fashionthefinalfrontier:

Well, tbh, you don’t need to put in Victorian elements to make it Steampunk- that’s the brilliance of the multicultural steampunk challenge: you think how that particular culture would have evolved with just steam for power and they didn’t necessarily have…

Now, this is an interesting point. What would look steampunk if it appear in India without Victorian influences and keeping mind of Hindu taboo?

Well. It would be the same than everyday India at the time. My first try for this contest was this picture http://fav.me/d4o0pz1 . I aimed for a factory worker in a ironsmith cast. I used a saree wrap so she can have pants, much easier for working and avoiding loose fabric (the Kaccha style), her half saree is very tighly wrapped to be used both as an apron and not getting into fire or melted ore. The turban is not culturally sound for Hindu women, but an appropriation (gasp) from the Sihk culture (GASP) so she can protect her hair from the heat and dust. She has shoes with wood sole and thick-fabric gloves because leather is a bit of an uneasy subject in Hindu cutlure. There. You have Indian steampunk.

What? No pretty shiny tic toc bling bling? Well no. That’s an appropriation from Victorian culture.

We don’t want appropriation, do we?

/end sarcasm.