Steampunk Community and Gender Roles

I recently read the article "How Steampunk Screws with Victorian Gender Norms" by Molly Westerman published on the Bitch website.  And I have a response.

The article is well-written and covers a lot of ground.  Although the title and ultimate conclusion of the article is that

 "steampunk can create feminist imaginative spaces by putting curiosity where assumptions used to be. With all its flaws and all the possibilities for racism, sexism, and other isms inherent in steampunk’s embrace of a reimagined nineteenth century, this trip back to what never was can be an illuminating and progressive one—as well as a rollicking good time."

The article itself, however, spends a lot of time dissecting all the ways steampunk can be sexist and touches on the issue of colonialism.  I don't particularly disagree with anything in the article, but it doesn't really reflect my feelings on the steampunk community.

For one thing, I think there is a big difference between steampunk as a literary genre and steampunk as a subculture.  Outsider's articles about steampunk often equate the two things because it's much easier to read a novel than to do an anthropological observation of the culture.   In addition to looking at gender roles in steampunk literature, the author draws on internet sources.  Which, again, can give an incomplete picture of what lived steampunk is actually like.  Internet forums tend to be dominated by the loudest and most talkative participants, who are often objectionable and limited in their views of complicated issues.  (In other words, they can be jerks.)

As always, I can only speak to my own experience in steampunk, based on my interactions with people in my local area.  There are always regional differences in these things, and definitely steampunk styles vary by region.

In asking myself whether steampunk enforces traditional gender roles or not, I have to decide what are the most important aspects of gender roles.  Is it the clothing, the corsets, the long skirts?  If we only look at style and fashion, yes male and female clothing tends to be pretty different in steampunk.

Women tend to wear dresses and skirts and corsets, men tend to wear pants and vests.  But that's hardly a rule.  Lots of steampunk women dress in pants, work clothes, bloomers, vests, and top hats (traditionally a male only style).  The men, as always, have less variation to their style, but many steampunk men enjoy the sumptuous fabrics, lace, rich colors, and other aspects of steampunk clothing that aren't found in modern "masculine" attire because they are considered too effeminate.  It's common for steampunk men to wear kilts and corsets.  (Don't kill me, kilt, people, I know kilts aren't women's clothing, but it's also a deviation from "normal".)

Moreover, steampunk brings out an enthusiasm for fashion in men that I suspect they don't often get to express in their daily lives.  Men in steampunk are generally excited about their outfits and get to wear a much broader range of prints, colors, and styles than they normally would.

But beyond fashion I'm more interested in how gender roles function within steampunk society itself. Do men and women fulfill separate and distinct roles within the community?  Is one gender privileged over another?  I think it's difficult to answer those questions when looking at the steampunk community in a void.  What are we comparing steampunk to?  Society in general?  I think it's better to compare it to other similar subcultures and costuming communities.

First of all, one of the best things about steampunk, in my experience, is that the community tends to be very equal in numbers of men and women.  This is NOT the case in all other costuming communities.  Historical costuming gatherings are almost completely dominated by women.  Any men present are usually husbands, with the occasional male costumer.   It seems that "mainstream" cosplay is also tilted in favor of female participants, at least among the more passionate makers.

Steampunk may resemble Renaissance communities more in its gender numbers, then.  But I feel that steampunk engages a higher percentage of its followers in active making.  And there does tend to be something of a gender divide in what kind of making steampunks undertake.  Women are more likely to sew and men are more likely to make guns or do leather working.  But it's hardly a cut and dry divide. A ton of exceptions to that rule immediately spring to mind.  I know a lot of men in steampunk who sew, or are learning to sew BECAUSE of steampunk.  And I know some very skilled female leather workers.  Not to mention that most steampunks try many different types of crafts, although we all tend to find one or two things we enjoy most.

And what I'm getting to is this: over and over I have talked to male/female couples who love steampunk because it's something they BOTH can get excited about.  It's a style and a community with something for everyone.  There are a lot of married couples in steampunk.  And my favorite thing is that it's not a situation where one half of a partnership drags the other one along, but something they share.  Finding a hobby that a husband and wife can both be excited about and involved in is unfortunately rare in our culture.

Ultimately it doesn't really bother me that in steampunk there are lots of women in pretty dresses and lots of men in armor.  Because there's no problem with women being in armor, with men wearing lace and velvet.  Women are airship captains, ships mechanics, and armorers within the community and no one cares.

Steampunk isn't perfect, by any means.  Steampunk communities reflect the larger community in their prejudices, biases, and privileges.  There are sexist steampunks, and racist steampunks, and homophobic steampunks, certainly.  But when I look at this community and how it functions around the issue of gender roles, I'm actually pretty proud.  I'm happy that steampunk has let me meet married couples who finally have something to do together, discuss sewing techniques with men in their 60s, and help a trans woman feel more comfortable in a costume.

