Breastfeeding is one of the best preventative natural medicines: it has the power to reduce the risk of respiratory infections, Type II diabetes, and asthma, and provides many other health benefits. However, not all women are able to do so: Black women are significantly less likely to breastfeed than any race. Data collated by the CDC demonstrates that compared to 75% of white women, only 58.9% of Black women breastfeed their children, and this has been the case for over 40 years. To illuminate the racial disparity in… Read more

One of the most common questions sexologists get, particularly from people with vaginas, involves the ability to have an orgasm during solo or partnered sex. Some people with this issue think there’s something wrong with them and might subscribe to incorrect ideas about how to get there. Or they don’t recognize the role arousal plays in their response. Without sufficient arousal, orgasm is much less likely. And perhaps even more importantly, sex is much less enjoyable. What is it, though, and how can you amp it up? In… Read more

Los Angeles feels like a hodgepodge of disparate towns, mashed into one giant, perennially sunny, palm tree-studded city. It’s got glittering beaches and boardwalks, lush mountains, jammed freeways, and towering skyscrapers. There’s old Hollywood glamour and new Cali cool. Taco stands are ubiquitous and famouses roam wild. Writing this during quarantine, I miss it all. So here’s a little love letter to L.A., featuring recs from some of our favorite BUST-y Angelenos. This piece is also a practice in manifestation (so… Read more

The Black Lives Matter protests were ignited earlier this year following the death of George Floyd, and the protests have started again after the police shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Blake, who was shot multiple times in the back, was left paralyzed, and his lawyer said it would be a miracle if he ever walked again. This shooting has sparked new outrage and it has led the WNBA to postpone their game in order to make a statement about the shooting of Blake and deaths of Black people at the… Read more

This article originally appeared in Lisa Hanawalt's book I Want You, published by Drawn & Quarterly and out now. It has been reprinted here with permission. More from BUST I'm Queer And A Survivor Of Assault. Here's How 'Tuca & Bertie' Make Me Feel Seen 'BoJack Horseman' Illustrator Lisa Hanawalt Shows Us Her Studio: BUST Interview This French Photographer Illustrates Wastefulness Like You've Never Seen Read more

DC Comics has made it clear they are here to not only take film, television, and comics by storm, but they intend to do so consciously and with diverse representation in mind. On Saturday, DC Comics (which is a subsidiary of Warner Brothers) unveiled the first part of their two-part online event DC Fandome. The 24-hour fan event was jam-packed with celebrity appearances and the roll-out of new trailers for upcoming films, video games, and comic books. COVID-19 has forced all comic cons to be canceled and has… Read more

Last week, we celebrated 100 years of the 19th Amendment. Today, we celebrate Women’s Equality Day. Set in place by Congress and President Nixon on August 26, 1973, today marks the 47th anniversary of the official commemoration of the struggle for women’s suffrage and equal rights. Although the proclamation was made official in 1973, and has been issued every year by every president since, that is not where Women’s Equality Day began. On August 26, 1970, 20,000 women marched down New York City’s Fifth Avenue from 59th… Read more

Looking for a husband? Well look no further. An article from a 1958 issue of McCall’s magazine titled “129 Ways to Get A Husband” went viral online in 2018 when Facebook user Kim Marx-Kuczynski shared her vintage purchase. Now it is making the rounds again, and this time the BUST team saw it. Let’s just say it does not disappoint. The article features categories for your reading convenience including, but not limited to: “Where To Find Him,” “How To Let Him Know You’re There,” “How To Look Good To Him,” and, most… Read more

If you liked Portrait of a Lady on Fire, get ready for Ammonite: a film starring Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet. Directed by Francis Lee, Ammonite has the same breathtaking seaside setting as that of a Portrait of a Lady on Fire as well as a lesbian love story set in the 1800s. Kate Winslet plays Mary Anning, a paleontologist made famous by her geological discoveries. Now retired, she makes a living off of selling common fossils to tourists in order to support herself and her ailing mother. However, she’s faced with a… Read more

HEKATE. FOR THE WITCHES among us, the very name of this ancient goddess associated with magic, mystery, and empowerment evokes a rumble deep inside. Her history is complex. In her origins around the Mediterranean, she was known as Breaker of Chains—summoning her presence was thought to release you from whatever ties were binding. She's also been known as the Keeper of the Keys; the keys that open the gates to our souls. In some of humanity’s earliest texts, she is portrayed as a great mother figure whose soul fuels the… Read more

