On Tuesday, June 2, Ella Jones became the first-ever Black Mayor-elect of Ferguson, Missouri. Six years ago, this Missouri city gained national attention when a white police officer killed a Black teenager named Michael Brown. Protests erupted throughout the city seeking justice for Brown, propelling the Black Lives Matter Movement to the forefront of national consciousness. Today, protests are once again taking place in Ferguson as well as around the world, this time in the name of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Tony… Read more

In the midst of the civil uprising of Black Lives Matter, on June 1, 2020, a Black trans woman was attacked in Minneapolis, MN. BUST has chosen to not embed or share the video as we do not wish to provoke pain or trauma, but it is widely available. The trans woman in the video is 21-year-old Iyanna Dior. She was attacked by a mob of 20-30 mostly Black cis men in a Minneapolis gas station, reportedly after a fender bender. Dior was able to escape and has since spoken out. In a post on her Facebook, she announced she… Read more

In case you hadn't heard, a ton of famous brands and companies are being exposed for sending millions of dollars to the GOP and Trump's re-election campaign, and your favorite beauty brands are no different. Company board member and family heir of Estee Lauder, Ronald Lauder, was found to have donated hundreds of thousants of dollars to pro-Trump groups. It's important to note that Estée Lauder is actually an umbrella company, so while some of these individual brands support Democratic causes, Estee Lauder still still… Read more

Much of the civil uprising across the country under the Black Lives Matter movement is due in part to the callous murder of George Floyd by four police officers in Minneapolis, MN on May 25. However, far too few are as familiar with the killing of Breonna Taylor. Back on March 13, 2020, the 26-year-old EMT was fatally shot in her home in Louisville, KY by Louisville Metro Police Department officers. As the New York Times reported, the LMPD was investigating two suspected drug dealers. A judge ordered a “no-knock”… Read more

We’re doing something a bit different for this week's round-up—although some of our pop culture picks are new (CupcakKe is back!), many are all-time favorites that you can easily stream, download, and purchase this week to support Black artists and educate yourself on racism—and the fight against it—in America. Featuring documentaries, feature films, and books you can purchase directly from Black-owned bookstores, here’s what BUST is reading, watching, and listening to this week. MOVIES/TV 13th Ava DuVernay’s… Read more

In our usual white amnesia, people have forgotten America’s history of riots dating back to the 1700s. As you likely learned in history class growing up, Americans tried to politely speak to England and show them a list of demands, but once it was clear independence would not be given, the newly formed colonies rioted for their freedom. There was violence, property destruction, and anger-filled riots all across the colonies. We read about them now in textbooks as massacres and battles but make no mistake: many of these… Read more

More than ever, it is important that we amplify black voices without overshadowing them. Allies have to do so much more to further ourselves not just as not racist but as anti-racist. Joining the protests and donating bail is helpful, but we must also actively educate ourselves on the issues at hand. To start, here are 10 documentaries and movies that can help teach more about racism and police brutality in America: 1. Selma (YouTube)Just to see how little has truly changed, you should first watch the film Selma about… Read more

Jane Fonda really has been and forever will be that b*tch. The 82-year-old Academy Award winning actress, perhaps best known for her stand-out rolls in films like Barefoot in the Park, 9 to 5 and Book Club, has never been one to keep quiet about injustice. Just last year, Fonda was arrested on numerous occasions in Washington D.C. for her “Firedrill Fridays,” where she and many of her celebrity friends would stand in protest of big oil and climate change. Her activist work did not start and end there, however. Fonda… Read more

While today marks the first day of Pride Month, it is important to continue recognizing and speaking out about racial injustice, systemic racism, and the police brutality that is being protested across the nation today. The Stonewall Riots, which are often attributed with kicking off the greater queer liberation and LGBTQ+ rights movements were, at their core, a protest and rebellion against brutality at the hands of the police. Many of the participants at Stonewall, now more often referred to as an uprising or a… Read more

Comedian and actor Yvonne Orji is best known for her role as Molly on HBO’s “Insecure” and her film credits include “Night School” and the upcoming “Vacation Friends.” She co-hosts the critically acclaimed podcast “Jesus and Jollof,” with her pal Luvvie Ajayi, and her upcoming book “Bamboozled by Jesus: How God Tricked Me Into the Life of My Dreams” will hit shelves next year. Her first hour-long HBO comedy special, “MOMMA, I MADE IT,” comes out June 6 and it is super funny and touching and women in particular will… Read more