 I really feel that the steampunk community has a place for everyone, regardless of who you are.  And that not even the roles of female characters in steampunk novels reflects the diversity of all the awesome steampunk women I've met.  Steampunk is a big, messy community, with room for lots of complicated women, and that's awesome.

Best of Steam Ingenious - 2013

It's strange to look back on the past year of this blog.  Although I'm proud of a number of things I've done here in the past year, I realize I intended to do more.  Especially in terms of tutorials.  My attention has been distracted quite a lot by my seamstress and corsetmaking business.  One of my resolutions for 2014 is to set aside time to create some awesome tutorials for the blog.  I have the ideas, I just have to actually DO them.

But here are my favorite posts from this past year.  Check them out if you missed any of them!

I'm sure there are a few corsetmaking forums that are tired of me linking to this post every time the topic of tipping bones comes up.  But this seriously has CHANGED MY LIFE!  I have always hated tipping bones and this is such a quick, easy, and clean way of doing it, that I can't stop telling people about it.

Inventing this gun-painting technique is something I'm really proud of.  It's simple, quick, and ends up looking fairly impressive.  Plus, it doesn't require you to be very good at painting!

My only really huge costume project of the year!  The Steampunk Cleopatra was finished in February, but only really got worn towards the summer.

My Handheld Energy Cannon is another creation I've proud of.   It took a while to turn my perfect thrift store lamp into this gun, but it was worth it.

On The Subject Of "Gluing A Gear On It" - Probably my most popular post of the year, excepting the 2172 contest.  I'm glad that people resonated with this essay celebrating decorative gears.

Tutorial: DIY Boot/Ankle Cuffs to add a little steam to any pair of boots.

 

The Corset Myths Series
Myth #1: Corsets Are Painful
Myth #2: You Can't Breathe In A Corset
Myth #3: Corsets Are Bad For Your Health

Where You Should and Should Not Buy a Corset Series:

Corset Buying Guidelines and Where NOT to Buy a Corset, Part 1

Where Not to Buy a Corset, Part 2: Corset Story

Where You SHOULD Buy a Corset, Part 1
Where You Should Buy a Corset, Part 2

I hope you all are having/have had/will have a Happy Holidays!

Living a Steampunk Lifestyle

If you hang around steampunks enough, or read much discussion of the topic online, you will probably hear the term "steampunk lifestyle" or "steampunk lifestyler."  But what in the world does that mean?

Sometimes the latter term is used to describe someone who wears steampunk dress every day. Now, I'm a cynic, and I think most of the time the term "steampunk lifestyler" is used by and for men who dress slightly more formally than usual.  Wearing vests and maybe hats is considered by some sufficient to be a lifestyler.  It's certainly a much more complicated issue for women, since bustles aren't generally considered appropriate office wear.

But regardless of whether that particular term is gender biased, I think that's a pretty shallow definition of a steampunk lifestyle.  Although steampunk is an aesthetic most often expressed through clothing and costume, I don't think it's all about what you wear.

I think steampunk is also an attitude, a philosophy, and a way of approaching things.  Steampunk celebrates DIY, remixing, reusing, and repurposing.  Steampunk includes an appreciation for beautiful things, decoration for decoration's sake, and quality craftsmanship.  Steampunk doesn't follow the rules and defies expectations.

And I think all of these ideals can be used to live a steampunk lifestyle, regardless of what you happen to be wearing.

I'll be the first to admit, if I'm not at a steampunk event, I'm most likely wearing a T-shirt and some form of pants.  (I may also be wearing a corset, but that's not so much a fashion choice as a back-support issue.)  I own skirts and more fashionable items, but most of the time I go for the easy and practical.  I think it's neat when people want to incorporate a steampunk look into their everyday clothes, but I don't feel any real need to do so.  If I worked an office job these days, particularly one where I needed to dress nicely, I might feel differently.

But I still feel that steampunk has affected my life on a deeper level.  The number one thing steampunk has taught me is that I can do a lot of things.  I can make things from scratch.  I can learn new skills.  If you take things step-by-step, do your research, and try your best, it's amazing what you can do.

And this knowledge has infiltrated my life in lots of little ways.  My first instinct when I need something is no longer to go to the store and buy it.  My first thought is "can I make it myself?"  Which is why I now make my own laundry detergent, coffee creamer, and cleaning supplies.  Recently I realized I really needed new underwear, but decided to try making my own.  And I can make them in any fabric, exactly how I want them, in the exact right size and style!   Almost all of my household DIY experiments have ended up with me making something that is as good or better than the corporate alternative, for a fraction of the price.

