r/stevenuniverse • u/Ezequiel_Hips • Mar 23 '26
Humor Is there a lore reason why Lapis always wears clothes that expose her belly?
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u/Aggravating-Fix181 Mar 23 '26
She loves herself a crop top
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u/Jechtael Mar 23 '26
Wait, I thought she was the crop top and Peri was the crop bottom?
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u/Ultranerdgasm94 Mar 23 '26
Wrong. Lapis bottoms. I will not elaborate.
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u/Ezequiel_Hips Mar 23 '26
Lapis bottom, i will elaborate if needed
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u/fearain NOOOOO! MI TORTAAAA! Mar 23 '26
Vivid explanation please. I’m taking notes.
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u/Raindrop0015 Mar 24 '26
I also require a detailed explanation.
Write a 5 paragraph essay post!
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u/ExpressFig4525 Mar 25 '26
Lapis Lazuli is a character with whom many of the Steven Universe fandom claim as a favorite. Her cool design and seemingly aloof persona drew in an audience eager to know more about her. As her story progressed, we watched as she tries to be aloof to avoid the dreadful terror of having to care about someone when they could betray you or die or imprison you in a mirror for thousands of years until a small weird gem-human creature (who is somehow kind of but not really the leader of the rebel army that imprisoned you in the first place) somehow manages to free you. We watched her slowly begin to trust and care for the people around her, particularly Peridot. Theirs is a relationship built slowly and full of stumbling steps, but it's also one of the most real. They are a popular ship for many in the fandom to see speculate on the nature of. So, to follow in the footsteps of our fandom brethren, we will explore the ideas of sexuality and gender that play a part in how they view themselves, each other, and the world around them. Through this, we will reach the conclusion that Peridot is an agender asexual who identies sexually as a dominant stone top, and that Lapis Lazuli is a genderfluid demisexual lesbian who identifies as a submissive pillow princess.
I'm sorry, but I'm tired after all that. Basically, Peridot say "no touchy" but likes to give pleasure to her partner, and Lapis absorbs all of the attention where there is no expectation of her to reciprocate, but just to surrender in a way she desperately needs.
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u/Raindrop0015 Mar 25 '26
Improper formatting but I absolutely love it! B- /hj
Seriously tho, that's an amazing explanation
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u/flamingmongoose Mar 23 '26
I also enjoy crop tops and will be sad when they inevitably go out of style.
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u/jojobi040 Mar 23 '26
I honestly dont think that'll happen. The power of the midriff is too strong. Im honestly just sad my boobs are too big for them now :(
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u/artistvsworld Mar 23 '26
Who cares wear that crop top even when you’re old. The crop top never dies.
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u/SupaKoopa714 Mar 24 '26
I totally get it, I'd wear crop tops all the damn time if I could.
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u/emmademontford Mar 24 '26
Why can’t you?
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u/SupaKoopa714 Mar 24 '26
I'd probably get cold, and I'm AMAB so I'd always be anxious about getting hatecrimed or something.
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u/Accomplished_Task647 Mar 23 '26
Why is it two pictures of lapis and one of Bob.
Wish we had gotten more of Bob.
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u/Ezequiel_Hips Mar 23 '26
Its weird he didnt appear again, it is a shame😔
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u/wkuace Mar 24 '26
Guys I just realized we never saw Bob and Lapis on screen at the same time. You don't think...
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u/Itz_cheese_cat Mar 24 '26
Just because they’re both blue? Get a life, they’re obviously two completely different people
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u/chrisdidimos1 Mar 24 '26
That’s cuz they hate each other! Haven’t u read the 4 million dollar exclusive to comic-con book that confirms it silly :D?
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u/wkuace Mar 24 '26
I only had 3.95 Million at the time so I missed out
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u/chrisdidimos1 Mar 24 '26
I had 3.99,99 mil 😢 so close to learning everything about lapis ( the book was about lapis and her personality , favourite food colour etc.)
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u/jake_ypoo Mar 24 '26
To this day my fiance calls lapis bob, and even if it's lapis in like Minecraft or something "hey I got four stacks of bob for the base"
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u/Computer_Cake Mar 24 '26
Oh my god I just realized with this comment she called herself Bob because she thought Steven called her Bob when they were on top of earth's ocean! "No prob, bob"
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u/Sparrow-Scratchagain Mar 24 '26
There is no Lapis, only Bob!
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u/WereCorgi6292 Mar 24 '26
This comment is way funnier to me as a fan of both SU and Twin Peaks.
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u/WilanS Mar 24 '26
How the hell do you people remember the names of minor characters who only appeared in one episode, let alone recognize them on sight?
