“I don’t want you to upset me, but I don’t want to do things because it’s always been that way,” Gonzo tells his friends with renewed confidence. “I want to be me.”
For children whose gender expressions may not subscribe to preconceived notions that a boy or girl can look or act like, it can be extremely important to reflect on themselves on screen, whether the characters are puppets or whimsical gems. – People who dress in pastels. Live in Wonderland, said Lindsey Toman, assistant professor of LGBTQ studies at Colgate University.
Mere representation does not make for a strong story. It is rare for characters to refer to the words “non-binary” or “gender-diverse” on the series above. But on each of these series, characters whose identities don’t fit well within the gender binary are celebrated by their friends on the show and respected by the creators of their series in stories that are largely positive. . Huh.
“Everyone can benefit from being validated in their identity,” Toman told CNN. “The important thing is that all young children are seeing positive images so that they can learn better about themselves and other people.”
‘Muppet Babies’ and ‘Steven Universe’ show positive non-binary story
In less than 15 minutes, Gonzo is heartbroken, ready And Have the time of their lives at a ball. And although the Muppet Moppets are shocked to learn that Gonzo was their mysterious princess, they wholeheartedly support her “Gonzo-Rella”, throwing up the “royal handbook” that once gave the male-presenting Muppets the ball. For night outfit should be worn. .
Rebecca Sugar, the creator of Cartoon Network’s sweet, contemplative series “Steven Universe” and its sequels, thought younger audiences would understand her characters without labels. The cast is full of characters who are non-binary, LGBTQ or otherwise challenge the gender binary through gender expression.
“We knew the kids would get it,” Sugar told CNN in an email. “Kids love good stories and funny cartoon characters! It was hard to convince adults that The stories and characters of LGBTQIA+ may have been fun and funny, but the kids weren’t worried about it. They were too busy watching the show!”
“Steven Universe”, which premiered in 2013, features a semi-human boy and his family with female crystal gems. While the series is full of humor and hijinks, its soul lies in the exploration of its characters’ identities and ways of developing them.
“You’re not two people, and you’re not one person,” says Garnett, a crystal gem that is itself a fusion of two gems, in a fruitful conversation with Stevie. “You are an experience! Make sure you are the one Good Experience.”
“Steven Universe” doesn’t make subtle allusions or nods to character identity or sexuality, and it doesn’t deal with crude jokes designed to go over kids’ heads. Characters in shows are not always labeled as non-binary, queer or trans. They are what they are—and that was intentional, said Sugar, who uses both “he” and “they” pronouns.
He said the Chinese and many of those close to them have “fluid gender and sexual identities”. They badly wanted the apparently quirky characters in cartoons—something that could have benefited them when they were younger, when they felt alienated from the children’s entertainment.
“I just wanted something for us, by us and about us,” he said.
Animated series have a little more freedom to tell stories about gender identity and gender expression because their worlds are usually more fictional than ours. There are fewer rules – why, unmistakable A magic rat can turn a Muppet into a princess – and the characters’ appearance is not dictated by reality.
On “Steven Universe”, Sugar aimed to “scramble all the gender tropes” from plot points to color choices. The animation’s abstraction leaves the audience room to “project themselves into the character,” Sugar said.
“Their humanity is our humanity!” They said. “To love a cartoon character is, in a sense, to love the part of yourself in that character.”
Kids see themselves in these TV series
“Kids learn a lot from what they see in the media and they look for characters they can identify with,” she said.
Edwards-Leeper said, once children identify a character on TV to which they relate, they “internalize aspects of how that character is perceived and treated by others.” Goes.” “And if that treatment is positive, that positivity can impact younger audiences, improve their confidence and validate their unique way of expressing their gender.
But perhaps the most important influence lies not within the younger audience, but within their parents, she said.
Edwards-Leiper said, “These representations can help teach cisgender parents and other adults that rejecting the gender binary and being more accepting of gender diversity in children is more important to their psychological health and quality of life.” ” ”
Edwards-Leeper said that giving children an example of what a gender-diverse character looks like—especially when that character is accepted and loved—can provide them with the language with which to identify themselves more. can make it complete. be expressed as
“Many gender-diverse youths talk about having language about how they feel until they are never aware of gender-diverse identities or being represented in the media,” she said.
Even Sugar said that creating “Steven Universe” helped her understand herself better — and introduced her to a community within which to live.
“I realized that I was saying things about my sexuality and gender with cartoons that I didn’t really admit to my friends or family or even myself,” he said.
Non-binary characters are a big part of children’s TV
“I think for a long time the visibility and presence of an LGBTQ character felt like such a big step in the right direction, but it is no longer enough,” Toman said. “We need to reflect on our cultural shifts and create a platform for all kinds of people.”
“I wondered what it might mean to ask a generation of kids for that empathy and interest, and if it could be a very small part of creating a safer world,” Sugar said.
Good stories move people who connect with them and make room for them within the story. When viewers see themselves in a character or story, they can get to know themselves a little better—even if those stories feature shining gems and zany toddler Muppets.
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