Now obviously DIY isn't unique to steampunk, but for me the two things are really all part of the same attitude.  Steampunk celebrates the independent artist, the one of a kind creation, not the mass-produced.  And part of that ties in with the original punk rock, anti-corporate ethos.  There's no reason to let a corporation get rich selling you something you could easily make yourself, right?

I really do credit steampunk for making me look at the world around me in a different way.  I look at my bland home and I want to personalize it.  I want to do wild things to the walls and the furniture.  And perhaps most importantly, I now have a voice inside me telling me that I CAN do all these things.  Even things that scare me, like anything involving power tools or major home repairs, I know deep down I could it do if I researched enough and worked hard enough.  I didn't have that inner confidence in my own abilities before steampunk.  I was terrified of using a sewing machine!  I never would have thought I could make a corset!  I definitely never would have tried working with leather, or metal, or any of the other skills I've learned in the last 4 years.

So that's what I think of when I think of "living a steampunk lifestyle."  It's about not looking at things in a conventional way, seeing the potential in the everyday, and not being afraid to try new things.  It's about looking for ways to make your everyday life more interesting, more beautiful, and less normal.   When it comes right down to it, THAT'S why steampunk is important, and it's not just about wearing brown clothes.

Supporting the Steampunk Community

This article was written in May 2013 for the Preview issue of Aether Magazine, which never went to publication.  I'm reprinting it here so that it actually gets seen.

Annoying but Necessary Disclaimer: I naturally don't have first hand knowledge of steampunk communities outside of my region and can't speak for them.  This post is not aimed at any one person or group and is not in reference to one specific event or situation.  It's a response to many different instances observed over a long period of time.

We very often talk about the "steampunk community" or in a more specific form, "the (insert region here) steampunk community."  In my case this is "the Texas steampunk community."  But what do we mean by community?  Are we simply a collection of people who all wear a certain kind of weird clothing?  If not, what makes a community?

Well, in my opinion, one of the characteristics of a community is that a community supports its members.  The image that might come to mind is the oft-referenced barn-raising.  But support comes in a lot of different packages and sizes.

I have a belief.  It is that steampunks should support fellow steampunks.  That's a very broad statement, and the argumentative out there are probably already overrun with reasonable exceptions to that rule.  That's ok, I've got my own.  But one thing I'm pretty sure of is that if steampunks don't support the steampunk community, the future of the steampunk community is in jeopardy.

So, what kind of support am I specifically talking about?  Well, we'll get there, but first I'm going to offer a series of hypotheticals.

Say you have a friend (or member of your community) who is a musician.  This musician puts out an album, something you know he's been working on doing for a long time.  What do you do?  Well, if you're being a supportive friend, you buy the album, right?  This isn't that complicated.  Do you go up to your friend and say, "hey, man, I really like your music and want your album, will you give it to me for free?"  Unless you are very tacky, you don't do that.  (Although people being people, I would not be surprised to hear from musicians that this happens.  *sigh*)  Do you go illegally download the album without paying?  Well, no, you shouldn't.  If you want to be supportive to your friend, you take the money you would have spent going out to lunch and you just buy the damn album.   (And let's just all agree that there's a difference between illegally downloading a record by the Beatles and illegally downloading a record by a struggling local indie artist.)

So, ok, that was an easy one.  So let's imagine that your friend, the musician, is playing a show.  What does a supportive friend do?  You show up, pay your entry fee, and cheer them on.  Do you demand your friend put you on the guest list so you don't have to pay?  Probably not, unless you have some kind of understanding with your friend.

So my example of a musician has pretty obvious correlations to other types of artists.  If you enjoy someone's work, you should be willing to give the artist fair market price for that work.  Maybe you work out some kind of alternate arrangement, some kind of barter, but you should still be offering something of real, equivalent value to the price.  Once again, this is fairly simple.

But what if your friend isn't an artist?  What if your friend (or the member of your community) is instead someone who is organizing an event or a con?  Does that change how a supportive person should behave?

Here's the reason I'm asking these questions: I have heard and observed a lot of weird behavior from steampunks towards steampunk events.  It seems that whenever a steampunk event is announced, the line of people who expect free admission becomes very long, very quickly.  Some people may want to be a guest, may want to be paid, may want free rooms, travel, whatever.  Some people maybe just want to be involved.  But it seems like a lot of people expect to be admitted free and if they are not, they will not attend.

Let's accept something up front: events can only have so many guests.  They can only let in so many people for free.  Someone is having to make decisions on who those people will be, and it's understandable to be disappointed and maybe even hurt if you don't make the cut.  But unfortunately the next step for many seems to be to form a grudge against the event or the organizer and refuse to have anything to do with them.

