Rose Quartz and Fat Representation

About a year back the show Steven Universe was getting some serious tread on tumblr. The story of a boy and his three alien, superhero Moms who are also literal gems. This show has gotten the attention of children and adults alike. And one of the more controversial things from the fandom (besides the hotel reviews) is centered around the fanart of Rose. A plus sized character from the series.

It wouldn’t be spoiling anything to say that she is an integral character to the show. Despite the fact that she is only seen in flashbacks. She is not only a catalyst to the story but is also the inspiration for all of the main characters. As such many fans have drawn her to show their passion for the show. Everyone doing their own interpretation of the giant gem. Being the internet it isn’t uncommon to see changes to popular characters for fun. What if Sailor Moon was black? What if Iron Man was a woman? Or, what if Rose Quartz was skinny?

Many people, including myself, are against this portrayal of Rose. So much so that I posted a little comedic thing about it. All it said was Don’t Art Fat Characters as Skinny. After posting I got a “few” messages asking why. Why can’t I be okay with all artistic interpretations of a character? Why I can’t let artists be free to draw how they choose? WHERE IS THE SANCTITY OF ART THESE DAYS!?

The simple answer is representation. It’s hard to think of another character from our pop culture that has a positive fat person in it. And I don’t just mean nice or funny. I mean a full fledged hero who just so happens to be fat. I can only think of one. And I already showed you her picture. I responded to this with tons of examples in another post. However I think there is something else going on here besides seeing a fat heroine.

Rose Quartz is the antithesis to every stereotype about fat people, particularly women. She isn’t overly aggressive or loud. Her flaws don’t include being a slob or loooooving food. Nobody tries to help her lose weight or get stronger by working out. She is calm and kind. A literal alien to our planet, who’s body survives off of energy from the crystal. And she’s already strong, and powerful. Not to mention well respected by her peers.

These inherent traits not only challenge the common stereotype of fat people but also fuse with it. (c wat i did thar?) Becoming something bigger and stronger. Something that reminds me of why I started adopting the word fat. It should be used as a descriptor and nothing more. Just as Rose can be said as having a long dress, pink belly stone and giant ringlets of hair, she can also be fat.

As you watch Steven Universe, which I highly recommend, you’ll notice that there are many different types of gems. They all look different. Their height, skin color, hair, dress, build, etc are all different, just like us. I remember reading one interpretation of the characters that each chooses their shape. So it’s empowering because Rose CHOOSE to be fat. However recent episodes seem to challenge this choice of appearance. Amethyst, Peridot and Steven all fight with their forms. I feel that it’s more important to see not only all the different types of gems, but how they come to accept their appearance. How they find their own happiness in what they look like.

Rose Quartz is a children’s show character who is everything I want to be. And want to be seen as. The reason why being fat is so disdained in our society is because it signifies automatic, negative qualities. Something that every fat person tries to make up for with humor, or strength, or not giving a fuck. But Rose doesn’t have to worry about that. She’s not perfect, but she’s pretty damn amazing. And she shows me that I can be that amazing too. Even if I’m something everyone says is bad.

There are hundreds of heroes and heroines like that. But it seems like all of them are skinny. Technically you can draw any character however you like. I can’t force you to do anything. But if you think you’re bucking the system because you decided to draw her skinny, then I have a question for you.

Is it possible for you to draw a positive fat character?

If the answer is yes, then that is what you should be doing.