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The Bust Guide to the New Girl Order
Both a literary magazine and a chronicle of girl culture, Bust was born in 1993. With contributors who are funny, fierce, and too smart to be anything but feminist, Bust is the original grrrl zine, with a base of loyal female fans--all those women who know that Glamour is garbage, Vogue is vapid, and Cosmo is clueless. The Bust Guide to the New Girl Order contains brand new, funny, sharp, trenchant essays along with some of the best writings from the Courtney Love's (unsolicited) piece on Bad Girls; the already immortal "Dont's For Boys"; an interview with girl-hero Judy Blume; and lots of other shocking, titillating, truthful articles. A kind of Our Bodies, Ourselves for Generation XX, The Bust Guide to the New Girl Order is destined to become required reading for today's hip urban girl and her admirers.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
April 1, 2008
Unbelievably 90's.
August 23, 2008
Although I'd probably have a lot of criticism of this book if I read it again now (and I don't read much of BUST anymore because of this), it's one of those cases of a book being there at the right time and the right place for me. I read it '99 when it just came out, I was 17 and had just moved to North America coming from a very catholic, very anti-woman place. This was just at the time of my life when I was giving up fitting in and accepting standing out, and this book was perfect for that.
June 16, 2007
This is a great reference book for people who like feminist theory with a side of fun fur. Nothing wrong with that. Still it's dated. All the angsty rants seem kind of childish, even though the issues they address are still very much relevant.
read this before you go on messsage boards and rant about stuff. It's probably already said equally as whiny.
read this before you go on messsage boards and rant about stuff. It's probably already said equally as whiny.
December 18, 2011
I always want to like Bust magazine more than I actually do. So I want to like this book more than I actually do. In fact, I gave this book three stars, but then thought about it and decided I really only like it two stars worth. So I changed it.
I can't remember when or where I read this book. But I vividly remember the essay by the young woman who decided just once to do some sex work, but didn't get the money first (I was about to write "and got stiffed" until I realized how that was going to sound)... Anyway, she didn't get the money up front and ended up not getting the money at all. I learned a valuable lesson from her.
And I think there was some unfunny parody of young Hollywood actresses that made mad fun of Minnie Driver.
That's all I remember.
I can't remember when or where I read this book. But I vividly remember the essay by the young woman who decided just once to do some sex work, but didn't get the money first (I was about to write "and got stiffed" until I realized how that was going to sound)... Anyway, she didn't get the money up front and ended up not getting the money at all. I learned a valuable lesson from her.
And I think there was some unfunny parody of young Hollywood actresses that made mad fun of Minnie Driver.
That's all I remember.
May 24, 2008
I first picked up "Bust" magazine at the Printer's Row book fair when I was twelve. I believe I had the third issue of "Bust", and was mainly attracted to the bright pink cover, with a curious intent as to what was inside. Mainly text, this b/w magazine was so different than anything I had ever read. I have subscribed to the magazine ever since- a subscription that has lasted almost fifteen years! This book contains short stories from the first five years of "Bust". My favorites include "Girlfriend, listen up" and "Don'ts for Boys".
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November 16, 2008A story of mine from 1994, called "Watching Him Fuck Her," appears in this book
October 9, 2007
Good, but not great. I am more interested in political feminism that is more inclusive of all women and recognizes the need for radical social change. This is more 'zine-type rantings that aren't really going to change the world.
March 23, 2009
Collection of essays and articles ranging from the editorial to the humorous to the practical to the erotic. It's like a field guide to womanhood in the post-feminist era.