On May 25, George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer named Derek Chauvin. Chauvin, who had 18 previous police brutality complaints against him, wasn't arrested until several days after Floyd's murder. In an effort to seek justice for Floyd, people began to gather in protest in Minneapolis. The protestors were met with rubber bullets, tear gas, water bombs, and excessive force at the hands of the police leaving many injured and many more taken into police custody. As protests… Read more

Summer’s almost here and we could all use a sweet escape. And while your mileage might be limited, your imagination doesn’t have to be. Allow Hayley and The Crushers to transport you to their candy-laquered, neon world. On the heels of their third full-length album,Vintage Millennial, (January 2020, Electric Pop Records) the San Luis Obispo, CA-based surf punks are bringing a few more popsicle flavors to the picnic with their latest E.P. BUST is excited to premiere their video for upbeat summer anthem "Jacaranda," off… Read more

The Vanishing Half: A Novel By Brit Bennett (Riverhead Books) What starts off similarly to Brit Bennett’s debut novel The Mothers—an observer opens up the tale that’s about to unfold—quickly turns into a deeply emotional, thought-provoking, and at times, frustrating story about two once inseparable sisters now living parallel lives. Like everyone in Mallard, a tiny Southern community, 16-year-old twins Stella and Desiree are both light-skinned. Scared of getting stuck in their small town forever, the two decide to… Read more

We’re celebrating the start of the month with new books, new shows to stream, and—of course—new Gaga. Read on for what’s on BUST’s radar this week. MOVIES/TV In My Skin The latest UK hit to move to a US streaming service is In My Skin, a Welsh coming-of-age dark comedy about a teenager navigating adolescence while looking after her mom and dad, who are living with mental illness and alcoholism. The complete series, including four never-before-seen episodes, heads to Hulu on July 30. The High Note Tracee Ellis Ross and… Read more

Fried chicken sammies are having a moment. But you don’t have to wait in line at Popeyes or give your hard-earned cash to an establishment with an anti-LGBTQ philanthropy record (ahem, Chick-fil-A). You don’t even have to eat meat! You can make a finger-lickin’ good fried chicken (or meatless “chicken”) sandwich right at home. Buttermilk Love Buy a couple pounds of chicken (I like boneless, skinless chicken thighs because dark meat is delicious but if you prefer breast, knock yourself out). Cover in buttermilk seasoned… Read more

No, we’re not here to tell you to put down the cake and hop on the treadmill, and we’re tired of the media, and social media, sending the message that fat is evil and we all must stay teeny-tiny during quarantine. Everyone has a different healthy journey, and we’re here to tell you there’s no wrong way to do it—unless you’re body-shaming yourself or others. Almost everyone has some sort of struggle with food and body positivity, whether it is worrying that we eat too much, too little, or not in the right way. And being… Read more

The FX on Hulu mini-series, Mrs. America, shows an intimate portrayal both of anti-choice activist, Phyllis Schlafly, and leading feminists of the 1970s—Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, Brenda Feigen, Betty Freidan, Bella Abzug, and more. The premise of the show is to tell the story of how progress on the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) stalls, but the mini-series does far more than that. Simply put, the show places a spotlight on why this happens and how misinformation—in an era before “fake news” was widely… Read more

Rising star Dani Montalvo plays titular character Lorena Bobbitt in Lifetime's I Was Lorena Bobbitt which premiered on Monday, May 25. I Was Lorena Bobbitt depicts the John and Lorena Bobbitt case that made headlines in the early '90s, when Lorena, after years of abuse from her husband, cut off his penis while he was asleep. This beautiful TV movie drama, directed by Danishka Esterhazy, received incredible reviews and many went to social media to show their support of the movie that Bobbitt herself executive produced.… Read more

Supporting your child is crucial to their growth. Let alone supporting your LGBTQ+ child. LGBTQ+ children need all the love and support they can get. Retired NBA star Dwyane Wade sets an awesome example for his 12-year-old daughter Zaya. @dwyanewade 𝐿𝑖𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠!!!!! ##ZayaWade ♬ original sound - lightycxrson Paper Mag hailed him "Father of the Year"in a recent article and there’s no denying that. From the moment his daughter wanted to be called Zaya up to their recent quarantine hair makeovers. He took to TikTok and… Read more

EVER WONDER WHY mermaids have the best hair? If the effects of this all-natural DIY mask for your locks (from my book, Wild Beauty, $18, captainblankenship.com) are any indication, my guess is it has to do with seaweed. I’m not gonna lie; this smells briny like the ocean. It makes me feel like I am on the beach smelling seaweed drying in the sun. This gently exfoliating and detoxifying blend with bentonite clay and kelp cleanses environmental elements, such as dirt and pollution, and rejuvenates your hair and scalp.… Read more