Even more unfortunate are situations where someone feels snubbed and then tries to convince others not to attend an event.  There's another thing I've observed that keeps people from attending steampunk events and that is just plain bad feeling and negative gossip.  I've heard first year events, on multiple occasions, get bad-mouthed based on "so-and-so said that this person involved with it is such-and-such" or "the organizers don't know what they are doing because they didn't take my suggestion."  These kinds of statements invariably seem to end with "so I'm not going to go."   To be honest, this really, REALLY pisses me off.

Here's the thing.  I'm a steampunk.  I live in Texas.  If there is a steampunk event in Texas that I can manage to attend, I'm going to attend it.  I feel a responsibility to do so, because I want this community to grow and thrive.  I want our event organizers to do well so that they can continue to hold events.  Which means I will show up and pony up my entry fee, even when that's difficult for me to do, as someone with a disability who had to quit her day job.

It also annoys me, as a vendor, that vendors pay high fees for the privilege of being part of events, when others expect to get the same without paying their way in.  Yes, every event has guests, but there is always going to be a limit to who organizers can afford to have.  If you care about steampunk, you should still show up because this increases the chance of the event happening again, when you may be able to play a larger role.  It also increases the likelihood of there being more steampunk events in general.

Because if you don't attend, then a time may come when there aren't any events to go to at all.  I am honestly afraid that this may be the way our community goes.   I've heard a criticism that some event organizers are "only out to make money."  Let's allow a moment for all you organizers out there to stop laughing.  But seriously, let's get over the idea that having a goal of being fiscally solvent is some kind of evil thing.  I run a business.  I am concerned with making money so that I can continue to keep going to steampunk events, to keep getting out there and having fun, to keep meeting people, and to keep helping people learn new skills.  Events are businesses in the same way.  Without enough money coming in, eventually they won't be around to provide us all with a space to have fun, express ourselves, and ply our trade.

Of course, there are also responsibilities that event organizers have towards the community.  In return for the support of the community, they should provide the highest quality event they can.  This includes going the extra mile to improve the experience off all their guests by making sure there are enough things to do and entertainments available.  I think event organizers need to make every effort not to schedule things at the same time as other steampunk events, since that just hurts everyone by splitting the audience. They also have a responsibility to their vendors and guests to advertise and promote their event so that they get a good turn-out.  Any event is the result of the efforts of everyone involved, and we all have responsibilities to each other.  Exceptional events happen when everyone involved is meeting or exceeding these responsibilities.

In short, I'd like to see more focus on what we, as steampunks, can do for the community and a lot less focus on what we are owed by that community.  If you are being exceptional at what you do, I believe you will be recognized and rewarded.  But if you are spending most of your time complaining that you don't get enough recognition or rewards, instead of earning those things?  It might be time for some reevaluation of priorities.  A community requires active participation by all its members in order to thrive.  Let's remember how amazing it is that steampunk even exists and that we can have our own events and parties.

State of the Baroness

This past weekend I went to the Steam Garb Weekend fundraiser for Cut Thrust and Run's Steampunk November Party.

Myself and my hostess discussing corsets.

It was a lovely gathering of steampunks in which we crafted costume pieces and helped each other and just socialized.  Some of the participants I knew and some I had never met, but it was a really great group of steampunks interested in making.

I admit I've been feeling a little bitter about steampunk as a community recently.  Like any small community, there will doubtless always be squabbles among members, cliques, and gossip.  And there will be bad behavior.  Recently I've seen a lot more of the bad than the good from the community, which may be because much of my interaction has been online.

So it was heartening to be around a bunch of steampunks who were still really excited about making things and costuming and forming connections.  It cements my determination to focus my efforts on making awesome things, celebrating other makers, and sharing knowledge and inspiration with others.

Which is all really just a personal aside on my own feelings.

I am SO jealous of this light table.

The project I worked on Saturday at the gathering is a casual warm-weather steampunk outfit for myself, using this pattern.  I am using fabric from a duvet cover I picked up at the thrift store the day before.  It's all cut, now I just have to find time to sew it together.

I have so many projects at the moment.  I do have several intended tutorials to put together for this site, as well as another sewing pattern to work on, but that stuff keeps getting pushed back by commissions.  And I need to make stock for Steampunk November, too.

I also will be writing an article for publication, and there's talk of me teaching a corsetmaking workshop in a few months.

So if I'm a little quieter than normal, I hope you'll forgive me for a few weeks.

How to Be A Steampunk Vendor

At some point in a steampunk's development they will probably consider selling the things they make, often because people keep offering them money to make them things.  Some of us take the next step into setting up a table or booth at a convention and trying to make some money from our hobby (or at least make it a self-supporting hobby.)

My first time vending was about a year and a half ago, and though I'm still figuring things out every time I do it, I have been one of the more successful steampunk vendors at every event I've done.  So I thought I'd offer some tips, things that I think any steampunk vendor should consider.