July 16, 2025
A COLLECTION OF ‘THE BEST OF BUST’ ARTICLES
Editors Marcelle Karp and Debbie Stoller wrote in the Introduction to this 1999 book, “Remember, if you will, a time before the Spice Girls… and Xena the Warrior Princess… A time when ‘You go, girl’ was only a drag queen’s mantra, and ‘girl power’ had yet to become a marketer’s wet dream. The year was 1992---the year after punk broke. It was then that a couple of overeducated, underpaid, late-twenty-something cubicle slaves… began bonding over a shared love of ‘Sassy’ magazine… we had stomped our way through the eighties in lipstick and combat boots… members of a growing army of new-wave feminists … But now, in our late twenties, it seemed that our comrades-in-arms had disappeared. In the media, women our age were being represented as either corporate clones or jazzercising jigglebunnies… it looked like our generation of feminists was getting swept under the rug…
“We needed to do something… to let the younger girls know that we older girls had never given up on feminism, but we also wanted to create a place where girls of all ages could let their voices be heard… Thus, the idea for BUST was born. The name … BUST was at once sexy and aggressive… This was not going to be Ms. magazine for juniors, but rather Sassy for grown-ups… we wanted to start a magazine for women… who couldn’t relate to the body sculpting tips of Cosmo or the eyebrow tweezing directions of Glamour… We had an abundance of smart-ass, outspoken friends, and we asked them to write for us…
“[T]he first issue… was only 29 … pages long, and we made 500 copies… we started getting fan mail from readers, submissions for our next issue, and more orders… we began to realize that we were on to something big… With an art director to guide us, BUST finally began to develop into a magazine whose look was as brazen as its voice… Five years down the line… we continue to grow. We’ve increased our distribution … to 32,000 copies… in BUST, we’ve captured the voice of a brave new girl… It was obvious to us that it was time to … collect the best of BUST and put it into a book… So wake up and smell the lipgloss, ladies: The New Girl Order has arrived.”
Debbie Stoller observes in an article, “From lipstick lesbians to rouge-wearing riot grrls, today’s vampy visionaries believe that it IS possible to make a feminist fashion statement without resorting to wearing Birkenstocks 24-7, or hiding our figures in power suits. We’ve taken out our shoulder pads and stuffed them into our bras, no longer disguising ourselves as men, but as women… fashion is a costume, and femininity is a masquerade, and … sometimes we LIKE to play dress-up. We want to shout out to all the nonbelievers who still think that the only true feminist is a hairy, scary feminist: ‘We’re here, we use Nair, get used to it.’” (Pg. 42)
She continues, “Unlike our feminist foremothers, who claimed that makeup was the opiate of the misses, we’re positively prochoice when it comes to matters of feminine display. We’re well aware… of the beauty myth that’s working to keep women obscene and not heard, but we just don’t think that transvestites should have all the fun… We love our lipstick, have a passion for polish, and … adore this armor that we call ‘fashion.’ To us, it’s fun, it’s feminine, and, in the particular way we flaunt it, it’s DEFINITELY feminist.” (Pg. 47)
Marcell Karp wrote in an article, “The November/December 1997 issue of Ms. asked, ‘Do Men Get It?’ Have all men really and truly integrated feminism into their own lives? The conclusion: No. At least, not many. If every single ‘man’ got it, you would not hear about men struggling with issues of their own masculinity in the face of feminism, Hillary would be Presidentrix, and Lord knows, those pied pipers of anti-chickdom, Robert Bly and Warren Farrell, wouldn’t have successful writing careers. With all the talk of men’s movements---the so-called earnest attempts of the Million Man Marches to ‘atone,’ the Promise Keepers reclamation of their ‘rightful’ role as the Head of Household---you have to wonder: What is going on here? Men are still excluding women, men are still pushing women around, men are still being … men. Is this as good as it gets?” (Pg. 125-126)