If you need a heartfelt Indie flick to watch during quarantine, we suggest you start with Clementine. Sydney Sweeney stars in Lara Gallagher’s directorial drama debut Clementine with Otmara Marrero. As we’ve seen time and time again in works like Euphoria, Sharp Objects, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the 22-year-old from Washington is a powerhouse performer. In Clementine, Sydney plays Lana, an impressionable young woman who tries to start a relationship with an older woman searching for refuge at her ex’s lake… Read more

In each issue of BUST, Amber Tamblyn reviews a book of poetry. From our Spring 2020 issue, here's her review of Lilith, But Dark by Nichole Perkins. Nichole Perkins has written a beautifully aching and illuminating portrait of a Black woman’s life in her essential collection, Lilith, But Dark (Publishing Genius Press). These poems shine on every page, whether in the shadows or in the light of life’s most extreme circumstances, including family violence, love, longing, and the gloom of loss. In “Athena of Nashville” she… Read more

ALICE SMITHMystery (Repost Network) Alice Smith has made a career of commanding genres—rock, soul, R&B, and beyond—while remaining authentically herself. She’s the rare performer who sounds best live, when the raw, emotive power of her voice is free to strike without studio tinkering. Luckily her new EP Mystery (a follow-up to her Grammy nominated 2006 debut, For Lovers, Dreamers & Me, and 2013’s She), captures the magic of her evocative sound. Smith enlivens ballads like “Mystery” and “The Meaning” with jolts of… Read more

If only Lana Del Rey could just promote her new music without having to drag other women musicians. Del Rey, who is known for her melancholic songs such as sleeper hit "Summertime Sadness," made her unfiltered thoughts about fame, feminism, and the music industry known in a Thursday Instagram post. "[I'm] fed up with female writers and alt singers saying that I glamorize abuse when in reality I'm just a glamorous person singing about the realities of what we are all now seeing are very prevalent emotionally abusive… Read more

Every day might blend into the next, but thankfully, there’s still new music every week—and some other pop culture offerings, including rom-coms, novels, and more—to keep things fresh. Read on for what we’re listening to, reading, and watching at the end of May. MOVIES/TV AKA Jane Roe This new documentary follows Norma McCorvey—aka, the real Jane Roe from 1973—in her last days, and tells the story of her life, including a startling confession about why she turned against abortion in the ’90s. Airing May 22 on FX. The… Read more

For the first time in 20 years, I have time to reflect on some of the pictures I have made: for bands, for magazines, for myself. This quarantine is affecting everyone in both individual and collective ways. I feel lucky this is how it is affecting me. Certain images are bringing back my time as a photographer just starting out, and how the culture of New York then has become part of my DNA. As most of us were getting our first emails in the late '90s, the music scene in New York City — especially in Manhattan below… Read more

The days blurred; I’m not positive, but I think my breaking point occurred while washing a sink full of rancid baby bottles, the stink sending me into a burst of rage and tears. Although, it could have also happened when I disassociated while reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear for the thousandth time, watching my son heave every toy he owned out of his play crate. Either way, it was clear: the time to leave the city had arrived. I’m fortunate to have had the opportunity to leave. After three weeks and four days, my wife,… Read more

SABA LOU Novum Ovum (Khannibalism/Burger Records) The daughter of legendary garage rocker King Khan, Saba Lou’s rock roots are free flowing, retro, and raw. But make no mistake, the vibe is all her own. Poetic and a little punk, at once sultry and spunky, it’s garage-soul with beatnik snaps. Much like Lou’s 2017 debut, her second full-length album, Novum Ovum (“new egg” in Latin), is self effacing, yet fully in your face. Each of the 10 tracks celebrate womanhood from a vivid, unexpected angle that leaves you feeling… Read more

WHILE MANY OF US MILLENNIALS are opting out of having children, we’ve found another way to nurture life: becoming plant parents. This spring, why not take your green thumb to the next level by starting from scratch? Or, more literally, from seed? According to the Environmental Protection Agency, only 15 percent of farms and agriculture-related businesses are women-owned and operated, so when you’ve decided which vegetables, herbs, and flowers you want to grow, get your goods from these woman-owned companies. San Diego… Read more

When shit hits the fan, it’s human nature to want to make jokes about it. Seriously. Call it what you will, a move to lighten the mood, deflecting, a coping mechanism, a front you put up to hide the fact that you’re .5 seconds from panicking at all times, we all do it. Something as serious as the Coronavirus should certainly not be taken lightly, but as we’re all hunkered down in our home for god only knows how long with anxiety at an all time high, a little making-fun of the situation we’ve all found ourselves in is… Read more

