Change your mind: Stevonnie's new body schema and queer literacies in Steven Universe. Issue 3 (2nd October 2021)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- Change your mind: Stevonnie's new body schema and queer literacies in Steven Universe. Issue 3 (2nd October 2021)
- Main Title:
- Change your mind: Stevonnie's new body schema and queer literacies in Steven Universe
- Authors:
- Kennedy, Fen
- Abstract:
- Abstract: Queer media is a vital tool for building empathetic and much needed relationships across communities of multiple sex and gender identities. In this article I use visual analysis to illustrate how the children's TV series Steven Universe, and specifically the character design of Stevonnie, elucidate non-binary identity and humanity. Stevonnie emerges from a queer-analogous process called 'fusion'—specifically the fusion of a cis-male, part alien boy and his cis -female human best friend, producing a non-binary identity from the fact of their internal multiplicity. Through Stevonnie's character design, their introduction, their relationships, and their interaction with sexing and sexuality, the series offers young viewers an expanded understanding of the body's potential—to differentiate sex and gender, and to consider sex and gender as multiple within the same individual human existence. Series creator Rebecca Sugar used visual strategies as an important tool for communicating complex emotional concepts without provoking censorship, and to give Stevonnie a rich and empathetic appeal that moves beyond oppressive stereotyping of non-binary identities.
- Is Part Of:
- Journal of visual literacy. Volume 40:Issue 3/4(2021)
- Journal:
- Journal of visual literacy
- Issue:
- Volume 40:Issue 3/4(2021)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 40, Issue 3/4 (2021)
- Year:
- 2021
- Volume:
- 40
- Issue:
- 3/4
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2021-0040-NaN-0000
- Page Start:
- 233
- Page End:
- 249
- Publication Date:
- 2021-10-02
- Subjects:
- Queer literacy -- Steven Universe -- body schema -- non-binary -- cartoon
Visual literacy -- United States -- Periodicals
Visual learning -- United States -- Periodicals
Visual communication -- United States -- Periodicals
Visual learning
Visual literacy
United States
Periodicals
302.22605 - Journal URLs:
- http://search.ebscohost.com/direct.asp?db=ufh&jid=H13&scope=site ↗
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rjvl20/current?nav=tocList ↗
http://www.tandfonline.com/ ↗ - DOI:
- 10.1080/1051144X.2021.1974774 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 1051-144X
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library DSC - BLDSS-3PM
British Library HMNTS - ELD Digital store - Ingest File:
- 20948.xml