Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-25858307-20150409220541/@comment-25365147-20150410061031

MCPhatman wrote: So do the costume changes mean that they were defeated/damaged so that they retreated back into their Gems (Or in Garnet's case defused) anytime in the past? Seeing that we've only see them change outfits after they retreat into they're gem.

Also it looks like Rose like's to wear human clothes instead of just shapeshift. Well, we do see them change outfits for the beach party with the Pizzas.

My theory is that, like Steven, Gems base their appearance on how they feel, though it's possible that changes to their default appearance only come with regeneration. When we saw Pearl regenerate, only her outfit changed, but when Garnet fused back together, her skin color and eyes changed. Garnet's new design better reflects her fusion nature, so I'm guessing that being separated made them love each other even more.

So I'm guessing that the Crystal Gems changed not only their outfits, but their overall appearance several times throughout their lives, all depending on their mental state. When Rose was around and there was no war, they may have felt safe and protected, so they took on younger looking forms. During times of turmoil, like the picture with the shark, they took older forms. After Steven was born, the new responsibility made them feel older. A few other things of note, Amethyst's rock hole at the Kindergarten is the size of her adult form. Peridot always has bags under her eyes, but we've seen no other Gem like this. Gems don't need to sleep and they don't age, so maybe she just has them to reflect her stressed out nature.