OK, I admit I'm old but can someone younger explain...

[BeverlyAnn]

...what Steampunk is?  From what little I've seen, it looks like a combination of BDSM and Victorian era clothing.  Seriously though, I'm really curious.

[Dena]

It's a little like art deco as it's a style. Some people decorate computers with brass and other materials to make them look like they were out of the 1800's. As you noticed, clothing is also part of it.

[Ashey]

Probably best to explain the whole 'punk thing in general... In most contexts, it's where there's a certain overall 'theme', which would be found in stories, movies, artwork, etc. It's a 'what if' kind of thing. In the case of Steampunk, it's 'what if steam-power really took off?' and bases technological advances off of that, along with stylistic embellishments from around the time when it was around. It's a lot of brass and gears mixed with Victorian styles, essentially. However, there are other 'punks too. Dieselpunk, which envisions a world where gasoline-power rules, exclusively. Atompunk, which is heavily influenced by and elaborates on 50's and 60's nuclear power optimism and fear. Decopunk, which is one of my favorites, envisions a world that carries on the aesthetics of art deco or is set in the early 20th century with some embellishments for the sake of fiction (Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a great example). And then aside from Steampunk, the other big one is Cyberpunk, which is heavily inspired by William Gibson's 'sprawl trilogy'; where the term 'cyberspace' originated. Cyberpunk tends to adapt itself with the times in certain cases, as technology develops, but it's especially stylized by the 80's and early 90's, and applies an older aesthetic to future technology. It's also tied into dystopian views of the future, where corporations govern the land, and technology has been thoroughly integrated into everything including our bodies and our fashion. With a lot of this stuff, it's just an alternate-world setting or retro-futuristic vision for fiction and fantasy.

[Rejennyrated]

Arguably Jules Verne was the first steampunk author. Its a world of victorian technology taken to its ultimate fulfillment and populated by gentleman adventurers and daring lady companions. It glorifies the art deco and art nouveaux style and arguably musically owes its roots to the temperance jazz era, although performers like Mr B and Professor Elemental have skilfully fused that with modern hip-hop to make Chap-hop. One could argue that the Daleks, infamous adversary of Dr who were in fact a steampunk styled monster as were the cybermen - even the tardis could be considered to be influenced by this although neither is officially recognised as being part of this genre.

Perhaps the purest cinematic realisations of this genre occurred in the films "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" and Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues under the sea" and cinematic treatement of HG Well's novel The Time Machine. In all of these technology is made of brass and uses steam and early electronic vlaves as a motivating and controlling principle. Meanwhile gentlemen wear tweed, and flying helmets, whilst ladies odten sport elegant corsetry and and long skirts although are also seen in daring catsuits and closefiting britches when they need to make a quick change for the purpose of some unexpected daredevil feat.

In summary its a world where the style and outward order of the victorian era are skilfully subverted by a band of daring lady and gentleman adverturers. Great fun to cosplay!

[Kylo]

It's the idea of an alternate earth in which instead of electricity being the main power source for powering modern machines, steam power would be the dominant form of power, thus all the major machinery and vehicles and gadgets of that world would be elaborate and fantastical steam machines. Usually accompanied by the idea Victorian dress and style never went out of fashion.

Steampunk itself isn't just an appropriated modern fashion or the clothing cosplayers might wear but the notion above. If someone wrote a fiction novel set in such an alternate earth it would probably be described as a Steampunk novel, or genre.

In the same way Clockpunk would describe a world in which clockwork mechanisms were dominant or Cyberpunk a world where physical integration of human and machine and/or use of the internet would be dominant or commonplace.

[Stevie]

Perhaps the purest cinematic realisations of this genre occurred in the films "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" and Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues under the sea" and cinematic treatement of HG Well's novel The Time Machine. In all of these technology is made of brass and uses steam and early electronic vlaves as a motivating and controlling principle. Meanwhile gentlemen wear tweed, and flying helmets, whilst ladies odten sport elegant corsetry and and long skirts although are also seen in daring catsuits and closefiting britches when they need to make a quick change for the purpose of some unexpected daredevil feat.

Another film that has that aesthetic is "Wild Wild West".

There is band named Steam Powered Giraffe they have a steam-punk automaton theme,  one of their members is MTF.

[stephaniec]

it's a punk rock band playing on a steam boat down the Mississippi River

[Tessa James]

I have been told my "style" is steampunk in that I favor a mixed batch of lace and goth whatever that means;)

I have also been told I dress retro and that may reflect my shopping at the local women's shelter thrift store?

It is totally fun to dress like I want in what feels good by any name

[Katiepie]

Revelation.
I suppose these depictions of steampunk is the sole reason who I do enjoy brass objects, gears, pocket watches and the design of visible analog. The Victorian style wear, the book 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, and my interest in jazz.

Kate <3