Uranus And Neptune Gender Roles
The two sailor scouts Uranus and Neptune have an undoubtedly amorous relationship and its importance as a piece of LGBT representation in children’s media is still evident today. Uranus and Neptune live in the world where their power comes from within and both in their social and magical lives they are not constrained by men. In fact, men hardly appear in the Sailor Moon series as a whole outside of villains and sailor moons love interest. These women transcend the bounds normally set for them in society and bypass the violence of compulsory heterosexuality through their unique place in the world as magical women. In addition, they have a very traditional butch/femme style, which effects at several points the way they are viewed in the series
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because these presentations between two women are not what is expected. One is undermining the need for women to adhere to the violence of forced femininity, and the other is actively working against the assumption that men are entitled to women’s bodies by living in this feminine body and loving women.
While the sailor scouts may live in the world free from patriarchal and homophobic oppression, the viewers do not, and in fact, the English dub censored every episode that included them, cut out six entire episodes, and refused to air the last season (Sailor Moon Uncensored).
It is monumentally important for children, especially young girls, to see women unconstrained by patriarchy and gender violence. Allowing young women access to diverse narratives gives them a chance to overcome the damage and self-hatred inflicted by compulsory heterosexuality. In Adrienne Rich's Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence, she highlights men’s control over women’s bodies and what women must do in order to exist in a patriarchal world, especially as lesbians. Men control women in eight ways according to Rich, including denying women their own sexuality and forcing male sexuality upon them (Rich …show more content…
131).
In Sailor Moon, the sailor scouts often fight villains that prey on women, usually young women’s insecurities and desires. There are multiple episodes where the villain of the week is toying with the hearts of young women in order to gain the power of their emotions or to brainwashing them into being their slaves. Unlike in real life, the sailor scouts always win against these villains. Women face an endless stream of depictions of the perfect women, a nearly unattainable goal of perfect innocence and sexuality for male consumption. Society assumes that from infancy girls will be interested in boys and will do things to make boys like them. It is important to first recognize that some women exist outside of this system, and then address the issue of having them represented well and be respected. While most of the sailor scouts are very openly interested in boys, Sailor Uranus and Neptune are never shown liking any boy, and in fact, both turn down men during the course of the series. There are no male power figures in their lives, they are the most powerful beings in their reality and, therefore, do not operate under the constraints of modern society.
Even so, there is some dispute as to whether Uranus and Neptune are actually lesbians. Along with never being shown apart for any significant amount of time besides the two-episode gap between their introductions, they have a plethora of suggestive dialogue and scenes together. Sailor Neptune can be seen hanging from Uranus’ arm, or standing back to back as they fight. In one episode, Sailor Neptune saves Uranus at the risk of harming everyone around them. As the villain sucked the energy out of Uranus, he claims that Neptune could break a bottle to save Uranus but unleash another attack onto the rest of the sailor scouts. The conversation continues: Villain-"How did you know it wasn't true?"
Sailor Neptune-"Oh? It wasn't true?"
Villain- "You did it just to save her? What kind of heroine are you?"
Sailor Neptune- "Ara, maybe you misunderstood, the world without Haruka is hardly worth saving"(Sailor Moon Super S Special).
No other sailor scout is as reckless in order to save one of their fellow scouts, even though they are all friends. The relationship was so blatant that the American broadcast would only allow the episodes including them to air if they called each other cousins. This led to a lot of confusion because people believed they were both gay and incestuous. During a scene where Neptune describes her first kiss a silhouette can be seen of her kissing Uranus, but the dub assures us that it is “Brad the cutest guy in school”.
Despite existing in a show that operates under a different societal structure than our own, there has still been compulsory heterosexuality pushed onto these fictional lesbians. In the case of Sailor Neptune, they even invented the old love interest, Brad, in order to further prove her love of men and assure us that she is certainly not a lesbian. No such precautions were taken with Sailor Uranus, in fact, the other sailor scouts think she is a boy at first and follow her around lovesick all day. Later, she reveals herself as a woman and they quickly lose interest, but this does not stop Uranus from flirting with girls numerous times when Neptune is out of earshot. Since Sailor Neptune is femme and, therefore, more easily presented as a woman for male consumption than Uranus, but even so she never allows herself to be at any point in the series. Uranus is shown as a coy tomboy and is framed as borderline predatory in the English dub when she is not allowed to be shown as a lesbian (Sailor Moon Uncensored).