An article states, “in the ‘70s, when feminism was reborn, the word ‘girl’ was suddenly stricken from my vocabulary… In those years, girls seemed to be suffering from an image problem. Girl was cloying, girl was weak, girl was giggly. Tomboys were in; girlie-girls were out… But, suddenly, ‘girl’ is the word… girl has gone from being a profanity among feminists to becoming practically a ralying cry… Gwen Stefani… sings with mock helplessness about being ‘Just a Girl,’ while her pierced-and-combat-booted fans sit at home, painting their nails pink with Revlon’s latest polish: ‘Girls.’ Women, step aside: the time of the girl is upon us.” (Pg. 184)
Wendy Bott points out, “Lifetime’s programming choices don’t make much sense. Many of its movies are about women getting beaten up, stalked, and/or otherwise victimized beyond belief. What’s the prevailing line of thought here? That women just can’t get enough of that sort of thing? That they’re dying to see movies of that ilk so that afterward they can get together and talk about how awful they feel over a delicious cup of Hazelnut Cream? What gives? Or maybe the thought is that women enjoy seeing movies about lives that are worse than their own, ‘Aw, sure I work for a diner sixty-five hours a week, but at least I don’t have a two-timing husband, Tom Skerritt, stuffing me into a car trunk.’” (Pg. 281-282)
Marcelle Karp observes, “The third wave is bubbling over with tremendous voices, visionary social, political and economic activism. Just look at the revolution, girl style, cause by Riot Grrls… they reclaimed words that are meant to harm girls, and turned the tables, making the words sources of empowerment. Riot Grrls encouraged girls everywhere to start making music, making ‘zines, making their voices heard. Today women are an active and vocal part of the labor force… We’re consumers, players, activists. We know that Girl Power is more than just a marketing tool for the Spice Girls, it’s a way of life. We can shout 'Hip Clit Hooray!’ for prosex cheerleaders… Women can and do speak up and out, en masse and individually, changing history; whether it is the half million of us who attended the 1992 Pro-Choice Rally in Washington, D.C., or Shannon Faulkner taking on the military alone when she applied to The Citadel. Imagine, we can actually go to a theater and watch the playwright Eve… Ensler take ‘The Vagina Monologues’ to a new level of interactive performance by entertaining AND raising awareness for the victims of domestic violence. Madonna encouraged us to ‘Express Yourself!’ It has never been so easy.” (Pg, 309-310)
This collection will be of great interest to those studying the Third Wave, and just contemporary females in general.
Editors Marcelle Karp and Debbie Stoller wrote in the Introduction to this 1999 book, “Remember, if you will, a time before the Spice Girls… and Xena the Warrior Princess… A time when ‘You go, girl’ was only a drag queen’s mantra, and ‘girl power’ had yet to become a marketer’s wet dream. The year was 1992---the year after punk broke. It was then that a couple of overeducated, underpaid, late-twenty-something cubicle slaves… began bonding over a shared love of ‘Sassy’ magazine… we had stomped our way through the eighties in lipstick and combat boots… members of a growing army of new-wave feminists … But now, in our late twenties, it seemed that our comrades-in-arms had disappeared. In the media, women our age were being represented as either corporate clones or jazzercising jigglebunnies… it looked like our generation of feminists was getting swept under the rug…
“We needed to do something… to let the younger girls know that we older girls had never given up on feminism, but we also wanted to create a place where girls of all ages could let their voices be heard… Thus, the idea for BUST was born. The name … BUST was at once sexy and aggressive… This was not going to be Ms. magazine for juniors, but rather Sassy for grown-ups… we wanted to start a magazine for women… who couldn’t relate to the body sculpting tips of Cosmo or the eyebrow tweezing directions of Glamour… We had an abundance of smart-ass, outspoken friends, and we asked them to write for us…
“[T]he first issue… was only 29 … pages long, and we made 500 copies… we started getting fan mail from readers, submissions for our next issue, and more orders… we began to realize that we were on to something big… With an art director to guide us, BUST finally began to develop into a magazine whose look was as brazen as its voice… Five years down the line… we continue to grow. We’ve increased our distribution … to 32,000 copies… in BUST, we’ve captured the voice of a brave new girl… It was obvious to us that it was time to … collect the best of BUST and put it into a book… So wake up and smell the lipgloss, ladies: The New Girl Order has arrived.”
