You Are a Gem: How Amethyst is The Most Relatable Character
When looking through a magazine, what does one see? Scattered images of similar looking, white girls who are all a size zero. These same models are seen throughout different types of media, including the television. However, on “Steven Universe” one can turn on an episode to find one of the most realistic and relatable characters for young girls today: Amethyst.
Amethyst is one of the Crystal Gems, often the goofy character, who can be overlooked when it comes to serious moments within the show. However, she is easily relatable due to not only her realistic figure, but also her issues in learning to love herself.
Within cartoons there are stereotypes of undeveloped characters, archetypes that viewers expect to see in shows. Female stereotypes can range from the overtly sexy to “girl in the tower” where their personalities are expected based upon previous characters a viewer has seen. However, all of the Crystal Gems fully defy those expectations. The body types of the Crystal Gems are all quite different from the usual bodies of cartoon characters.
However, Amethyst’s body is one of the first characters that has both realistic proportions and doesn’t exploit her figure with weight jokes or an inappropriate appearance. Instead of taking a negative view of how Amethyst looks, Rebecca Sugar took to making her exceed stereotypes. Amethyst is even made to seem beautiful and sexy, often flipping her hair and her gem prominently on display on her chest. Instead of being treated like a sexualized object, Amethyst is given a curvy figure different from other characters seen through history.
The actual character development of Amethyst is one that many girls can relate their own stories too. Most gems come from the outer space that is except for Amethyst. She was created here on Earth and due to her controversial creation, is often seen as a “mistake,” or imperfect, called “overcooked” by Jasper. This can be seen as the root cause for her rebellious and loud nature. One of the first instances where Amethyst displays her stifled feeling from the other gems is during the episode “Tiger Millionaire.” Amethyst disguises herself by shape-shifting into a male wrestler called the Purple Puma where she fights in underground battles. “Nobody can tell me what to do,” she exclaims, feeling that she can finally be herself within the wrestling ring. Although she ultimately gives up fighting when the other Crystal Gems discover what she was hiding from them, it is a chance to see Amethyst let loose her full, wild personality.
When it comes to being perfect, Pearl is often seen as the ideal by Amethyst, hence why the two do not get along well. The two are like polar opposites, displayed well when their rooms are seen as order and chaos. In the episode “On The Run” the audience finally learns more about Amethyst and how much pressure she is to be like the others. From the start of the episode, she makes it clear how disjointed she feels from the rest of the gems. As the story continues, she leads Steven to see where she was created, The Kindergarten. During the episode, Pearl confronts Amethyst to the point where Amethyst loses her cool. “I’m just an embarrassment to you,” she cries, the pressure of having to be like everyone else finally too much of a weight for her. “I never asked to be made.” This struggle of trying to be someone else continues for Amethyst throughout the series.
It is seen again in the episode “Reformed.” When a gem is injured, their form is broken and when it is regenerate, they can choose to give themselves a better form with a new look. In this episode, Amethyst rushes her regeneration to form herself she comes out imperfect. When Garnet chastises her for rushing, she transforms to look like Pearl, insinuating that looking like Pearl must be the only way to look faultless. In the end, when she decides upon her final look, she decides to look as herself (with a few outfit adjustments). This decision shows that she is slowly become more comfortable with herself and doesn’t need to change for other people.
With Amethyst struggling to find herself, her words and actions are ones that female viewers can relate to. The pressure of society is a heavy weight on girls, many of them resulting in self-harm in the form eating disorders, and lower self esteem. With the number of girls who have eating disorders "nearly doubled" from the past, it’s no surprise that Amethyst’s story is so relatable for viewers. As opposed to having to become someone she is not, Amethyst shows young girls how to be happy as they are and that beauty comes in many different shapes and sizes.