Sailor Neptune and Uranus are important because they create a safe place for young women to explore who they are outside of the world of men and male consumption that is supposed to define them. You can’t be what you can’t see, in other words if a young lesbian does not see that women like her exist and in prominent positions in society the pressure of heteronormativity can coerce her into being someone that she is not in order to fit the mold that she is shown she is supposed to fit into. It is important to note that lesbian representation or the representation of queer women in general is distinctly different from that of queer men. There are not the same social expectations for men in that they can be independent and not seen as radical, but women do not always have this freedom. Using the words of Adrienne Rich: “To equate lesbian existence with male homosexuality because each is stigmatized is to erase female reality once again” (rich 138). To equate lesbian existence with male homosexuality because each is stigmatized is to erase female reality once again. 136 The love between Uranus and Neptune validates young women that are attracted to women and by showing them that their love is beautiful and important. The message that women should be interested in men, care about what they think of them, and constantly exist under the scrutiny of men is a prevailing theme throughout most popular media. Sailor Uranus and Neptune show that lesbians can exist in popular media and not only be in love but also be important main characters in the series.
Children’s media, as a genre often does not get to see LGBT characters because they are usually highly sexualized in the shows they appear in. Uranus and Neptune are affectionate without being sexualized because there is no real reason that LGBT characters should not be present in children’s shows other than the assumption that lesbians and other LGBT persons are immoral. Notably, because they are magical women, their power comes from within themselves, and they do not need men to support them in any way, they become independent of the system of male oppression in the society they exist in. They are allowed to be creative and have voices since there are no men to hinder them otherwise, the most powerful heroes and villains in Sailor Moon are all women.
Uranus and Neptune are defined by their connection to each other, by their love and the unique balance of their relationship. The repertoire they have with each other goes against what compulsory heterosexuality assumes they should act like. By loving each other, they are denying the oppressive system that tells women they are a commodity for men to consume; they refuse to be easily palatable. They are powerful without any male presence because they raise each other up with their powers and their love. For the young viewer of Sailor Moon, this radical love creates a new space for the young LGBT person to exist. It allows lesbians to be normalized as well as allowing the viewer to see new spaces for them to exist. Young girls do not normally get to see women loving women on TV in any way, because of the sexualization of lesbians; which makes this representation even more important because their love is not something to be fetishized.
Adrienne Rich stresses the importance of women being able to exist outside of male oppression and the forces of compulsory heterosexuality.
The lesbian existence is even more stifled than for gay women because of the lack of attachment to those male figureheads whose relationships are supposed to be more important to women than their relationships with other women (Rich 140). In this context, Sailor Uranus and Neptune are free to love and be role models to young women because this media is not for male consumption, they and their relationship are not for male consumption. Even so, the censorship of the 90’s television companies that aired the show in the US challenged their existence. Historically the stories of gay women have been silenced and are still being silenced and challenged today. It is perceived as an attack on men when women refuse to be available to them emotionally and sexually. In order to maintain this system media demonizes lesbians and depicts a false predatory nature that contributes to young women’s
self-hatred.
Women existing in space outside of their relationships with men is still a radical notion and will continue to be in the future until all women have space in popular media, and people outside of straight white women get to take center stage. In the words of Adrienne Rich, “Heterosexuality has been both forcibly and subliminally imposed on women. Yet everywhere women have resisted it, often at the cost of physical torture, imprisonment, psychosurgery, social ostracism, and extreme poverty” (Rich 138). Sailor Uranus and Neptune in their subversion of gender and relationship norms hold a unique place in their world that affords them certain freedoms that real life women have not had. As people in the real world and consumers of media, it is our responsibility to make sure that our media is not only a reflection of our society now but what it could be. It is important to have these depictions because LGBT youth does not get to see themselves in most media and we must actively strive to empower young LGBT women. Ultimately, the love between Uranus and Neptune is a love letter to every young LGBT person that would not have otherwise seen themselves in media as a child.
because these presentations between two women are not what is expected. One is undermining the need for women to adhere to the violence of forced femininity, and the other is actively working against the assumption that men are entitled to women’s bodies by living in this feminine body and loving women.