Tips for Being A Successful Steampunk Vendor

1. Have a variety of items. - This is sometimes difficult when you are just starting out and are maybe known for making only one or two things.  You want to put out your best products, those you feel confident about.  That's understandable.  But if you only have one type of product, you are only appealing to one type of buyer.  Steampunk is already sometimes a niche market (depending on if you are at a steampunk specific con or a larger general con), try not to limit your audience further.  I like to think my booth has something that might interest anyone who likes steampunk: male or female, old or young, Victorian or Post-apocalyptic or RenPunk.

Constantly brainstorm ideas for new products.  What items do you not see other people selling?  For example I often wear some skirt hikes that I bought at a Renaissance festival with my steampunk outfit.  But no one was selling them at steampunk events.  And it was something easy to make with leather scraps and a few materials and within my skill set.  I'm constantly looking to the internet for new ideas, not only for products, but for ways to improve my ability to make products.

You can also carry items that might appeal to people who DON'T have any interest in steampunk.  I sell a LOT of both hand fans and buttons to non-steampunk passersby.  So consider anything to increase the percentage of people who stop at your table for a moment.

2. Have a variety of prices. - I absolutely understand that quality craftsmanship results in a product that has a high price tag.  I'm not arguing that you shouldn't ask a fair price for your work.  But I think an effective sales booth should have items that are easily affordable as well as pricier items.  Too often I see vendors with really nice stuff, but there's nothing on their table under, say $85-100.  Not everyone who comes to a con is prepared to make a major financial investment.  After all, they've just spent a lot of money to get in.  It's a lot easier to get someone to pay $10-30 than it is $110-130.

My cheapest item on the table at Comicpalooza was a button for $0.50. (My most expensive is $150.) I also had items for $3, $5, $7, $10, $15, and $20.  Do I even need to say that these were what I sold the most?  You may not think there's much point to making $1 profit on a small item, but that stuff seriously adds up.  Plus, it gets people to spend time at your table, rather than moving past quickly and writing you off as out of their range.  Many people expressed interest in buying something at a later date and took a card, but only bought a small item.  Plus selling a $3 fan every 30 minutes keeps me awake and happy during the slow times, rather than having long periods of making no money at all.

I also believe in keeping the prices for my larger items as low as possible.  I sympathize with people who can't afford to drop hundreds of dollars on a costume piece.  I specifically choose to make and sell things that I can afford to sell for reasonable prices.  I shop for deals on my materials and use what's available cheaply at the moment rather than whatever I feel like.  I'd rather sell three of something and make less profit on each than only sell one and make a little more on the item.

3. Look Fabulous.  - No, really.  If you are selling steampunk stuff, I think it is IMPERATIVE that you are dressed in steampunk clothing.  Preferably your best steampunk clothing.  And yet I see vendors in shorts and t-shirts all the time.

Steampunk Chronicle Reader's Choice Awards

Hi all!

I'm very happy to announce that this blog has been nominated for a Steampunk Chronicle Reader's Choice award for Best Blog.  If you could take the time to register a vote, that would be amazing.  Also, there are a lot of really neat people, creations, music, etc nominated and they are all worth checking out and voting for your favorites.

The voting form with the full nominees is here.

Book Review: A Steampunk's Guide to Sex

A Steampunk's Guide to Sex is a unique little book that seeks to both educate on Victorian sexual practices and provide guidance to modern readers in the sexual arena.

It consists of a few themed "chapters" which are collections of very short pieces on various topics, by various authors.  As such, the quality and interest of the pieces varies.  But generally the information about Victorian sexuality is very informative, well researched, and interestingly written.

I read this book mostly in very short sessions, but I often found myself reading more than I intended because it was so interesting.  I consider myself something of an expert on the Victorian period after decades of reading fiction and nonfiction on the subject.  I've even read a few nonfiction books on the subject of Victorian sex.  So it's pretty impressive that I definitely learned things I didn't know from this book.  The collection of Victorian sexual slang was particularly impressive in the sheer number of terms I'd never encountered (and I've read Victorian porn.)

So from slang, to Victorian porn, to Alan Moore on the lives of prostitutes of the period, to the history of vibrators (steam-powered and otherwise), the Victorian content is really good.  My only complaint is that I often wished the pieces were longer, that sometimes I had just got good and interested in the subject when the piece ended.