Milana Vayntrub might not be a name that you recognize, but you’ve probably seen her before. Since 2013, she has been appearing in AT&T commercials as Lily, a saleswoman. While she is best known for her commercial work, she has also appeared on This Is Us and is also the voice for Squirrel Girl on Marvel's New Warriors. Recently, Vayntrub has been appearing in AT&T commercials again and has gotten a lot of gross comments. Many people have begun sexualizing her in the comments of her posts and the AT&T posts on… Read more

This past weekend was a tumultuous one for the Conway family, whose discordant political platforms have raised eyebrows nationally--and left us all secretly grateful we aren’t at that table for family dinners. Last Sunday evening, Senior White House counselor Kellyanne Conway announced that she will be resigning from her post at the end of the month. This decision marks a sudden end to Conway’s indelible journey as one of the most controversial and outspoken Trump supporters. She took up the post in 2016 after becoming… Read more

JEHNNY BETHAlbum: To Love Is To Live (Arts & Crafts)Book: C.A.L.M.: Crimes Against Love Memories (White Rabbit) KNOWN FOR HER potent performances in Savages, Jehnny Beth knew she could dig deeper. On her first solo album, To Love Is To Live, Beth exhausts eternal questions of the confines of desire, scratching and spitting like Kim Gordon, seething like PJ Harvey, but also elevating like Shara Nova of My Brightest Diamond. The album’s woozy visceral quality stems collectively from producers Atticus Ross (NIN), Flood,… Read more

Content warning: This article discusses graphic violence against trans women In the year 2020, there has been an unprecedented amount of violence against trans women, particularly trans women of color. Unfortunately, we saw the epidemic of violence against trans people highlighted once again last week on Monday when three trans women of color were attacked and robbed. The three trans women were Eden Estrada, AKA Eden the Doll on YouTube, and her friends Joslyn Flawless and Jaslene Whiterose. On Monday night, they were… Read more

Malala Yousafzai is starting a feminist book club, which is exactly what we need during this pandemic. She just graduated from Oxford University, but she’s been in the international spotlight for fighting for girls’ education in Pakistan and being the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Price at 17. Now she’s 23, and just like many other college graduates from the class of 2020, is feeling a little bit lost. In an interview with The Lily, she told Lena Felton that “I’m just as confused as anybody else as to what to… Read more

Here at BUST, election season is in full swing and we are ready to flex our political muscles at the polls! That’s why we are extra honored and excited to be featuring powerful voting-rights advocate Stacey Abrams on the cover of our fab Fall Issue, being interviewed by fellow activist Amber Tamblyn. Inside, we’ve got in-depth interviews with Joseph Gordon-Levitt about his powerful protest biopic The Trial of the Chicago Seven and Insecure’s comedy genius Natasha Rothwell. Plus, readers will find a surprising biography… Read more

Warner Brothers' DC Comics universe showed fans sneak peeks of upcoming projects this weekend. This includes the first look at The Batman from director Matt Reeves, another Wonder Woman 1984 trailer and James Gunn’s star-studded The Suicide Squad 2 cast. The Wonder Woman 1984 teaser not only gave fans a look at Chris Pine's time-displaced WWI hero Steve Trevor, they also saw Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman fighting Kristen Wiig's Cheetah. The movie tracks Kristen Wiig’s character’s transformation from human to a human-like… Read more

TRYING SOMETHING NEW—a hobby, a sport, a restaurant, even hanging with a just-made friend or going on a date with a crush—can be extremely rewarding. Unless you have anxiety, a mental illness, or simply an overactive brain, in which case the spiraling “what ifs?”—What if people think I’m weird? What if I suck? What if I embarrass myself?—steamroll the fun. I struggle with anxiety, but I’ve found an incredible tool for overcoming the waterfall of fear: reframing my “what ifs?” as curiosity, instead of judgment. This… Read more

AOC has officially cemented herself as the coolest Congressperson yet. In an interview with Vogue, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez revealed her skincare routine and her makeup habits, “The reason why I think it’s so important to share these things is that, first of all, femininity has power, and in politics there is so much criticism and nitpicking about how women and femme people present ourselves,” AOC told Vogue. “Just being a woman is quite politicized here in Washington…. There’s this really false idea that… Read more

ALICE BAG IS a Chicana punk legend. In the late ’70s, she fronted the pioneering L.A. band the Bags and has been making music, writing books (including her memoir Violence Girl), fighting for education and immigrant rights, and toppling the patriarchy ever since. (Maybe you’ve seen her in Penelope Spheeris’ classic documentary The Decline of Western Civilization or more recently as the opening act on Bikini Kill’s reunion tour.) At 61, she’s released a new solo album, Sister Dynamite (In the Red Records), and it’s full… Read more