While the sailor scouts may live in the world free from patriarchal and homophobic oppression, the viewers do not, and in fact, the English dub censored every episode that included them, cut out six entire episodes, and refused to air the last season (Sailor Moon Uncensored).
It is monumentally important for children, especially young girls, to see women unconstrained by patriarchy and gender violence. Allowing young women access to diverse narratives gives them a chance to overcome the damage and self-hatred inflicted by compulsory heterosexuality. In Adrienne Rich's Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence, she highlights men’s control over women’s bodies and what women must do in order to exist in a patriarchal world, especially as lesbians. Men control women in eight ways according to Rich, including denying women their own sexuality and forcing male sexuality upon them (Rich …show more content…
131).
In Sailor Moon, the sailor scouts often fight villains that prey on women, usually young women’s insecurities and desires. There are multiple episodes where the villain of the week is toying with the hearts of young women in order to gain the power of their emotions or to brainwashing them into being their slaves. Unlike in real life, the sailor scouts always win against these villains. Women face an endless stream of depictions of the perfect women, a nearly unattainable goal of perfect innocence and sexuality for male consumption. Society assumes that from infancy girls will be interested in boys and will do things to make boys like them. It is important to first recognize that some women exist outside of this system, and then address the issue of having them represented well and be respected. While most of the sailor scouts are very openly interested in boys, Sailor Uranus and Neptune are never shown liking any boy, and in fact, both turn down men during the course of the series. There are no male power figures in their lives, they are the most powerful beings in their reality and, therefore, do not operate under the constraints of modern society.
Even so, there is some dispute as to whether Uranus and Neptune are actually lesbians. Along with never being shown apart for any significant amount of time besides the two-episode gap between their introductions, they have a plethora of suggestive dialogue and scenes together. Sailor Neptune can be seen hanging from Uranus’ arm, or standing back to back as they fight. In one episode, Sailor Neptune saves Uranus at the risk of harming everyone around them. As the villain sucked the energy out of Uranus, he claims that Neptune could break a bottle to save Uranus but unleash another attack onto the rest of the sailor scouts. The conversation continues: Villain-"How did you know it wasn't true?"
Sailor Neptune-"Oh? It wasn't true?"
Villain- "You did it just to save her? What kind of heroine are you?"
Sailor Neptune- "Ara, maybe you misunderstood, the world without Haruka is hardly worth saving"(Sailor Moon Super S Special).
No other sailor scout is as reckless in order to save one of their fellow scouts, even though they are all friends. The relationship was so blatant that the American broadcast would only allow the episodes including them to air if they called each other cousins. This led to a lot of confusion because people believed they were both gay and incestuous. During a scene where Neptune describes her first kiss a silhouette can be seen of her kissing Uranus, but the dub assures us that it is “Brad the cutest guy in school”.
Despite existing in a show that operates under a different societal structure than our own, there has still been compulsory heterosexuality pushed onto these fictional lesbians. In the case of Sailor Neptune, they even invented the old love interest, Brad, in order to further prove her love of men and assure us that she is certainly not a lesbian. No such precautions were taken with Sailor Uranus, in fact, the other sailor scouts think she is a boy at first and follow her around lovesick all day. Later, she reveals herself as a woman and they quickly lose interest, but this does not stop Uranus from flirting with girls numerous times when Neptune is out of earshot. Since Sailor Neptune is femme and, therefore, more easily presented as a woman for male consumption than Uranus, but even so she never allows herself to be at any point in the series. Uranus is shown as a coy tomboy and is framed as borderline predatory in the English dub when she is not allowed to be shown as a lesbian (Sailor Moon Uncensored).