The latter portion of the book discusses different forms of kink and offers advice related to people looking to pursue them today.  This I found both less interesting and less helpful.  Perhaps I am in a minority who has had plenty of exposure to basic ideas about polyamory, BDSM, sex work, and consent issues, but I didn't learn anything I hadn't known or heard before, and I was bored.  Moreover, I really don't see how some of the topics related either to steampunk or the Victorian period.  Tips for becoming a stripper, for instance.  I understand the feeling that a "guide to sex" must provide practical advice, but I think possibly a general "how to pursue ethical sex" and "how to find out more about things you might be interested in"  may have left more room for the interesting Victorian stuff.

Again, opinions might differ from mine.  But I felt that the very superficial treatments these topics received here were unlikely to really help people who are genuinely interested in them.  And the focus on kink to the exclusion of "normal" sexual practices (common practices, maybe) might leave someone with a skewed image of steampunk itself.  Certainly steampunk may be accepting of people who practice a wide variety of kinds of sex, but it's hardly of huge import within the community.  Unless I'm just attending the wrong steampunk parties.  Also, I suppose I should mention that this book includes tintype photographs that contain nudity.  I have to say the photos were a little disappointing in their total lack of "steampunk-ness," other than the fact that they were tintypes.

At any rate, I do recommend this book to anyone curious about what Victorians really did in the bedroom.

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.

Steampunk Personas

I had someone suggest this topic to me as something that people new to steampunk often have questions about.  Just what exactly is up with steampunk personas?

There are two basic directions to go with steampunk costuming.  There are the people who create specific steampunk costumes: steampunk robot, steampunk Doctor Who, steampunk maid, whatever.  These are "high concept" costumes and tend to be made by people who are already into costuming or cosplay.  These people aren't necessarily steampunk "lifestylers."  They just like to dress in steampunk costume sometimes.  (There's absolutely nothing wrong with this and I don't want to imply that there is.  Some of the most incredible steampunk outfits I've seen are made and worn by this type of steampunk costumer.  There's just a difference in attitude from someone who is a steampunk first and someone who is a costumer first.)

So the second direction is that chosen by most die-hard steampunks: developing a steampunk persona or alter ego.  That means that they have a steampunk character that they portray, no matter what outfit they are wearing.  They have a steampunk name, and a history for their character.

So, why?  Well, I find that character and costume tend to go hand in hand.  As you put together a steampunk outfit, you make decisions about that outfit.  Some of them may be based on pure aesthetics, but others will come down to "what kind of person is wearing this outfit?"  Are you an aristocrat?  A scientist?  An airship pirate?  A mechanic?  An academic?  Deciding those things is probably going to have to come pretty early in putting together your steampunk outfit, because the answers will drastically affect what you wear.

Of course, the character may not come first.  In fact, in my experience it's the costume item that comes first.  You find a certain item or article of clothing that you really, really like and you then have to come up with an explanation for why you are wearing or carrying that.  As lots of these details are added to your outfit, your character story becomes more and more fleshed out.

My own steamsona (get it?) is the Baroness Violet von Micklesburg.  But I didn't just wake up one day and decide I was going to create a steampunk character named that.  It started with going to thrift stores looking for pieces for a steampunk outfit for a con.  I found a black taffeta skirt and decided I would wear it cinched up over a purple skirt.  So I decided I was a widow (since widows wore black and then purple after a year of mourning.)  And I decided I had married a wealthy, older man.  And the details were added a bit at a time.  He was German, an industrialist, etc.

My husband, meanwhile, was coming up with his own character.  He was an airship pilot.  And we needed some way for our characters to come together.  So my late husband built a prototype small "coupe" style airship intended as toys for the wealthy.  And then the test pilot and the grieving widow stole the prototype after he died.  The Baroness thing came later as I searched for some sort of title.  Baron is the lowest level of German nobility, and Baroness just sounds awesome, so that's how that happened.

Do you HAVE to have a persona?

Is a community organized into Airships a good idea?

NOTE: I realize this may be a controversial post.  I want to make clear that this is my own opinion, based on my own experiences and observations.  Certainly your experience may differ.  Let's discuss it, but please remain civil.  Any non-civil comments or attacks on specific individuals will be deleted.  (Also I promise my next post is a craft tutorial.)


All communities have strife.  The steampunk community is no exception.  But I'm starting to wonder if there isn't something about the steampunk community that is prone to having greater conflict than it should.  Specifically, I'm wondering if a community organized into airships is really a good idea.

Art by Brian Giberson

First of all, what is an airship?  People new to steampunk may not know or understand the concept.  The truth is that all airships are different and they all define themselves in their own way.  But loosely, an airship is a group of steampunks.  Some airships are businesses, some are performance groups, some are simply a group of friends who like hanging out together.   The structure of airships also varies from ship to ship.  Some are very hierarchical with strongly defined roles for every member.  Some are much more loose.  But most airships have a Captain or defined leader.

Of course, some airships aren't actually airships.  They are steam trains, or sailing ships, or submarines.  Maybe they are something totally different like an army or collective.  But for the purposes of this discussion, all of these things are "airships" since that is the most common term.

