Real Steampunk is..? Appendix: Using the three perspectives approach on Steamgirl and other Steampunk Erotica

Warning! some links are not intended for minors! Readers discretion is advised. Also, this is an appendix to my Real Steampunk is..? article.

I decided to write an appendix to explain how I use these definitions as it some of my reader seemed to have missed the points I tried to make. These three descriptions are meant to be used as points-of-view rather then actual definitions. To explain this more in depth I'll use a recent discussion I followed on Facebook.
 

Example 1:
One of the photo's were
Steampunks lost their
collective cogs about.

Kato, aka Steamgirl is probably one of the most controversial designers within the international Steampunk Community. Not because of here fashion designs at Steampunk Couture, but the erotic fetish(?) content she produces for her website Steamgirl.com(18+) which is included into several lists of most exploitative Steampunk websites.
Now Kato has a great following and doesn't need defending. However these past three years I seen many claims that her Erotic Photo's are not Steampunk because of, The Reason! 'It offends me, therefore it is not Steampunk!'
Yes, some people don't like erotica. I am very surprises that people complain 'Erotic Steampunk'. That Steampunk all ready has a rather fetishistic appeal seemed to go past a lot of people (or they just ignore it). The corsets and Brothel-inspired fashion? Women basically walking around in Victorian Underwear? Nobody noticed this? Just me? Not to mention all the anthologies like, Steampunk Erotica, Steamlust and, my personal favorite title, Carnal Machines. Here is also a website Steamypunk.net that has free erotic short stories

Anyway, I wanted to do a piece on erotica in Steampunk for a long time, but there is surprising little Steampunk-Inspired Visual Porn or Erotica to be found in the interwebs, apart from written-fiction. There are some movies by a website, not so flatteringly, called Alternasluts.com(+18) that specializes in men and women dressed in Alternative Fashions, like Goth, Emo, and Punk. Than there is a 3D artist called Mongo-Bongo(18+) that makes erotic Fantasy and Science Fiction inspired imagery.
The only competition for Kato from within the Steampunk Community that I can think of is Lady Clankinton, who has some very explicit photo's and a very interesting line of Dueling Rayguns that can be found
at Littledeathray.com (18+).
 
So here are the three categories I use to judge something to be Steampunk, or something else. In this case I changed the categories into questions. Please leave a comment if you think these questions need to be refined.

1. Does the media intended to tell, or could it take part in, a fictional Steampunk / Alternate History setting were technology changed the past as we know it?

2. Is it visual design inspired by both history and Science Fiction. And does it have an emphasis on technology? 

3. Is it inspired by Steampunk, it's community or idea's within it.
 

example 2

Now, let's test these on these particular photo's.
1.) Although Kato doesn't tell multipage stories, but her costumes and decor are based upon steampunk archetypes and settings (see example 2). The target audience might be fans of said settings and are most likely the people who want to see erotic variations of such characters. 

2.  When I saw the first example (upper) what I put in to question was, 'Can this be called Steampunk?' Visually, no. But not because of the erotic poses in lingerie, but because of the Victorian inspired underwear and it's Arte Noveau bedroomsetting. It surely lacks the technological setting Steampunk is known for, and neither are these ladies look like Steampunk archetypes. Not ones that are unique to Steampunk anyway. If someone told me this picture came from a Victoria's Secret catalog, I would have believe them.  Well, If you visit Kato website it homepage tells us it's both Neo Victoria and Steampunk. So she does both. And why not? They are both inspired by historical subjects. What brings us to Perspective 3.

 3. What anyone thinks of Kato, or her work is not important. Kato has become a symbol of the Steampunk Community in the US and has international fame. She held shows, lectures and inspired models and fashiondesigners all over the world. She even was a jurer on the reality/buildoff-show Steampunk'd. Also taking the first two points into account, Steamgirl is a product, if not a staple, of the Steampunk community.
 
Also, I think it is important to remember that steampunk, as a community is not limited to 'Just Steampunk'. It also includes other genres and styles that are inspired by either history, classic Science Fiction, Dieselpunk, Fantasy and other Retro Futuristic styles that don't have their own communities or conventions. To say that there is no room for erotic is beyond me, while Steampunk are willing to include anything that looks remotely Victorian or Retro-Futurisic under it's banner.   
A good deal of her fans may not know about Steamgirl. Others probably ignore it. But when you do a google search for Kato, photo's from the website are sure to popup. When fully dressed Kato's photo get a lot of praise by the same people who will call them 'fake' when she loses said clothes. 

Now, I understand everyone has their own vision of Steampunk and they are welcome to their opinion. Many people actually applauded my remark, 'Steampunk is a feeling'. The funny thing is I was actually ridiculing them. I understand that what people think to-be-Steampunk makes them feel fuzzy inside, but personally I am tired of seeing the same responses to the question, 'is this Steampunk?' over and over again. 'It is Steampunk because it feels to me that way.' Well, good for You! But it hasn't advanced the discussion in anyway or answered the question rather when or why something is Steampunk or not.
For people like me, and fortunately there are plenty of others that think like me, who want to have a discussion we need a description that approaches a level of objectivity. Especially when you critique artists for being exploitative or a detriment to Steampunk, you better come up with some criteria we can agree on and discuss.


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