Over the past few weeks, Belarus has witnessed an unprecedented amount of resistance as citizens protest police brutality and the controversial election of dictator President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled for the past 26 years. At the forefront of these rallies are thousands of women who have organized themselves into a leaderless movement that is sweeping across the country: and they’re calling themselves “the Women in White.” In the violent upheaval following the recent election, in which Lukashenko was named… Read more

Broadway star Sarah Stiles, who also voices Steven Universe’s Spinel, has been doing a lot in quarantine. Considering she is a self-diagnosed workaholic, she’s been trying to occupy as much of her time as possible. She’s been driving around upstate New York with her fiancé, Jeff, and their new dog, Patti. And, like many of us, Stiles has tried her hand at the usual "snowed-in" activities like puzzling and drawing in coloring books. On August 21, Stiles’ hard work payed off with the release of her first EP, You Can… Read more

According to Deadline, Sony Pictures is focusing on the female characters at the center of the Marvel Universe. One of the most sought-after women directors in Hollywood, Olivia Wilde, has been chosen to direct and develop a secret Marvel film project about a female Marvel character. While not confirmed, many believe that the film will focus on Spider-Woman. Wilde’s recent directorial debut was a success with the coming-of-age movie Booksmart. Her film earned Katie Silberman a Writers Guild of America nomination for… Read more

When Megan Thee Stallion was shot in the foot in Los Angeles about a month ago, both she and the authorities said little about what happened. However, in an Instagram Live session, she revealed that rapper Tory Lanez was in fact the person who shot her. She says, “Yes, this n**** Tory shot me. You shot me, and you got your publicist and your people to [talk to] to these blogs, lying and shit. Stop lying!” Representatives for Lanez have not responded to any requests for comment. He was arrested that same morning on… Read more

We’re approaching the end of August, Leo season, and possibly the weirdest summer ever all at once. If you’re searching for a new soundtrack as we head into September, look no further – you have new music by Wafia, Bully, and more to look forward to, plus some other entertainment gems. Here’s what we’re excited about this week. MOVIES/TV Trinkets The second and final season of Netflix’s teen dramedy, about three girls from different cliques who meet and bond in Shoplifters Anonymous, is finally here. Out August 25, and… Read more

Investigative journalist, civil rights leader, and suffragette Ida B. Wells is being honored in a temporary art installation at Union Station in Washington D.C. next week. The ode to Wells comes in the form of a 1,000 square foot mosaic. As a way to commemorate 100 years of women gaining the right to vote, the portrait of Wells will be made up of hundreds of other women who fought in the suffrage movement. A huge new Ida B. Wells mosaic in Union Station will honor the 19th Amendmenthttps://t.co/zt5GQTd9Jx… Read more

To most casual music fans, Laura Jane Grace of Against Me! is the face of hardcore and punk transness, the woman who came out and started it all. And while those accolades are well deserved, those less familiar with underground music often miss the story of Mina Caputo, a metal vocalist best known for her time with Life of Agony. For those not familiar, Life of Agony are a seminal hardcore band from New York in the ’90s, one of the bands credited with starting the genre. Although Wikipedia classifies the band as metal,… Read more

The 100-year anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment becoming law was just the other day, meaning it’s been 100 years since women, namely white women, got the right to vote and the suffrage movement had its biggest victory. On Tuesday, President Trump announced he was going to pardon Susan B. Anthony, one of the most prominent suffrage activists. Trump asked what took so long to pardon her in a press conference. Some historians think this is the wrong move. Some suggest that the reason Anthony was never pardoned was… Read more

Maya Hawke wants to connect with people. It’s evident in her portrayal of Stranger Things wisecracker Robin Buckley, and at her intimate, sold-out concerts. This desire is also a lyrical theme running through her debut album Blush (out August 21). “All my songs are love songs,” says the 21-year-old. “Even the one about my dad is a love song, the ones about my friends are love songs, the ones that are just about lust are love songs.” Hawke has been writing lyrics for years—some songs on her record initially started out… Read more

If you’ve been paying attention recently, you might have realized that there’s a problem with the United States Postal Service: It’s overwhelmed and underfunded especially in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic, Donald Trump is hell-bent on defunding the postal service because he’s scared of losing an election, and the new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy made some drastic changes that seem to hurt the service more than help. We have never seen such big problems with the USPS. In fact, there’s polling that suggests that the… Read more

The third night of the virtual Democratic National Convention centered the key components Democrats are focusing on in the 2020 presidential election: mobilizing voters, the Black Lives Matter movement, the economy in the age COVID-19, and taking down President Donald Trump. However, the DNC also illuminated another crucial factor of the presidential race last night: the role of women. Here are some of the highlights from the speeches made by women on Wednesday night. Kamala Harris The DNC witnessed a historical moment… Read more