Why are there airships?  Why do people form them and join them?  As mentioned above, some airships are very defined entities.  They are businesses or performance troupes.  They have chosen to call themselves an airship and roleplay airship positions.  But probably most airships are simple groups of friends.  The reason we form these groups is probably simply that human beings are social animals.  We like to belong.  We like to feel we have a place.  Saying you are a member of X airship is comforting.  It assures that you have a place, a crew, a community.  You're not just a hanger-on if you're in an airship.  It means you're really a steampunk.  (FYI, I'm not saying this is really true.  But I think it is how it feels.)

Airships are also important to the roleplaying aspect of steampunk.  Steampunks usually have a persona, a character they portray, whether or not they actively participate in roleplaying.  Your character being a member of an airship crew gives your character a background, a raison d'etre.  I originally never imagined my character to have anything to do with airships. I'm an widowed aristocrat after all.  But my husband created a character that was a member of an airship crew.  So we had to work out a backstory that would fit both our characters and so the Airship Octavia was born.  It's this kind of compromise that can lead to the most interesting character traits.

So the reasons that airships exist are fairly clear.  But what is the effect of airships on the greater steampunk community?  And the follow-up question: is the net effect of airships positive or negative?

Socializing Steampunks: Thoughts for Those New and Not-so-new

Steampunk is a lot of things.  For many of us, it's a reason to dress up and an excuse to make cool things.  But steampunk isn't just an art style or an aesthetic.  It's also a community, a subculture, a collection of like-minded people.

It's not enough to sit in our homes making cool things; we want to go out, show them off, meet other people with cool stuff to show off.   And sometimes this is where we run into trouble.  Some of us aren't very good at social interaction, at being in new settings.  Some of us have run into trouble with our fellow steampunks, or grown tired or bitter over certain behaviors.  So these are some thoughts that have been going on in my mind.

Part I: Tips for Those New to Steampunk

The first thing to remember is that everyone, or ALMOST everyone, gets nervous when going into a new social environment where they don't know anyone.  You're not alone in feeling that way.  I've suffered from social anxiety a lot over the years, but I have overcome it to a certain extent.  I have a tendency to want to back out of going to a social event at the last minute, because I get too nervous.   For the most part I avoid that by making it impossible to do.  I commit money to events, I arrange to go with friends, I make plans to see people somewhere, I do a bunch of things that mean that backing out would probably end up being more embarrassing than going.  (I mean, if you tell everyone you know that you're going to an awesome convention and then you end up not going, it's going to be weird to explain to people, right?)

Some people, upon encountering the steampunk community en masse, feel left out of the loop.  This is a really common reaction of newbies, I think.  But it's not unique to steampunk.  Any time you show up to an event without knowing anyone, and the majority of the people there know each other, chances are you're going to feel left out.  It's honestly not that steampunks aren't welcoming.  They aren't snubbing you, I promise.  It's just that they are excited to be around each other and are busy greeting and catching up with their friends.  This tends to work out worst in very short gatherings, like a one night event or couple hour long meetup.  Established steampunks spend all their time with people they already know and don't have time to get to know newbies.  So weekend long events are really best if you're looking to make friends.

One thing to keep in mind if you encounter a situation like this: yes, all these people seem to be part of an "in-crowd."  But I guarantee that ALL of them were once in your own shoes.  At some point they showed up at a steampunk event not knowing anyone, or knowing very few people.  And they may have felt just as awkward as you do, but somehow they got past it and eventually became part of this community.

My first encounter with the steampunk community wasn't a positive one.  I'm going to be vague about the event and location of it to avoid calling anyone out, but it wouldn't be hard to figure it out.  Anyway, my husband and I decided to put together steampunk costumes for a large convention.  It was my first con of any kind, and I really was only going for an excuse to dress steampunk.  We put together our costumes mostly from thrift stores.  I didn't know how to sew at all then.  But despite the honestly rudimentary level of our costumes (at least mine) I was proud of them.  We showed up to the con and got dressed up and headed to the "Steampunk Social."  It was a meeting room with some chairs, some music playing, and a bunch of people.  It was pretty obvious, after some time, that the people standing in groups in the middle of the room knew each other.  They also had the nicest costumes.  The people sitting on the outskirts in chairs weren't talking to anyone and had more thrift store looking costumes.  After sitting on the outskirts myself, I gathered my courage and went to stand close to the chatting steampunks.  No one approached us.  I walked up to two girls who were talking and complementing one of them on her hat.  She looked at me, didn't say anything, and went back to her conversation.  I felt like I had broken some kind of rule by commenting on her hat.  I became more dismayed as I studied what people were wearing and started feeling like though some of the outfits were gorgeous, they were BOUGHT that way.  I was proud of our hand-made costumes and didn't like seeing what I put down as ready-made steampunk outfits.