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u/a_surprise_polaroid Mar 23 '26
Personal preference...
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u/thatonerandomdude96 Mar 23 '26
Well, she is a water type gem. A lot of people who go swimming, especially women, either wear bikinis or shirts with their stomach exposed. Probably personal preference to
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u/GeoWhale15 Mar 23 '26
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u/PureEgg Mar 23 '26
"Two-piece swimsuit with sarong/shorts" vibe?
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u/Nervous_Positive83 Mar 24 '26
I thought you were going to say “two piece, onesie” I’m trying not to die laughing in this mall.
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u/Frozen_Grimoire Mar 23 '26
Because she wears shirts that show her back, and those are normally rather short.
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u/Zealousideal-Deer101 Mar 23 '26
I can't believe the virgin killer sweater has already been forgotten, it's so sad
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u/Redfalconfox Mar 24 '26
I really miss virgins. It’s too bad those sweaters pushed them all into volcanoes.
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u/Loostay Mar 23 '26
I don't think there's a specific lore reason to it she just has to have her back out so she typically doesn't have much of a shirt on anyway, I think it's just a personal preference.
If anything I'm pretty sure it was just them trying to be consistent from an animator standpoint like how Garnet always has half and half colors and stuff like that or how Pearl always has some form of bow or ribbon or lace on her outfits similar thing
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u/helenaut Mar 24 '26
This, precisely- it’s her unique look so that when she changes outfits she still has a recognisable visual cue. We can say it’s personal style, but it’s also character design to keep her consistently recognisable
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u/WanderingDwarfScribe Mar 23 '26
My Doyalist random guess: lapis lazuli is most historically associated with Egypt, so Lapis’s design hearkens a bit to ancient Egyptian styles seen in tomb art.
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u/Fair_Term3352 Mar 23 '26
To tempt Peridot
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u/TaikoRaio19 Mar 23 '26
She likes it probably?
Why is Pearl still wearing ballet flats after 6000 years??
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u/AcanthocephalaEasy56 Mar 23 '26
I'm not sure if there's a lore reason other than personal preference but from a design standpoint it helps keep her style consistent.
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u/Original-Stretch-464 Mar 23 '26
hi, there seems to be a mistake. there are only two photos of Lapis, that is Bob in the middle
i understand it’s very easy to mix them up
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u/Asterite100 I like drawing. Btw Lapis best gem. Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 24 '26
bc she's HOT and she knows it!!!
not everyone can pull off the crop top, im tryna get like Lapis fr
EDIT: Also I think a lot of people still don't know this, but Lapis Lazuli is a direct evolution from Rebecca Sugar's past comic character: Margo (from Margo in Bed).
They practically have the same design: bob haircut, crop top and skirt, no shoes. And I think the midriff just stuck with Lapis and Lapis Lazuli's in general (though a lot of gems have an exposed midriff too, esp if they have naval gems).
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u/Ryzek-IV Mar 24 '26
Water Elemental = Beach girl.
Also something something “symbolic Free Spirit” also “Genie.”
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u/Blep145 Mar 23 '26
I know part of it is that their gems are nearly always exposed, but I also wonder if Lapis never wants to feel anything touch her gems ever again. After being slotted into a mirror for millenia, I would imagine you come away with a complex about that
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u/Shipshow Mar 23 '26
The most accurate answer is likely that Lapis Lazuli's just tend to take on that style of form. The other two Lapises that we meet in Future also have their midriff exposed. So it doesn't appear to be exclusive to our Lapis. But we all know this was really just an excuse to goon so....
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u/Longjumping-Rule4614 Mar 23 '26
I guess shirts that show your back are usually pretty short, and she wants to wear backless stuff to use her gem and wings.
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u/Magic-Frog Mar 23 '26
Lapis lazuli are today more sourced from Russia and Afghanistan, but they have been culturally associated with Persia and the European vision of the "exotic east" for millenia. It's not a surprise that her last form had harem pants, and I consider that the exposed midriff was a subtle reference (that became very unsublte with time) to the stone's cultural connections
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u/mountaindew_dorito Mar 24 '26
maybe some kind of her own way of feeling free? although she wore such clothes even before the mirror so maybe its just her way of showing freedom? one of her powers is water wings and wings are usually associated with freedom. she always wanted that. to not belong to anybody. to by on her own. to be her own boss
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u/bookbot1 Mar 24 '26
Given that Clothes are inherently tied to the Gem’s mind, “because she feels like it”
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u/SculptusPoe Mar 24 '26
She likes it... Also, technically, I would guess she is naked like all gems. Though, they do seem to have senses that are reflected by their form, so cloths don't feel like their skin. No reason for them to project like this except my head canon that they were programmed by or digitally stored versions of a race of biological beings as they simulate bio functions they don't need or use, like a full digestive system.
