The Lure of a Steampunk Corset

What is it about a Steampunk Corset that is so damnably appealing? Not just any old corset, mind, but a STEAMPUNK corset just does something to the intelligent woman. Ordinary corsets - long the stuff of Harlequin covers, Victoria's Secret campaigns and catalogues delivered in brown paper - are fine and dandy for the ultra feminine and frilly. But add a buckle of copper, a strap of brown leather or padding in oxblood paisley and you have something that looks not only sexy, but powerful, smart and edgy. What is the lure here?

Steampunk design itself is gorgeous, whether it be in a hat, a laptop, a pair of reticulating spectacles or a set of concept art. The low-key lighting and unsaturated colours, the Victorian detail and the gothic inspiration, but a corset? What is that saying about the nature of a steampunk woman?

I may be wrong, but I think it has to do with the heart of womanhood. Steampunk woman at their core are strong, independent and yet, still very much women. I grew up hating dresses or skirts, belittling my femininity and wishing I were a man. But I see my daughters - very strong, independent and saavy young women - and they are equally at home in jeans, sweats, breeches or skirts. They are well-rounded, powerful women and I envy that in them. I need to remember that sometimes a generation needs to turn culture on its head for the next to flourish, and at my age, I think we did that. There has never been a better time in all of history to be a woman. Perhaps my lack of female identity has given my daughters the freedom to embrace theirs, and while I may never in my life have the courage to actually wear a steampunk corset, I'm quite certain that my daughters will. They will be strong and they will look smashing.

Maybe, one day, I will do the same.