A while ago, I heard someone say this about doing book research, “I got lost down a rabbit hole.” Aside from reading Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, I never really thought about rabbit holes before. That was until I researched wedding dresses for a certain Steampunk wedding. As I do with most research, I started by googling. Wow. I was surprised by the multitude of choices. Being a visual thinker, I chose to look at images first. “Images” gives you just about anything remotely associated with the words you google.
I found an image of a nice dress and clicked on its link. I was directed to the most fabulous Pinterest pages full of images people had lovingly pinned there. I saw everything from formal to casual fare. People posted their wedding pictures. I love wedding photos, so I enjoyed a few hours being the fly on the wall of what looked like fun events. Both sides of the aisle were adorned in the most elaborate outfits. It was at this time the words respectable spectacle emerged. The cakes were beautiful and inventive. The guests got into the spirit of the occasion, the women adorning their heads in pert little stove pipe hats to the men wearing the full-sized Victorian version. Their clothing was ornamented with machine parts. There were wedding parties standing next to vehicles that might have driven through the imagination of Jules Vern.
It all looked so perfect, but what did it cost? I followed the white rabbit to the retailers and Etsy crafters who had much to offer. I fell in love with the extraordinary craftsmanship, and I found I had to have a certain pair of boots, and perhaps those earrings. Look at that purse! Can I get away with a black veil at CVS? Was I too old for a corset? I need one, but wearing one on the outside? Hours later, I found my way out with a smoking hot credit card and having liked a great Facebook Page.
Are rabbit holes dangerous? I don’t know. I’ll ponder it a while with my new boots propped up on my desk.