Debbie Stoller observes in an article, “From lipstick lesbians to rouge-wearing riot grrls, today’s vampy visionaries believe that it IS possible to make a feminist fashion statement without resorting to wearing Birkenstocks 24-7, or hiding our figures in power suits. We’ve taken out our shoulder pads and stuffed them into our bras, no longer disguising ourselves as men, but as women… fashion is a costume, and femininity is a masquerade, and … sometimes we LIKE to play dress-up. We want to shout out to all the nonbelievers who still think that the only true feminist is a hairy, scary feminist: ‘We’re here, we use Nair, get used to it.’” (Pg. 42)
She continues, “Unlike our feminist foremothers, who claimed that makeup was the opiate of the misses, we’re positively prochoice when it comes to matters of feminine display. We’re well aware… of the beauty myth that’s working to keep women obscene and not heard, but we just don’t think that transvestites should have all the fun… We love our lipstick, have a passion for polish, and … adore this armor that we call ‘fashion.’ To us, it’s fun, it’s feminine, and, in the particular way we flaunt it, it’s DEFINITELY feminist.” (Pg. 47)
Marcell Karp wrote in an article, “The November/December 1997 issue of Ms. asked, ‘Do Men Get It?’ Have all men really and truly integrated feminism into their own lives? The conclusion: No. At least, not many. If every single ‘man’ got it, you would not hear about men struggling with issues of their own masculinity in the face of feminism, Hillary would be Presidentrix, and Lord knows, those pied pipers of anti-chickdom, Robert Bly and Warren Farrell, wouldn’t have successful writing careers. With all the talk of men’s movements---the so-called earnest attempts of the Million Man Marches to ‘atone,’ the Promise Keepers reclamation of their ‘rightful’ role as the Head of Household---you have to wonder: What is going on here? Men are still excluding women, men are still pushing women around, men are still being … men. Is this as good as it gets?” (Pg. 125-126)
An article states, “in the ‘70s, when feminism was reborn, the word ‘girl’ was suddenly stricken from my vocabulary… In those years, girls seemed to be suffering from an image problem. Girl was cloying, girl was weak, girl was giggly. Tomboys were in; girlie-girls were out… But, suddenly, ‘girl’ is the word… girl has gone from being a profanity among feminists to becoming practically a ralying cry… Gwen Stefani… sings with mock helplessness about being ‘Just a Girl,’ while her pierced-and-combat-booted fans sit at home, painting their nails pink with Revlon’s latest polish: ‘Girls.’ Women, step aside: the time of the girl is upon us.” (Pg. 184)
Wendy Bott points out, “Lifetime’s programming choices don’t make much sense. Many of its movies are about women getting beaten up, stalked, and/or otherwise victimized beyond belief. What’s the prevailing line of thought here? That women just can’t get enough of that sort of thing? That they’re dying to see movies of that ilk so that afterward they can get together and talk about how awful they feel over a delicious cup of Hazelnut Cream? What gives? Or maybe the thought is that women enjoy seeing movies about lives that are worse than their own, ‘Aw, sure I work for a diner sixty-five hours a week, but at least I don’t have a two-timing husband, Tom Skerritt, stuffing me into a car trunk.’” (Pg. 281-282)
Marcelle Karp observes, “The third wave is bubbling over with tremendous voices, visionary social, political and economic activism. Just look at the revolution, girl style, cause by Riot Grrls… they reclaimed words that are meant to harm girls, and turned the tables, making the words sources of empowerment. Riot Grrls encouraged girls everywhere to start making music, making ‘zines, making their voices heard. Today women are an active and vocal part of the labor force… We’re consumers, players, activists. We know that Girl Power is more than just a marketing tool for the Spice Girls, it’s a way of life. We can shout 'Hip Clit Hooray!’ for prosex cheerleaders… Women can and do speak up and out, en masse and individually, changing history; whether it is the half million of us who attended the 1992 Pro-Choice Rally in Washington, D.C., or Shannon Faulkner taking on the military alone when she applied to The Citadel. Imagine, we can actually go to a theater and watch the playwright Eve… Ensler take ‘The Vagina Monologues’ to a new level of interactive performance by entertaining AND raising awareness for the victims of domestic violence. Madonna encouraged us to ‘Express Yourself!’ It has never been so easy.” (Pg, 309-310)
This collection will be of great interest to those studying the Third Wave, and just contemporary females in general.
August 9, 2017
I've had this book for years. I don't know why I never got around to reading it until now, but at least I finally managed to. Because its age, there is a lot about this that is quite outdated, but it's still pretty fun. Mostly. There are some articles that are excellent, some that are hard to get through, and a huge majority that fall somewhere in the middle. It was rather fun to see how different people define feminism and to see just how eclectic pro-women people are. I think one of my favorite take-aways from the book were the insights into the history of women and feminism. That was often eye-opening for me, and for that alone I am grateful that I read this. It's not going to be a keeper, but maybe someone else will benefit from it.
