The Bust Guide to the New Girl Order

In BUST we've captured the voice of a brave new girl: one that is raw and real, straightforward and sarcastic, smart and silly, and liberally sprinkled with references to our own Girl Culture." So say Marcelle Karp and Debbie Stoller, smart, sassy founders of BUST ("the magazine for women with something to get off their chests"), and editors of this funky, fabulous, neofeminist manifesto. The Guide to the New Girl Order collects the best of BUST, including thoughtful articles, personal essays, and racy rants about anything from abortion to the lameness of the Lifetime television network. In their own words, they address "that shared set of female experiences that includes Barbies and blowjobs, sexism and shoplifting, Vogue and vaginas." show more
Having started out as a hand-stapled zine, BUST swims with an in-your-face, grrrl power attitude that alternately taunts, encourages, and calls readers to battle. Contributors range from mysterious authors with names like Betty Boob and Scarlett Fever to such famous femmes as Courtney Love. Karp and Stoller organize the pieces into sections labeled "Sex and the Thinking Girl, "Men Are from Uranus," etc., offering introductions for each that provide humor, insight, and cultural context. And with selections like "Sex, Lies, and Tampax," "How to Be as Horny as a Guy," and "Bitch on Heels," this is not your mother's ladies' journal. Also included are such hilarious explorations of pop culture as "The Mysterious Eroticism of Mini-Backpacks," "My Keanu, A Fantasy," and "Bring Me the Head of Melanie Banderas." Whether you're intimidated or intrigued by such an irreverent approach to redefining the feminine, there's only more to come--and there's no place to hide. As the editors warn, "Wake up and smell the lipgloss, ladies: the New Girl Order has arrived." --Brangien Davis show less

Some of this book was very fun, some of it was educational, some of it was inspiring, some of it was enlightening, and some of it should stay in its 1990s white heterosexual past.

I picked this up hoping for a feminist alternative to Cosmo. I got Cosmo with a "feminist" label--though not necessarily feminist views. By this I mean that the articles alternated between sex-positive and crude slut-shaming. At one point Cindy Crawford is called "Cindy 'I call myself a feminist because I sell my own body' Crawford," and several articles later a writer lauds a porn star being interviewed for "profiting from sex on her own terms." Besides that, the section on "Don'ts for Boys" was sexist and insensitive.

This was a fun read, as a college student, but I wouldn't buy a copy for my younger sister until she's better developed her ability to read critically.

This book is enjoyable but not particularly serious. As an alternative to publications like Cosmo and Vogue, Bust is great. At its worst, this collection at least avoids deepening the major neuroses mainstream women's magazines tend to inculcate; at its best, it actively pushes us to overcome them. However, this collection is hardly revolutionary or mind-blowing. Many of the articles are juvenile, navel-gazing, or basic 101-level.

I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as the Bitch compilation. It was less substantial and there was a lot more attempt at empty shock value by some of the writers. It probably works better as a periodic disposable magazine than as an attempt at essays with long-term relevance. I did really enjoy the introductory essays in each chapter by the editors (one of which is still with the magazine), and Lynn Peril writes for them these days, so I'll probably still try the magazine. It is also very dated, but I was in my early to mid-20s when the stuff was written, and I can still remember how I felt about all that at the time, so that wasn't really a problem.

Until I picked this one up at my local bookstore, I had never heard of Bust Magazine. I am now a huge fan and avid subscriber. This is the book to give any gal out there the confidence to do anything. I especially like Bust's balanced approach to controversial people and subjects. A must for any woman/girl/feminist/mother/wife/lesbian/artist worth her salts.

A must read for third-wave feminists or anyone interested in feminism. The essays have both a sense of humor and a bite.