Word of the Week - What is Steampunk?

My friend Ramona made a comment on Facebook the other day about having pink streaks in her hair and I playfully asked her if she was going punk. Always trying to do me one better, the feisty red-head replied that she was going 'steampunk'.

Wondering if I was the only person that didn't have a clue what steampunk meant, I conducted a mini poll of writers here on Associated Content. It appears that I'm not alone after all.

Striving for a good cross section of the general public, I asked writers from various age groups and backgrounds to define steampunk - without looking it up.

Kristen Pavka, 25 year old SAHM from southern Maryland thinks "steampunk sounds like a word that I might use to refer to someone when I'm frustrated with them." (Uh oh, I hope she doesn't call me a steampunk).

37 year old southern Illinois Mom Tamara Waters is convinced that "steampunk must be a term for part of a steam engine or train". (Steam punk. Steam engine. Sounds reasonable enough).

Lisa Kay, 45 year old former surgical technologist, homeschooling Mom and aspiring writer from Louisiana says "a steampunk may be someone who works on steam engines or other steam powered stuff." (That's two votes; the steam engines are on a roll! (steamroller? Ok, even I'll admit that was bad))

Cathy Montville, 50-something yr old business owner and writer from Massachusetts, thought steampunk was "maybe a form of incense? It reminds me of my more free-spirited youth." (Perhaps in a past life, Cathy?)

Tony Vega, retired NYPD Sgt, true patriot and political junkie says "the only thing that comes to mind is someone with a low rank on a steamship or boiler room, or maybe someone in a prison laundry room/boiler room." (Do they have steampunks out at Rikers, Tony?)

Thanks to my fellow writers for being good sports and allowing me to publish their interpretation of steampunk. I didn't know what the term meant either and had to look it up, so don't feel badly if you didn't quite get it.

Wikipedia defines steampunk as a subgenre of speculative fiction or science fiction that emphasizes anachronistic technology, usually from the Victorian age. It is also used to refer to a trend in fashion and music.

How did the word steampunk come out of that? Apparently the term is drawn from the connection to the era where steam was the main form of power. Fictional works of yet to be invented technology could also be considered steampunk, as could stories by H.G. Wells, or tales about fictional space travel long before it became truth.

What about steampunk fashion?

The Steampunk Workshop considers steampunk fashion to run the gamut from the purely Victorian to the raggedy post-apocalyptic. If you search for vendors that carry steampunk clothing, you'll find corsets beneath crinoline, high buttoned boots paired with bustles, fingerless gloves worn with grand gowns - all reminiscent of vintage 19th century fashion, often with a bit of Goth thrown in.

I still can't get my head wrapped around my pink-streaked red-headed pixie of a pal as a steampunker, but hey - whatever works for you 'Mona.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk_%28disambiguation%29
http://steampunkworkshop.com/articles/fashion