A while back I was enduring an offshoot of the television show “Say Yes to the Dress” (can’t recall the name of the show at the moment), when the lead fellow of the program said he was going to do a “Steampunk wedding”. I was a bit more intrigued than I might usually be regarding such a show, but must admit, I was a tad disappointed at what passed for a Steampunk gown, which culminated in using old utensils for the bride’s topper. When I say disappointed, I am referring to what seems (at least to me), the use of the genre a prototypical “quirk and strange ‘topic of the week’ for a number of entertainment endeavors”. I was unable to locate said episode of the show, but as luck would have it, I came across another endeavor, titled “Bling It On”, where a Miss Amanda (aka, Miss Belladonna Belleville) engages in a yeoman effort to explain basic concepts regarding Steampunk to the show’s main designer. Alas, the designer / host seemed to have an “octopus is dancing on my head” gaze… but I speculate condensing Steampunk into a soundbite of length was a bit much to take in at that point (as I’m unfamiliar with the “nuts-and-bolts” of the production of this particular show). I did sigh a bit during the video, and again was stymied in my efforts to find the full episode (a Google / TLC search resulted in a baker discussing a cake – not quite the result I was hoping to find).
With this in mind, I suppose its time trot out the well-worn trope of “Has Steampunk ‘Jumped the Shark‘”. As I haven’t run a poll question in quite a while regarding perceptions on this topic, so I’ll do so now… has it been over exposed in the general media? I realize most involved in the genre are not concerned about the perceptions of those seeking to make a quick dollar (e.g. using it for a television episode, or as a passing curiosity), which is quite fine, but as one who enjoys reading Kondratiev wave theories (even for topics beyond macroeconomic theory), I do wonder where the genre might stand in regards to it. I’ve been prattling on a bit, so allow me to continue to the simple questions:
Question 1:
Has Steampunk “Jumped the Shark” (has it reached its peak of popularity)?
No = well, no, it has further growth and potentially even more adherents in the future
Yes = the genre’s popularity has peaked, and it has begun a downhill slide
Not quite sure = not quite sure if it has peaked or not
Question 2:
How long would you speculate Steampunk, as a genre, will continue to exist?
A few more years = it may be headed towards a decline
It will be around for at least a decade = self explanatory
It has established itself as a solid genre = again self explanatory
I’ll certainly be looking forward to the outcome of the poll, which I shall keep open until the end of the month!