Sailor Neptune and Uranus are important because they create a safe place for young women to explore who they are outside of the world of men and male consumption that is supposed to define them. You can’t be what you can’t see, in other words if a young lesbian does not see that women like her exist and in prominent positions in society the pressure of heteronormativity can coerce her into being someone that she is not in order to fit the mold that she is shown she is supposed to fit into. It is important to note that lesbian representation or the representation of queer women in general is distinctly different from that of queer men. There are not the same social expectations for men in that they can be independent and not seen as radical, but women do not always have this freedom. Using the words of Adrienne Rich: “To equate lesbian existence with male homosexuality because each is stigmatized is to erase female reality once again” (rich 138). To equate lesbian existence with male homosexuality because each is stigmatized is to erase female reality once again. 136 The love between Uranus and Neptune validates young women that are attracted to women and by showing them that their love is beautiful and important. The message that women should be interested in men, care about what they think of them, and constantly exist under the scrutiny of men is a prevailing theme throughout most popular media. Sailor Uranus and Neptune show that lesbians can exist in popular media and not only be in love but also be important main characters in the series.
Children’s media, as a genre often does not get to see LGBT characters because they are usually highly sexualized in the shows they appear in. Uranus and Neptune are affectionate without being sexualized because there is no real reason that LGBT characters should not be present in children’s shows other than the assumption that lesbians and other LGBT persons are immoral. Notably, because they are magical women, their power comes from within themselves, and they do not need men to support them in any way, they become independent of the system of male oppression in the society they exist in. They are allowed to be creative and have voices since there are no men to hinder them otherwise, the most powerful heroes and villains in Sailor Moon are all women.
Uranus and Neptune are defined by their connection to each other, by their love and the unique balance of their relationship. The repertoire they have with each other goes against what compulsory heterosexuality assumes they should act like. By loving each other, they are denying the oppressive system that tells women they are a commodity for men to consume; they refuse to be easily palatable. They are powerful without any male presence because they raise each other up with their powers and their love. For the young viewer of Sailor Moon, this radical love creates a new space for the young LGBT person to exist. It allows lesbians to be normalized as well as allowing the viewer to see new spaces for them to exist. Young girls do not normally get to see women loving women on TV in any way, because of the sexualization of lesbians; which makes this representation even more important because their love is not something to be fetishized.
Adrienne Rich stresses the importance of women being able to exist outside of male oppression and the forces of compulsory heterosexuality.
The lesbian existence is even more stifled than for gay women because of the lack of attachment to those male figureheads whose relationships are supposed to be more important to women than their relationships with other women (Rich 140). In this context, Sailor Uranus and Neptune are free to love and be role models to young women because this media is not for male consumption, they and their relationship are not for male consumption. Even so, the censorship of the 90’s television companies that aired the show in the US challenged their existence. Historically the stories of gay women have been silenced and are still being silenced and challenged today. It is perceived as an attack on men when women refuse to be available to them emotionally and sexually. In order to maintain this system media demonizes lesbians and depicts a false predatory nature that contributes to young women’s
self-hatred.
Women existing in space outside of their relationships with men is still a radical notion and will continue to be in the future until all women have space in popular media, and people outside of straight white women get to take center stage. In the words of Adrienne Rich, “Heterosexuality has been both forcibly and subliminally imposed on women. Yet everywhere women have resisted it, often at the cost of physical torture, imprisonment, psychosurgery, social ostracism, and extreme poverty” (Rich 138). Sailor Uranus and Neptune in their subversion of gender and relationship norms hold a unique place in their world that affords them certain freedoms that real life women have not had. As people in the real world and consumers of media, it is our responsibility to make sure that our media is not only a reflection of our society now but what it could be. It is important to have these depictions because LGBT youth does not get to see themselves in most media and we must actively strive to empower young LGBT women. Ultimately, the love between Uranus and Neptune is a love letter to every young LGBT person that would not have otherwise seen themselves in media as a child.