WHO RUN RWANDA? Women. Ever since the country’s tragic genocide nearly 25 years ago, the women left behind have been rallying together. As entrepreneurs, politicians (nearly 68 percent of the country’s government officials are female), and business owners, women are building Rwanda up, and the heart of all the action is Kigali—the capital city’s become a center for technology, tourism, arts, and more. This small country is known as the land of a thousand hills, and driving through Kigali can feel like breezing across… Read more

Most viral videos are harmless, usually a new dance craze by yet another Gen Zer on TikTok. But sometimes, videos can be detrimental. This was the case for a video taken almost a year ago in Pakistan. Fast forward to last Thursday, two girls' lives were forever changed. According to CBS News, about a thousand Pakistani women each year are murdered in honor killings. In this particular case, three girls were captured in a video with a man alone outdoors. He then proceeds to kiss two of the girls. Two of the three girls… Read more

HAYLEY AND THE CRUSHERSVintage Millennial(Eccentric Pop Records) This self-described trio of “poolside glitter trash” retro rockers may have made the most California album you’ve heard in a while. While the oldies-leaning glam pop initially seems simple, subtle complexities build and speak to a spectrum of influences: Shannon and the Clams blended with Lookout! Records, the Go-Go’s, and a dash of the Gun Club—the result being like wearing a favorite vintage ’60s statement dress mixed with some of your new ASOS order.… Read more

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf on Friday signed into law a ban on child marriage, making it the third state to fully outlaw marriage for children under the age of 18. The ban was unanimously approved by the Pennsylvania legislature, and was signed into law by Governor Wolf. The bill set the minimum age to obtain a marriage license at 18. Before, an applicant younger than 16 could obtain a marriage license with court approval. Those between the ages of 16 and 18 could get a marriage license with parental consent. Only… Read more

Like much of the world, France has declared that wearing a face mask in public is now mandatory due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the new mandate, however, France still has a ban on burqas, niqabs and other Islamic face coverings. A controversial ban now implemented in a number of other countries in Europe as well as in Quebec, France outlawed women from wearing full face veils, niqabs and other kinds of head and face coverings in 2011. The French government claimed that the ban was set in place because… Read more

In 2018, a record 476 women ran for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. This year, with a record number of 490 women filed to run for U.S. House seats in 2020 so far, women are exceeding the previous milestone and setting a new precedent in American politics, according to a recent summary released by the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University. "In 2018, amidst the excitement of a record-breaking year for women candidates, we often asked whether we were in the middle of a one-time… Read more

“Can’t wait to write a tell-all about my experience during my last two trimesters dealing with incompetent doctors and lack of efficient care toward minority women,” Amber Rose Isaac posted on social media on April 17th. By April 21, just four days later, she had died. She was only 26 years old. Amber, a high school classmate of mine, died in childbirth from complications related to HELLP Syndrome. HELLP Syndrome is a pregnancy complication which affects the blood and liver. It tends to arise in the last trimester of… Read more

After five seasons, Netflix's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is coming to an end, and the powerful 13-episode series finale is a testament to what happens when you have terrific writers in the room. The magic of She-Ra lies in the incredible development of the characters over the past five seasons. No character is perfect, and each one has its arc, and back during regular times, we would see plenty of Catra, She-Ra, Glimmer, Entrapta, and Bow cosplayers at our annual comic cons. COVID-19 has taken away our ability… Read more

Leave it to SoCal punks Bad Cop/Bad Cop to tell us exactly what the world needs now. No, it's not simply “love sweet love,” but it is at least partly that. The band's new album The Ride (out June 19 on Fat Wreck Chords) trades the band's signature angry roar for a more sweet and sour mix of emotions, even delving into the territory of self-love (don't worry, they can still do it with a guttural snarl when they want to). BUST is thrilled to premiere the band's second single, “Pursuit of Liberty,” one of the album's more… Read more

As the legendary frontwoman of the Runaways, Cherie Currie and her teen bandmates Joan Jett, Lita Ford, Sandy West, and Jackie Fox exploded out of L.A. in 1975 and became the first American, all-girl rock band to make it big. She put out two studio albums and one live album with the Runaways and created an absolute frenzy in Japan before calling it quits in 1977. Since then, Currie has never stopped creating, putting out seven more studio albums as a solo artist, with her twin sister Marie, and more recently with Brie… Read more

