On the Subject of "Gluing a Gear On It"

I spent this past weekend sewing (and gluing) decorative brass gears onto my Steampunk Cleopatra costume.  And this morning I ran across yet another opinion piece that derides anyone who attaches non-functional gears onto their steampunk pieces.  I've known that I needed to address this aspect of my costume, so let's do it.

Pretty, pretty non-functional gears.  These may give an
ILLUSION of functioning,
but that's all it is. (From this store.)

I really, really hate when people bash the use of decorative gears.  The attitude assumed by the basher is always one of superiority: they are preserving steampunk's purity from the untalented who can't use any tool but a glue gun.  They almost always throw in a derisive comment about steampunk going "mainstream" or being co-opted by corporations or people just out to make a buck.

This attitude just really pisses me off.  It's elitist and actively discourages newbies from trying their hand at steampunk crafting.  Look, I am in awe of makers who have metalworking skills who make these functional works of steampunk art.  But I also know that I cannot do what they do, and have no desire to learn the skills they have.  That's not my thing.  That's their thing.

Here's the big thing that gets me about this attitude: it is seeking to define and limit what's "real steampunk."  Real steampunk crafting, by their estimation, involves a workshop and heavy machinery. It involves skills that take years of training to achieve.  It's also, by the way, an attitude that elevates traditionally masculine skills above traditionally feminine skills.  When it comes down to it, I don't want to be part of any conversation that seeks to define "real steampunk" over "poseur steampunk."

I adore the embroidered gear designs on this outfit.

Moreover, the people who express these opinions are often incredibly hypocritical.  They will snark about people who "glue a gear on it" one minute, and the next they admire some steampunk object with non-functional gears the next.  Many highly admired steampunk projects feature TONS of non-functional components; they just are better at giving the impression of functioning than some others.  Gears, gauges, turn keys, locks, vacuum tubes, keys...these are all items frequently used in steampunk design and they are very rarely functional.

But I also want to be clear that I have chosen to attach decorative gears to my steampunk creations not because I wish I could do more with them, but because I really, really like the look of decorative gears.  Gears are PRETTY.  I like them as objects in and of themselves, not just for their utility.

The Victorian period was the height of decoration for decoration's sake.  Every object was OVER decorated.  They used sometimes strange motifs in their decorative arts, like the plethora of pineapples they put everywhere.  So I believe that in an alternative Victorian period, where technology is elevated to a higher level within the estimation of society, that the Victorians might very well have started embroidering gears along the borders of their clothing.  In my mind, the fictional steampunk world that we all have created is a world in which people wear goggles as a fashion accessory and use gears to decorate things.

My Steampunk Cleopatra is a partial recreation of a historical fancy dress costume.  In a steampunk world, I think that this costume may have very well been made with decorative brass gears in addition to Ancient Egyptian style jewelry.  And finally, I just like the way it looks, and I don't have time for anyone who wants to take an elitist attitude about it.