the episode was aired, fans of the show began leaving negative reviews of real-world motels that shared the same name all across the USA.  The reviews were obvious fakes as they make mention of moments that happened in the show, like a toilet being frozen, or all of the water in the swimming pool being evaporated.  However, the one-star ratings brought down the ranking of these motels causing problems for many of these small businesses. Although clearly executed as a joke the repercussions were real, and the event has contributed to the overall negative reputation of the fandom.

What is probably the most harrowing of incidences involving the SU fandom, involves a Tumblr fan artist that goes by the name Zamii070.  The young female artist had been contributing her original interpretations of SU characters for some time. Unfortunately, she began to receive backlash as some of her illustrations deviated from the original character.  A specific piece involved a thinner looking version of the typically overweight character, Rose Quartz. The young artist was spammed with insults and threats with claims that she was fat-shaming the beloved character. The bullying became such an issue that Zamii070 was hospitalized for attempted suicide.  Thankfully, she has recovered, but the situation is an example of how dangerous online bullying can become. However, Zamii070 is not the only victim of attacks from the SU fandom regarding artistic liberties taken by some fans regarding weight, race, or sexual preferences of the show’s characters.

Another incident of the fandom’s online bullying even went as far as to impact one of the shows own creative talents.  Lauren Zuke is a former writer for Steven Universe who was harassed so relentlessly by fans that she had to remove herself from social media.  The problem arose after fans were displeased by a canon relationship formed in the series. Despite Zuke being a contributor to a larger story in general, fans attacked and threatened the creator.  A significant part of fandoms such as these is “shipping”, or the theoretical creation around specific characters developing a relationship. So, when these relationships fail to manifest, some fans take it personally and will go as far to attack the creators of the fiction that they are in love with.

The fandom probably hit an all-time low when an adult YouTuber began making fun of a child who was terminally ill with cancer.  The child in question was given the opportunity to watch an episode of SU before its release thanks to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.  He was even given explicit permission to share some aspects of the show online. YouTuber AwestruckVox took up an issue with the leak and insulted the child online.  The YouTuber has since apologized; however, the situation is just the cherry on top when it comes to the fandoms toxic reputation.

Of course, the fandom itself has been victims of attacks from outside sources.  As I mentioned, there are multiple articles and videos online condemning the entire fandom.  While the situations previously described are inappropriate they should not represent the fanbase as a whole, and earning it the title of “worst fandom ever” is debatable.  Majority of the occurrences are isolated to more vocal members of the community. It can be said with nearly any group of people that there are a few bad eggs, such as there are good cops and bad cops.  The overall issue seems to be more about a few rotten apples spoiling the batch. However, it has developed into other communities looking down at the fanbase.

Some groups have gone as far as to attack the fanbase by exploiting the very morals of the series.  A Reddit group known as 4chan/b/, known for membership comprised mostly of trolls and less-ethical users (basically one of the darkest corners of the internet), masterminded an online offensive against Steven Universe fans.  The group coordinated in photoshopping a collection of existing SU Tumblr fanart. Over the course of a couple of weeks, Tumblr was bombarded with an assailment of illustrations featuring the SU characters reimagined as Caucasian with blonde hair and blue eyes.  The SU fans were undeniably appalled, and a barrage of comments were put on these photoshopped illustrations calling the creator racist and bigoted. To add further insult to injury, the 4chan/b/ group then posted an image of their fictional artist as an overweight black transgender claiming that she only wished to create art.  The SU fandom backtracked hard from their insults and attacks, probably remembering their failures with artists like Zamii070. Apologies and permissions were given to this fake artist before the 4chan group revealed their scheme. The massive trolling event was a deliberate insult on an already damaged fanbase desperately trying to align itself with the show’s morals.

Even with all of the information provided, I still can’t help but think back to sitting in that panel with hundreds of Steven Universe fans.  Despite the damaged reputation of this fandom I have witnessed first hand the magic that the series creates. Hundreds of people of different ages, races, and sexual preferences, some dressed up in the most elaborate of cosplay all came together and sang the theme to a show that empowers them to be individuals.  They travelled hundreds of miles to give praise to a show that provides them with a moral compass and promotes their own differences.

And, that’s it, isn’t it?  

We are all just people.   We are entirely unique in our own individual ways.  We are not monsters, we make mistakes. Not a single one of us is perfect.  Steven would be the first to admit that. So, can we honestly expect a show that generates over a million views per episode to be comprised of a fan base of perfect people that don’t make mistakes?

 

Steven and the Crystal Gems would never condemn a whole community of people for making mistakes like leaving a bad review for a hotel as a joke or getting upset that their favourite character was drawn in a way that they don’t envision.  By no means can we say that the Steven Universe fandom is the worst of them all, any more than we can say that it is the best. Every community of fans out there is made of people from all walks of life. It is with understanding and compassion that we can help the world be a better place regardless of what you believe in or love.  That is the message that this show encourages in their fans. Maybe things have been difficult for this community, but we should believe that they can do better, and help spread that powerful message of understanding. And, if you think they can’t, they’ll always find a way.

 

“If you could just let everyone be whoever they are, maybe you could let yourself be whoever you are too.” – Steven Universe

 

Purchase Steven Universe Season Two on DVD