LES AMAZONES D’AFRIQUEAmazones Power(Real World Records) An innovative and acclaimed supergroup of Malian musicians and activists, Les Amazones d’Afrique assembled around a shared cause for gender equality and eradicating ancestral violence. Their second full-length album, Amazones Power, continues to champion their mission through deeply rhythmic and expressive songs, each sung by a different vocalist. Exploratory in nature, the album combines classic pan-African styles with current pop and electronic elements that… Read more

Everyone knows Hollywood has a diversity problem. Which is to say, everyone knows Hollywood has white dudes who have been the only ones calling the shots for way, way too long. Before the coronavirus, this was an issue Anita Hill and the Hollywood Commission she chairs were ready to tackle head-on. But in a recent op-ed for Variety, Hill said that while her goals to combat discrimination and harassment are unwavering, the coronavirus — and the restructuring it has caused Hollywood to undergo — presents a chance for… Read more

Need some new quarantine entertainment? We’ve got you covered with a new album, several new must-read books, and more. Read on for what we’re excited about this week. MOVIES/TV The Great Elle Fanning stars as Russia’s longest-ruling female leader, Catherine the Great, in this whimsical historical dramedy about her rise to power. All episodes air May 15 on Hulu. At Home With Amy Sedaris The third season of Sedaris’ comedy show premieres May 20. New episodes will feature guests including Jane Krakowski, Rachel Dratch,… Read more

Holed up in the drab bedroom of my tiny Chinatown walkup, I scrolled through Instagram, inundated with stories of exes who reunited after years apart because of the global pandemic. The disorienting chaos has forced people to yearn for the comfort of past loves. At 34, I’d spent the last two years working hard on forgetting mine, though I still hoped to hear from him. Was my old flame flirting with someone new over text? Maybe they were quarantined in his Brooklyn apartment together, her leg draped over him as she… Read more

We're bringing you this Q&A from the Sex Files in our Spring 2020 print issue, featuring advice from sexologist Dr. Carol Queen. I was born with a displaced anus. As a child, I would often cry while in the bathroom because pooping was painful. I was told by my doctor that this issue would correct itself as I got older. Now that I’m an adult, I think it definitely has improved, but not entirely; I still have some trouble pooping at times and can feel when something is clearly stuck back there, even when I know I’m fully… Read more

May is Mental Health Awareness month, and at this point, after almost 90 days of lockdown because of the coronavirus, we can all agree, everyone needs and deserves as much care as possible. At the forefront of the most deserving, are those in the frontlines. Courtesy of the Divine Feminine School of Hypnosis, The Mind Massage Hotline—a free emotional support service for frontline healthcare and essential workers, or anyone who is feeling in need is now available. Founded by Brooklyn based, CHt, Shauna Cummins, The Mind… Read more

I own precisely four cookbooks — both of Chrissy Teigen’s and both of Alison Roman’s. They have guided me through becoming a young adult and learning to cook for my loved ones, whether it’s making Teigen's Cool Ranch Dorito salad for a friend’s birthday party or impressing my boyfriend with Roman's caramelized shallot pasta. I do not suspect this is a unique experience. Both women are young, pretty, and funny, and their recipes are flavorful and easy to follow. I exist firmly in the Venn diagram of their demographics,… Read more

There’s a scene in the 1917 film Poor Little Rich Girl when Mary Pickford, the adult actress portraying the 11-year-old title character, is punished for naughtiness by being forced to turn in her frilly dress for a suit of boys’ clothing. Standing before a mirror, she pouts at first, then sticks her hands into her pockets—and discovers what a fine, freeing, and powerful thing menswear can be. Pickford’s face radiates joy as she rises on her tiptoes; it’s a glorious moment. By then the pocket had, for centuries, been a… Read more

Representative of New York's 14th District and member of “The Squad,” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, was just appointed the Co-Chair of the Biden-Sanders Climate Change Task Force. Announced last month, the task force was created by Presidential Candidate Joe Biden and his former fellow candidate, Bernie Sanders, in an effort to unify the Democratic Party. Meant to advise the Biden Campaign, the task-force will focus on six key issues including criminal justice reform, economy, education, healthcare, immigration and of… Read more

Even when we are not in the midst of a pandemic, it is easy to acknowledge nurses are heroes. But the profession didn’t always inspire respect from the masses. So yesterday, on International Nurse’s Day, we’re taking a look at the woman who changed that, Florence Nightingale, on the 200th anniversary of her birth. From a young age, Nightingale knew she wanted to be a nurse, but her parents hated the idea. They were a wealthy Victorian family, so Florence was to marry well. Thankfully, her aspirations extended beyond… Read more