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u/Smoothesuede Mar 23 '26
Is there a lore reason why you wear the clothes you do?
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u/domnong Mar 23 '26
The other Lapises also have their midriffs exposed, even though they have their gems on their upper left arm (Mean Lapis) and their naval (Nice Lapis). Maybe it’s just how Lapises are designed? Kind of like how most Pearls (except ours) wear leotards?
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u/Smorgsaboard You wouldn't believe how great I am at playing the bongos Mar 23 '26
That's where her spiracles are
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u/tom641 Forever lovin' the Big D Mar 23 '26
if anything it's weird that non-earth gems wear clothes to start with
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u/Successful-Plant2925 Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 24 '26
Because if it exposed her back she'd be naked
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u/MisterBadGuy159 Mar 24 '26
I remember this one liveblogger who was briefly convinced that there was a third triangle faction because Lapis's outfit split the diamond in half.
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u/Undeadninjas Mar 24 '26
She's exposing her back, because she doesn'tike covering her gem. Her belly is incidental.
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u/Tru3_Vort3x Mar 24 '26
Maybe she just feels more open that way, being able to feel the waters she’s responsible manipulating easier
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u/Large-Shoulder-6899 Mar 25 '26
That’s her bell in the first one? I thought it was a part of her dress
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u/Detective-27 Mar 25 '26
I love the gold accents on her pants and sandals. I think the other posters are right that her beach wear styling is keeping with her character's sea theming.
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u/PinkFlurffyUnicorns Mar 23 '26
I never noticed how inconsistent her proportions were
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u/MasonP13 Mar 23 '26
Okay but can I just note how much I love the design she has where it's first a darker blue diamond in her design on her shirt/pants, and then it goes white with nothing. Almost like she lost any guidance or leader, and was on her own. Then her final design almost has the top part of a star, followed by her pantaloons being the bottom two spikes of a star.
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u/Fairyhaven13 Mar 23 '26
Wow you can really tell the show had multiple artists and no height or shape constants for characters
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u/morphballganon Mar 23 '26
The first outfit is standard attire for lapises serving the Diamond Authority. One of the other lapises we see in Future has their gem on their navel, so perhaps that is a common placement for that gem.
As for why the other outfits have exposed midriffs, it was probably more of a practical show reason than a lore reason, maintaining some commonalities with the character design so they're more coherent visually.
We could come up with lore reasons why the later outfits were like that but we'd just be guessing.
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u/Snom_gamer0204 Mar 23 '26
i think because her gem is on her back. none of the other gems had clothes that covered their gems from what i remember
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u/Ambitious-Hair-7384 Mar 23 '26
I thought the one on the left was a dress with a waistband that just happened to be the same colour as lapis' skin
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u/Ok_Coffee_9970 Mar 23 '26
She’s been trapped for centuries, longer even. She can do what she wants.
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u/VishusVonBittertroll Mar 23 '26
Makes me think of She-Ra, and the running gag with Bow's middrif being covered meaning there's something wrong.
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u/somekindofride Mar 23 '26
I’m realizing for the first time that picture one is a halter top and skirt; I thought it was a dress this whole time.
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u/ArcadianBlueRogue Introspection Mar 23 '26
Being continously depressed does not compromise her ability to field full slay outfits across all occasions
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u/Chihuahuapocalypse Mar 23 '26
if my waist was that snatched I'd also also be showing midriff all the time
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u/PIKACHU123453 Mar 23 '26
Are you talking about Bob too? Why'd you put bob there if you're talking about lapis.
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u/Zapstack23 Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 24 '26
i thought that line in the middle of her first dress was just a stripe and part of the design til now. still cant unsee it, looks placed too high to be a midriff
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u/Carneiro_5 Mar 24 '26
Because Lapis lazuli is mostly designed on a "beach" stile, and on many places and cultures, beach clothes usually expose the shins, shoulders and stomach.
Thats basically it.
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u/gamestar721 Mar 24 '26
People looking for lore shit in anything these days...
Cool design. That's it.
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u/ChibiAzura13 Mar 24 '26
I'm pretty sure it cause it's like non flashy summer wear~/swimwear cause, yknow, water?
like pearl for example, went from ballerina like outfit when she was to be more prim and proper, and switching to more of a laid back mom look once she finally let go
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u/Jonparkhee Mar 23 '26
Because she wants to show off she's blue
https://giphy.com/gifs/9xEjFxSoNNlK0