Now, I was definitely right about SOME of these people's outfits.  But the assumption I made that just because something was elaborate and impressive it wasn't made by the wearer: that was a totally incorrect assumption.  (I know because I get incredulity from newbies when they find out I made my outfits and corsets.)  My husband and I left soon after, probably having stayed for only about 20 minutes and not talking to anyone.  I've heard similar stories from others in the community.

What did I do right and wrong in that example?  First of all, I think it was a difficult venue to try to break into steampunk.  Like I said, a brief gathering during a very busy con isn't really the ideal environment to meet people.  Really involved steampunks are probably busy with con events, presenting panels, vending, or just catching up with friends.  I probably would have done better to approach people in steampunk dress separately over the con weekend, especially if I saw anyone sitting, smoking, or otherwise just hanging out.  However, I did do right by approaching that girl and trying to start a conversation about her hat.  She just was apparently a bitch, or otherwise distracted.

Cause here's the awesome thing about steampunk: people want to talk about their creations!  All you have to do to start a conversation with a steampunk is to walk up and compliment them on some part of their outfit.  Pick something specific.  You can say, "I love your outfit," but follow it with, "especially that arm bracer, that's so cool."  If that doesn't immediately start a conversation follow it with, "Did you make that?"  Chances are that they did, or they know the person who did.  If they made it, you're set.  Show genuine interest in how something is made and it's almost impossible to resist getting into a long conversation about the creation  process.  If you express further interest in wanting to learn to do similar things yourself, chances are they will tell you how to do it, or give you tips on where to find out.  (If it's me, I'll then hand you a card pointing you to this blog.)  This is actually the best thing about making friends through steampunk: the built in topics of conversation.  And don't worry about bothering someone.  Even when we're busy, we always genuinely appreciate compliments on our outfits.  Although if we ARE really busy, we might run away quickly, but it's not personal.

Another tip for newbies: don't be afraid to look ignorant.  You don't have to pretend you know everything about steampunk.  If you don't understand something, or don't know something, or just want to know how to get more information about something, ASK.  Maybe you don't have much of a costume but you WANT to put one together.  Ask people for tips on how to do that.  Of course, most cons have panels to teach just these kinds of things, but we're looking for ways to meet people, and again, steampunks generally LOVE talking about these things.  We're always talking about where to find things and how to make things with each other anyway.  If you want to know about steampunk books, movies, RPGs, whatever, ask around.   Don't be ashamed of being new, but respect that people sometimes ARE busy or otherwise occupied, so don't FORCE yourself on someone else's time, either. Chances are if you talk to someone at one point in a con for a brief time, you will run into them again, at which point you can say hi and try to talk some more.

Another good place to meet people is the dealer's room.  As a dealer, I notice that I spend much more time talking to newbies than other more established steampunks.  But really, somebody behind a dealer table is probably bored and willing to talk, especially if you want to talk about what they're selling.  Make sure you're not blocking traffic to their table if you're not actively shopping, but if things aren't busy, chances are the dealers would welcome some questions. It's also totally fine to say, "I don't have any money right now, but I really like your stuff," and then talk about it.  Unless the dealer happens to be a total jerk, which, let's face it occasionally happens.  But not that often.

Finally, don't expect to find a new best friend at a con.  Though, of course you <i>might</i>, but chances are it will take a longer acquaintance than just a few conversations to really make friends.  Here's where the internet comes in.  When you meet people and really hit it off, try to get their name and maybe an email or Facebook address.  Write down names in a book if you have to.  Often people have a real name and a steampunk name.  It's ok to ask which name they use on facebook, or if they are on Insert-Your-Favorite-Social-Network-Here.  In my experience most steampunk interaction happens on facebook.  It's certainly true in the Texas community.  There's also the Steampunk Empire, which is meant to be facebook for steampunks, but in practice, I don't think many people really use it.  I find the interface too confusing.  If you want to keep your steampunk persona separate from your RL accounts, make yourself a facebook account under a steampunk name and start friending people.  Make sure you're looking at photo galleries after a con, and finding the people tagged in the photos.  This is a great way to become friends with people you met at a con.   Post your pictures and tag anyone you can, let others tag people, too.  Then keep in touch with people online.  This is how a lot of  steampunks really get to know each other.  They post pictures of their projects and ask for advice and post links, and soon you have a bunch of steampunk friends.  So the next event you attend, hopefully you know some people by name and they know you by name, too.

Part Two: Thoughts for Established Steampunks

It's not only the newbies that need to think about how to best go about social interaction.  There are some things oldies need to take into consideration, too.