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Well, to like something all you have to do yourselfis like it. Nothing else, so by liking the literature or fashion sense you may very well say you like it. But to be Steampunk you must be Steampunk, simply by the semantics of the word. Otherwise one could argue that they are British simply because they like things that are British - a statement which makes no real sense, as in reverse you could say that by liking green, you are youself green.m

To like something you must like it, to be something you must be it. That is all there is to it, and anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is very much wrong.

If something is a community based around something, to particpate in the community all you need to do is have an interest. Being whatever it is, whenever that may apply, simply makes you better fitting to that community, and able to participate at a better level, but it is by no means a requirement.

And now more generally:

Steampunk is made of many things, like most subcultures. To say that it is only a fashion is simple ignorance, and is denying how the thing came about at all. First there was the literature, then there was the mindset that followed the anachronism and worldview demonstrated by the subculture. Then, once that was established, did the fashion come arise, as well as the practical side of the invetiveness prominent in most steampunk fiction. Last of course came the music, the hardest part to pin down but also one of the best pieces of evidence to suggest that steampunk is far more than fashion, or indeed an aesthetic. Else the music scene would be filled with Hoody music, or perhaps Baroque (i.e. the architecture) music, something which is both not the case and entirely nonsensical.

Also, to state that Steampunk is a fashion and not a lifetsyle is ignorant in a further way, as it effectively denies everyone who considers it a lifestyle and themselves a follower of that lifestyle, that lifestyle. Which frankly is none of the business of the people who think it is only a fashion. All that is needed for something to be counted as a lifestyle is for people to adopt that lifestyle. That is the one and only criteria, and there are no criteria to be able to argue or justify that the contrary is true, particularly as this is, in effect, an attempt to dictate the lifestle of other people.

I never said you were a goon; I, myself, stop there from time to time.

I don't think there's any fixed 'not-SP' and 'SP' points - it's just more people are more 'into' SP than others - things just seem to work that way. As I mentioned, SP is not 'all or nothing'.

Lifestyle. No doubt about it. Even if what I love most about said lifestyle is the fashion.

I think even if one doesn't incorporate obvious steampunk elements into their life on a daily basis, it's still a lifestyle, as it is for me.

I didn't know there was a subculture or even a name for this, eh, movement, but I've been attracted to steampunkish type things and ways of living all my life. I can't count the number of times I've been called "sweet and demure" by my parents friends, and by my own friends I'm thought of as simultaneously progressive and old fashioned. I expect those opinions will become more pronounced as I begin to more active dress in a steampunk manner. I'm also attracted to (and I must say have a bit of knack for) handy work, crafts, and music (though unfortunately art is not one my talents).

I think by nature those who enjoy the asethetics of steampunk are more likely to lead a life influenced by the mannerisms and customs of the Victorian age. It may not be completely obvious, but I'm sure there are subtle influences in every steamer's life.

I really wish this hadn't been dragged out like this (especially as it has seemed to have clogged up this thread) - the only point that I wished to make was that two things can easily have the same name without having to be branded the same by fools and their assumptions.