February 2, 2009
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 there), 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 it wasn't really a problem.
January 9, 2011
This compilation was absolutely fantastic! It covers a variety of topics from beauty standards, motherhood, sex.... and believe me when I say no stone is left unturned. It is so bold and honest and some of the stories I read were so unbelievably truthful and shocking to read in print! There is definitely something in here for everyone and it was an excellent read. My only issue was that some of the pop culture stuff was slightly dated (but that's to be expected). Other than that, awesome read for budding feminists, seasoned feminists, or anyone who just wants to read something with the perfect amount of sincerity, brazenness, and sass. Highly recommended!
January 23, 2015
This is SUCH a 90's book. There were a few great articles, and I especially loved the essays at the beginning of each chapter that did a great job of summarizing the comprehensive history of feminism. However, most of the pop culture references were extremely outdated and I found it hard to relate to them at all. I also wasn't a fan of the blatant man-hating found throughout the book. A lot of these writers seem to be angry misandrists and they come off as overly pissy and extremely whiny.
Overall, a decent look at the history of feminism and a great blast to the past for those who love anything '90's.
Overall, a decent look at the history of feminism and a great blast to the past for those who love anything '90's.
July 31, 2012
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.
August 9, 2013
So many creative tales and beautiful experiences shared by a myriad of authors from many walks of life between these pages. I skipped over a few with subject matter that just didn't interest me, but the articles run the gamut from hard-core feminist theory, to interviews with Iggy Pop and Judy Blume, to the joys of the Hitachi Magic Wand. I found the essay about Yoko Ono especially poignant and interesting. Something for everyone!
September 2, 2013
'Bust' is just about the only U.S. magazine for adult women that does not suck, and this book captures some of the best offerings of its early days. Some of its highlights include "The Mysterious Eroticism of Mini-Backpacks" by James Reling and "My Keanu: A Fantasy" Lisa Palac (which I credit with giving me the permission I needed to write some of my early writings).
November 11, 2007
This collection of stories/articles from the pages of BUST magazine is enlightening, heart-warming, hysterical, empowering and in-your-face... just like Feminism should be. The brutal honesty of the writing is so refreshing. I really enjoyed reading it, and could relate to many of the stories myself. It comes highly, highly recommended.
October 11, 2007
25% hot shit in a pile of lukewarm diarrhea. I am not of the you-can-do-whatever-you-want-and-it's-girl-power! school. (I can do whatever I want, but that's different, and you are not the boss of me.)
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December 31, 2007This book feels a little dated because of some terms kind of 1990's but otherwise it feels classic. Also I can skip around in it to read things which gives it a feel of make your own adventure. And I love the magazine that the articles are from.
September 21, 2008
i'll agree with the other reviewers...this is a dated, very 90's feminist guide. however, it's from BUST magazine, one of the only mags i subscribe too. it's definitely worth the read, but perhaps not essential.
September 8, 2009
I have not enjoyed this book, which isn't to say that someone else I know wouldn't love it. I think it's aimed at a different demographic of feminism than the one I'm in. If anyone wants a copy, drop me a line, and we can talk about shipping.
March 13, 2010
Very 90s, but fun and cute. I've owned this book for 9-ish years now and still pick it up to read now and again. I don't think this was meant to be a "feminist bible" or anything like that, just a compilation of articles. Even Courtney Love writes in there!
April 14, 2013
I read this book in early high school and it definitely contributed to my riot grrrl, 3rd wave feminism leanings. It gave me a sense that it was ok to be strong and sex-positive, and it showed me that I wasn't alone--there were other people out there who held similar views about life.
March 14, 2007
Ooh, third-wave feminism.
April 24, 2007
my favorite part: Don'ts for Boys
June 10, 2007
Kick-ass!
September 20, 2007
A great collection of works for any fabulous feminist.
December 15, 2007
A+ Wonderful anthology!
September 4, 2008
i'm a fan of 'bust' magazine, but i wasn't totally into this book...
February 24, 2008
This is probably one of my favorite anthologies! I love the interview with Thurston Moore and the curator of the Menstrual Museum. It's the perfect book to pick up and read in increments!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews