BRITTANY DAVIS I Choose to Live (Loosegroove Records) Seattle’s Brittany Davis delivers a manifesto of heart and inclusivity on their rap, electronic, and R&B-infused debut EP, I Choose to Live. Davis, a protégé of Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard, packs an amount of reflective and groove-worthy content into six songs that is nothing short of remarkable. The opening title track is a beacon, giving shoutouts to frontline workers and vital nods of reconciliation: “To my Asian brothers and sisters I extend my heart/Because I… Read more

If you’re heading to Outside Lands: https://www.sfoutsidelands.com/ this year, check out some of the BUSTy artists we think you would love. We’ve linked their set times and stages below. SZA 8/5 8:45 PM - 9:55 PM Lands End https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO5IQ70V7l-XpHW40HwaGsw PHOEBE BRIDGERS 8/5 8:35 PM - 9:50 PM Twin Peaks https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh4PO1W9tVmHujIPZnfK8TQ THE MARÍAS 8/5 6:55 PM - 7:45 PM Twin Peaks https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChmZkdugBmAP_zpyzayv6VQ SAMPA THE GREAT 8/5 4:35 PM - 5:15 PM… Read more

When talking about spousal abuse, we normally think of physical violence or verbal intimidation. But my husband exerted control over me by completely hijacking my finances, and it took years to repair the damage. I squint in the sunlight as I search the grocery store parking lot for my dark SUV. As I walk past a PT Cruiser parked in the same row, I unconsciously press my fingernails into the soft flesh of my palms. I hate PT Cruisers. I hate the oddly curved shape of them, and I really hate the memories they bring up… Read more

Crunch Drunk Love Chili crisp is my latest food obsession. I am head over heels for this crunchy, spicy, goes-on-everything topping! You can drizzle it on every meal—at breakfast it makes eggs sing, it levels up avocado toast at lunch, it turns any steamed veg or grilled meat into a bomb-ass dinner, and of course it makes rice a thousand times more delicious. I first picked up the old-school Lao Gan Ma Chili Sauce (lao gan ma is Chinese for “old godmother”) from my local Chinese market. It’s got various chilis, black… Read more

Director Jordan Peele’s new science fiction thriller, Nope, tells the story of two siblings, Emerald (Keke Palmer) and Otis “OJ” Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya), continuing their father’s legacy of handling horses for television. Their family history has been intertwined with Hollywood and horses for generations. The first motion picture ever made was an 11-frame clip of a Black man riding a horse. Emerald and OJ are his descendants. The Haywood story spirals out from there as Emerald and OJ work to maintain their family’s… Read more

On August 2nd, Kansas voted on a ballot measure that would have allowed lawmakers to ban safe abortion in Kansas by removing protections from the state constitution following the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling. This decision has been unpopular among Americans, as evidenced by a CNN poll released on July 28th which found that 63% of people surveyed disapproved of the decision. Despite this, at least 12 states have made abortions either illegal or almost impossible to get in the month since the ruling. By voting “no”… Read more

Kate Beacom and Louis Legge's Rehab Cabin is Misery for the Lindsey Lohan generation. Best friends Chloe and Dominic are at odds when Dominic decides to return to college after deferring for a year to hang out with Chloe, the immature, manipulative, and often insufferable antihero of the story. As Dominic starts to pull away, Chloe is grasping at straws to keep him home with her. When the pair are helping Chloe’s dad out by driving for his limo service, their favorite former child star and current public spectacle,… Read more

Looking for the perfect float for you next beach or pool day? Well I’m in love with the LÔTELI line of floats and especially their Cassette tape version. A rather roomy and sturdy raft ( 50" wide x 75" long), this baby will certainly make a statement when you hit the waves. LÔTELI is a women-owned, small business located in NYC, and in addition to their products being super cool, they encourage sustainability by shipping with minimal packaging; suggesting that their customers extend the life of the float with patch… Read more

ROSALÍA MOTOMAMI (Columbia Records) On her third album, MOTOMAMI, Rosalía leaves all inhibitions at the door. Her meteoric rise has brought her to a place of creative liberty as she experiments with different sounds and styles, from start to finish. Opener “Saoko” is immediate proof, as the sonic switches signal a new era for Rosalía. She brings the Weeknd into her world on the sultry “La Fama” (which usually happens in reverse when it comes to Abel); “Bulerías” is a stripped-down masterpiece, along with “Chicken… Read more

Republican representative Matt Gaetz’s schoolyard taunts to abortion activists have—almost poetically—blown up in his face, thanks to the clever organizing skills of teen activist Olivia Julianna. The story begins with a Turning Point USA rally held from July 22-24 in Tampa, Floridda. Turning Point USA is a conservative nonprofit, which frequently hosts events with prominent right-wing figures. Gaetz was one such figure, and at this event he stood over an adoring crowd, offering his opinions on multiple topical issues,… Read more

Hulu announced on Monday that they would not be showing any Democratic midterm ads that contain “sensitive” themes, including abortion and gun control. On Wednesday, they announced a reversal of the controversial policy. This ban would have prevented candidates from sharing their stances on some of the most important issues in our current political landscape on Hulu, which is a prime platform to reach young voters as evidenced by the user statistics, which reveal that 37% of the subscribers are Millenials, and 17% are… Read more

We’re still in the midst of a nationwide formula shortage, but that apparently isn’t stopping formula companies from aggressively marketing their products to potential consumers—whether or not they're planning on having a baby! On July 16, Twitter user @melancholynsex uploaded a thread alleging that one week after purchasing a pregnancy test from Walgreens using their rewards card, they had been sent a package from Enfamil containing baby formula. Besides criticizing the waste of a product which has recently become a… Read more

The Linda Lindas played a killer show to an adoring all ages audience last night at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom. Fans ranging in ages from 7 to 70 danced and grooved in sync through out the night. The four young women (ages 11-17) are very musically accomplished to say the least, and really give it their all on stage. The evening’s set featured songs from their debut album, Growing Up (Epitaph Records), like “Talking To Myself,” “Why,” “Oh,” and the ever favorite “Racist, Sexist Boy. They also delivered cool covers of The… Read more

Sorbet is the OG of dairy-free frozen desserts. No ice-cream machine necessary; all you need to make this fresh, fruity treat is a food processor— and a little advance planning. The key, especially on a steamy summer day, is to chill all your utensils in the freezer (including the food processor bowl and blade) and work quickly. With their dense, abundant flesh and plenty of naturally occurring sugar, frozen watermelon and papaya make very tasty outcomes, especially with a touch of fresh citrus juice to punch up the… Read more

Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion) are former high school friends from Miami who have recently reconnected. Shawna has bars, evidenced by minor early success, but hasn’t quite found that je ne sais quoi that sets her apart from the rest, plus some of her rhymes aren't all of that (on one episode she writes a rap about student loans). Mia, on the other hand, is a single mother with a boisterous personality that she combines with sex appeal to survive everyday life. With Shawna just moving back home, it’s clear the… Read more

PENELOPE GAZIN’S FASHION BRAND COMPANY SERVES UP WEARABLE WORKS OF ART “This whole company feels like a joke I took too far,” says Penelope Gazin, founder of Los Angeles-based clothing line Fashion Brand Company. “I was up one night at 4 a.m. and wondered if ‘fashionbrandcompany.com’ was available,” Gazin recalls. “It was $40 on GoDaddy, so I bought it.” Gazin founded the company in her apartment in 2018, and if you type “fashion brand” into Google today, her business is the first search result. “I guess it worked out… Read more

BUST's fashion & beauty editor, Marie Lodi, is here to share her 5 top picks for a sleek and stylish summer. 1. GLOW UP ISLAND STYLE Meet Prim Botanicals, a plant-based beauty brand that incorporates ingredients from founder Stefanie Walmsley’s native Philippines into products like the Debauchery Detox scrub ($25, primbotanicals.com), which contains the antioxidant-packed Philippine Barako coffee. Another must-try is That One Summer Hair Oil—its nourishing blend of exotic oils is a savior for dry strands. 2. POOLSIDE… Read more

Imagine finally securing your dream career, only to find out that, in this field, marriage, weight gain and aging are firable offenses. This was the reality of a flight attendant’s workplace in the early to mid-20th century, where humiliation was commonplace, weigh-ins were routine and sexual harassment was encouraged. Airlines all over the world branded flight attendants as sexual objects since the origin of the job, requiring them to work in sexy outfits that were severely impractical for life-saving situations and… Read more

“Vabbing,” the fringe trend of using vaginal secretions as perfume by dabbing one’s vaginal fluids (hence: “vabbing”) on the wrists and neck, has recently surged in popularity thanks to TikTok. The idea behind this emerging trend is that vaginal fluids produce pheromones that may attract sexual partners. As a result, people are using vabbing as a way to attract dates, primping themselves with their own naturally-made perfume in preparation for a night out. @keni.mov ♬ Top Off - Gunna So is there any merit to vabbing?… Read more

I've heard it and I’ll bet you have, too: someone minimizes a bad sexual encounter by saying “It’s just sex”—as if their definition of sex easily accommodates experiences that, honestly, most of us would rather not have. Bad sex comes in so many varieties. Let’s look at some and see if we can flip the script. What Constitutes Bad Sex Anyway? Sex where you don’t get turned on enough to orgasm Some people never orgasm and don’t miss it—I don’t define bad sex solely by the presence or absence of climax. But for many,… Read more

Will pro-choice songs make a splash in the music industry given the current political climate? This year, we’ve seen a significant rise in demonstrations linked to abortion in the U.S, with an increase of 51% since 2021, as presented by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. This research shows that pro-choice protests far outnumber pro-life demonstrations, with a ratio of 3 to 1. How do we keep the momentum going and get pumped for a revolution? With music, of course. Here is a compilation of feminist songs… Read more

GIRLPOOL Forgiveness (Anti-) Girlpool’s maximalist fourth LP feels like a series of taxicab confessions in which Harmony Tividad and Avery Tucker aren’t afraid to say the quiet parts out loud. Both Tividad and Tucker bare their destructive kinks (hypnotizing opener “Nothing Gives Me Pleasure”) and dance with classic car-driving devils (the NIN-esque “Country Star”). But it’s not all hedonistic; with sweet strummer “See Me Now,” Tucker, who transitioned in 2018, unambiguously works through his relationship to… Read more

Check out summer’s sweetest styles modeled by badass BMX riders Chelsea Wolfe, Zaina “Zee” Sunna, and Deniyah “Rochelle” Johnson! Photographed by Meg Wachter, styled by Rebecca Diaz, and makeup by Valerie VonPrisk. On Chelsea: Poster Grl Top and Skirt; SCg Shoe Co. Shoes. On Deniyah: Poster Grl Top and Skirt; Vans Shoes. On Zaina: Poster Grl Top and Skirt; Nike Shoes. On Chelsea: Rusty Reconstructed Dress; SCg Shoe Co. Shoes. On Zaina: Nasty Gal Top; NorBlack NorWhite Pants; Nike Shoes. On Deniyah: Jackalope Land… Read more

After losing her eyesight to a condition called incontinentia pigmenti in 2013, a teenage Lucy Edwards achieved YouTube stardom by posting tutorials on how she does her makeup blind. Now 26, the U.K.-based content creator is a successful journalist, radio broadcaster, disability activist, and social media sensation with 1.7M TikTok followers. “I started making short, educational content,” says Edwards, “answering the questions I’d get on how I do day-to-day tasks.” From showcasing how she pulls together stylish outfits… Read more

When President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law on June 25th, 2022, the public response was cacophonous. This act marks the first significant gun legislation since the temporary assault weapons ban signed by President Clinton in 1994. The past 3 decades have been a lethargic slog towards enacting new firearm safety measures with only minute changes to the law, despite the increasing number of shootings across the country, until now. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is less comprehensive… Read more

The fallout from SCOTUS’ overturn of Roe v. Wade was felt this week when it was reported that a 10-year-old girl in Ohio had been forced to travel to Indiana for a safe abortion after being raped and impregnated by an adult man. Ohio was one of the first states to take advantage of the overturn of Roe v. Wade, imposing a ban on safe abortion 6 weeks after conception, without exception for rape and incest. Unfortunately, if not unexpectedly, the right-wing, “pro-life” response to such a heartbreaking story was a snarky… Read more

Coffee runs are among the most hum-drum, beautifully predictable parts of the day. Any hint of surprise or excitement comes only when the line is unexpectedly long, or they’ve run out of your favorite drink. Singer and current BUST covergirl Kehlani certainly expected nothing more as they waited in the Starbucks drive-thru—that is, until conservative influencer and self-described “free-speech radicalist” Christian Walker, armed with a phone camera, approached their car, howling into the rolled-down window. “You don’t… Read more

Hotbed: Bohemian Greenwich Village and the Secret Club that Sparked Modern Feminism By Joanna Scutts (Seal Press) Among the stories left untold from the women’s rights movement is the history of Heterodoxy, a secret club that helped shape first-wave feminism. Marie Jenney Howe, a Unitarian minister, formed Heterodoxy in 1912 when she came to Greenwich Village, in N.Y.C., as part of her suffrage activism. Most of the club’s members were involved in the suffrage movement but believed that achieving the right to vote… Read more

Derrica (left) and Natalie Wilson It’s been nearly 20 years since journalist Gwen Ifill coined the phrase “missing white woman syndrome” to highlight how the media ignores missing persons cases in the Black community. But even though over 540,000 Americans were reported missing in 2020, and almost 40 percent of those were people of color, it’s still a struggle for families to get the word out about missing loved ones who aren’t conventionally pretty, young, white women. That’s where sisters-in-law Derrica and Natalie… Read more

Before the Bikini Kill show in NYC on June 7, one question rang in my head — what does a Bikini Kill show look like in a post-Roe v. Wade world? The answer? Not much different from what regularly would have gone down, save for some slightly bleaker between-song banter. The band appeared to be in good spirits as they played to an appreciative crowd, with a tight setlist sticking to classics like “DemiRep,” “Feels Blind,” and “Carnival.” When I first saw the band live in 2019, I was struck by how courteous and unified… Read more

SHARON VAN ETTEN We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong(Jagjaguwar) Sharon Van Etten is one of the best songwriters working today, and she’s also a fierce proponent of the old-school album—no skipping around, just listening straight through in the order she intended. Nowhere is that more apparent than on her sixth record, which Van Etten meticulously tracked and released without any advance singles. It’s not exactly a concept album, but all 10 songs taken together present a gorgeous meditation on love, loss, motherhood,… Read more

The United States is the most dangerous developed country in the world in which to give birth. Year after year, the U.S. records an unacceptably high rate of maternal mortality. In 2020, the CDC reported that this number for the United States is around 23.8 —that means each year, for every 100,000 live births recorded, over 23 of those giving birth will die. In Italy, that number is 2. In Spain: 4. In Poland: 2. The discrepancy between the U.S. and other countries with similar technology and development is an… Read more

On June 8, 2010, Pretty Little Liars premiered on ABC Family. It featured 4 teens, Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer, being stalked by an anonymous figure going by “A”, who appeared after their 5th member, Alison, mysteriously disappears. The show ran for 7 seasons and spun off into 3 series based on the characters and plots of PLL. Most recently, HBO announced that Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin will be launching on the streaming platform on July 28. Original Sin will feature a new generation of liars growing up in a… Read more

Following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, radical action is the best antidote for the feelings of helplessness and hopelessness that many of us have been wrestling with. On Sunday, July 17th, you are invited to learn how to take effective action in an all-day workshop entitled Operation Save Abortion hosted by Abortion Access Front, which defines itself on its website as “a team of comedians, writers, and producers that uses humor to destigmatize abortion and expose the extremist anti-choice forces working to destroy… Read more

FAT ACTIVIST VIRGIE TOVAR’S STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE SEASON OF SELF-LOVE SUMMER IS A TIME of expansion and experimentation, when long, sunny days help germinate our biggest wishes and dreams. What better time to grow the relationship you want with your body? Here are five ways to create a sublime summer filled with body positivity. 1) Give Yourself Permission to Exist 100 Percent Exactly as You Are Think of this as a spell you cast or an intention you set for your epic summer. Repeat after me: “I, (state… Read more

It’s 2022 and women are finally starting to claim power over their money. But while we are making strides economically, we continue to scramble for a level playing field in the financial space. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Data, women still earn roughly 82 cents for every dollar a man makes. This ever-widening income gap impedes women’s financial inclusion and leads to an increased poverty rate, less retirement security, and low chances of career advancement. Furthermore, matters are worse for women of… Read more

There is no actor who portrays the cutting sadness and hope of being in love quite like Juliette Binoche, and it’s a talent she puts to great use in Claire Denis’ high-stakes romantic drama Both Sides of the Blade. Co-written with Christine Angot (who adapted her own novel for the screenplay), Both Sides reunites Binoche with Denis and Angot for the first time since 2017’s Let the Sunshine In, a more effervescent, if meandering, love story. Sara (Binoche) and Jean (Vincent Lindon, from last year’s Titane) are chic… Read more

Bad-ass Americana music sensation and activist, Margo Price, is, like many Americans, enraged and outraged by the recent SOCTUS decision to overturn Roe v Wade. Ms. Price and husband, Jeremy Ivy, have written a song, “Fight To Make It,” affirming the perseverance and solidarity for those whose human rights continue to be taken. This stellar track includes vocal contributions from singer-songwriter, Adia Victoria, and Gospel music legend Mavis Staples. Margo declares that “Every day I see more of our rights stripped… Read more

As an openly queer comic, timing my New York stand-up comedy tour with Pride felt synchronistic. The energy of Pride, a time for celebrating liberation from gender norms, inspired confidence during my shows. It was my first time performing on big stages in the city such as Caroline’s on Broadway. And in the haze of one post show high, I resolved to stage a solo topless march for gender equality before my tour was over. The fear I felt before embarking on this topless march was similar to my first time doing standup. I… Read more

Aisha “Pinky” Cole bristles at labels. The 34-year-old says she’s not the typical entrepreneur. “Most people start businesses because they want to make money,” Cole explains. “I started Slutty Vegan because I cared about experiences and how people viewed the experiences I could create for them.” For Cole, that means vegan burgers with a side of community activism. She started slinging her burgers—with cheeky names like the classic Fussy Hussy and bacon-topped One Night Stand, both slathered with Slut Sauce—on Instagram… Read more

A green bandana is the new symbol of hope for the disconcerted Americans who are outraged about the overturn of Roe v. Wade. This trend stems from Latin America. The Green Wave movement originated in Argentina in 2003 and made its way to the United States after our abortion rights were targeted and stripped from us. People in major metropolitan cities across the U.S., like New York, Washington, and L.A., sported green bananas and t-shirts at recent protests. According to Le Monde, the color was adopted by abortion… Read more

Once upon a time, likely in ancient Mesopotamia, caftans appeared, stitched into existence by clever fingers whose nameless owners would never know what a gift they were giving the world. These loose, long, robe-like garments kept people in hot climates looking elegant and feeling cool. Later, starting in the 1950s, high-couture houses like Dior and Halston brought their own wildly patterned, colorful caftans to life, quickly elevating a lazing-around-the-house look to one of effortless glamour. Caftans then reigned… Read more

As those whose right to abortion has suddenly been ripped away from them scramble to navigate a post-Roe landscape, some of the tasks we once completed with little thought are now being viewed with scrutiny. Enter period-tracking, the process of keeping tabs on when one’s period starts and ends each month. Your period can indicate a lot about your health, such as whether or not you are suffering from an illness like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), for which one of the most common symptoms is having fewer than nine… Read more

Mika in Real Life: A Novel By Emiko Jean (William Morrow) At 35, Mika Suzuki is nowhere near where her younger self had hoped she would be. Single, recently fired, living with her best friend slash possible hoarder, and an ongoing disappointment to her traditional Japanese parents, Mika can’t seem to put out one fire before another begins. When Penny, the daughter she placed for adoption 16 years ago, reaches out, Mika believes that the only path forward is a semi-fictionalized one, giving the facade of her life a… Read more

In the high-stakes world of information security, social engineers—hackers who use deception to manipulate their targets into divulging confidential info—are both a constant threat and a secret weapon. So why are women so much better at this job than men? Alethe Denis always wanted to be a spy. She first experienced the thrill of changing identities as a teen when she divided her time between South Africa and California, bouncing between different cultures, learning how to fit into a variety of situations. While she… Read more

The Royal Treatment Plant Kween Christopher Griffin shares their best tips for growth—Your Greenery's, and Your Own No one exalts in the joys of plant parenthood like Christopher Griffin aka @plantkween. “When I water my green gurls, I make it a party! I blast music, I put on a fun outfit, I pour myself a lil’ cocktail,” they say. “It’s a whole entire mood.” And it’s infectious. They may have nearly 200 houseplants now, but a single Marble Queen Pothos, and the legacy of their garden-loving grandma, set this green… Read more

In a post-Roe v. Wade world, people who may need abortions are wondering what access will look like in their own lives going forward. For many, this consideration includes factors related to their personal finances and the attitudes of their employers towards proper healthcare. Corporations like Wells Fargo and Dick’s Sporting Goods have made a pledge to their employees to make it financially possible for anyone on their company health insurance, including dependents of the employee, to travel out of state to obtain an… Read more

Artist Katy Horan (@goodyhoran) made the comic, Bodies, the day after the SCOTUS draft was leaked. "I had to get to the root of why it felt so violent and cruel," she explains. "As the owner of a uterus and a sexual assault survivor, these words and images communicate how I have felt about living in this world with a female body since I was a teenager. Moving forward, I want to make comics telling real-life stories of those who have chosen abortion. The anti-choice movement uses grossly oversimplified narratives to… Read more

SUN’S SIGNATURE Self-titled (Partisan Records) The latest release from dream-pop and trip-hop legends Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins) and Damon Reece (Lupine Howl, Massive Attack) may have been years in the making, but it was worth the wait. Partners in both life and music, the duo meticulously crafted and collaborated on every intricate arrangement of this five-track EP. Some of the songs (“Golden Air,” “Make Lovely the Day”) materialized when Fraser did a rare live performance in 2012, while traces of others… Read more

“Dad does so much for the family! This Father’s Day, give him what he really needs. Not a home brewing kit, not socks; give him safe and legal access to abortion.” Abortion Access Front’s recent video opens with a family celebrating Father’s Day, opening gifts and celebrating dad. As soon as the voiceover chimes in with this, the scene comes to a screeching halt. Comedian and father of two, W. Kamau Bell (We Need to Talk About Cosby, United Shades of America) enters the scene, bringing snark and tongue-in-cheek humor… Read more