While Kamala Harris was selected as presidential candidate Joe Biden’s VP, far-right extremist Laura Loomer just won the GOP primary in Florida’s 21st district. The seat is currently held by Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fl), the four-term incumbent in a solidly blue district. If you haven’t heard of her, Laura Loomer is not a Disney supervillain, even though her conservative activism makes her seem like one. She refers to herself as a “proud Islamophobe” and has called Islam a “cancer on humanity.” With that information, it… Read more

Move over lung disease! COVID-19 just became the third leading cause of death in the United States. Just behind heart disease and cancer, the United State’s third-biggest killer is the coronavirus, followed loosely by accidents, lung disease, and Alzheimer’s. According to CNN, the United States has averaged more than 1,000 COVID-19 deaths a day for the past three weeks. Last week alone, Americans were eight times more likely than Europeans to die of COVID-19. This all comes around the time school is starting back up… Read more

Last night, the second of the three-night Democratic National Convention, delegates from all 50 states and seven territories participated in the nomination roll call, officially nominating former Vice President Joe Biden for president. The roll call, which was done via pre-recorded video and zoom for the first time in the DNC’s 172 year history, featured a number of moving speeches from diverse citizens and elected officials from across the nation. One of these short testimonials came from Congresswoman Alexandria… Read more

20 year old youth activist Tianna Atara was arrested on July 21st in San Luis Obispo, CA during a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest and now faces 8 charges and possibly 15 years in prison. SHE HAS BEEN ORGANIZING PEACEFUL PROTESTS FOR MONTHS IN SAN LUIS AND LEADS US IN BEAUTIFUL SONG WHEN OUTSIDERS TRY TO SPARK TENSION. DONT LET OUR COUNTY PAINT HER AS A FELON!!! THE CHARGES ARE UNSUBSTANTIATED 📢🗣✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 #FreeTianna #BLM pic.twitter.com/fKMu9EhWKE — nicole huffman (@nicoleahuffman) August 10, 2020 The SLO Police… Read more

Monday night, politicians Zoomed in all over the U.S. for the Democratic National Convention; but not one of their speeches could quite hold a candle to Michelle Obama’s, whose address harbored the authentic, non-withholding dose of reality we all need right now. Michelle addressed the American people last night from her living room, a simple “VOTE” necklace donned, making it clear right away that she was not just speaking as the former first lady, but as an American citizen and a mother. “I know a lot of folks are… Read more

FOR MANY, JAM evokes a sense of home: weekend PB&Js, grandma’s sweet concoctions, liquid summer in a jar. For jam maker V Smiley, it also means homecoming. Five years ago, Smiley came back to her family’s farm in Vermont to start V Smiley Preserves, her fruit preservation project, after years spent away. What took her so long? Jam making isn’t for the impatient. Turning fresh fruit into perfectly gooey, delicious preserves takes time, and time is a key factor in Smiley’s life. When she was young, it took her some time… Read more

100 years ago, the 19th amendment, allowing women the right to vote, was passed. But although the amendment was written to give women of all races the right to vote, in practice, it was mostly white women who secured the right; Black women would have to wait nearly 5 decades more to actually exercise that right. You’ve probably heard about many of the women involved in this fight, but it wasn’t won in one fell swoop. Instead, it was a battle that was fought state by state, much like our current election process. In… Read more

Covid-19 has had a devastating effect on performing arts venues across the country. In an effort to contain the spread, thousands of independent performance venues and arts organizations have been forced to cancel nearly every event on their calendars until at least 2021. For independent spaces as well as the working artists they feature and employ, the economic impact has been catastrophic. Yet during a time of crisis, isolation and uncertainty art plays a more valuable role than ever. After all, try getting ready in… Read more

Ellen DeGeneres and The Ellen Show have recently come under fire amid many investigations. After a Buzzfeed News report came out accusing three top executive producers — Kevin Leman, Ed Glavin, and Jonathan Norman — of sexual misconduct, there was an investigation into their actions. Since then, Buzzfeed News has reported that the three producers have been fired from the show. In a meeting with her employees on Monday, DeGeneres announced the decision to fire the three producers. During the call, she also stated that… Read more

TikTok star Tony Lopez has been exposed after screenshots revealed the 20-year-old had been sending sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old girl. According to The TikTok Shaderoom, Tony was messaging a minor through Instagram DMs and on Snapchat. The underaged victim, identified as Cay, commented alongside screenshots of the Snapchat messages sent by the Hype House member: "But as you can see here, he continued to say s--t knowing that I wasn't of age. But predators don't care!" Cay added, "He would snap me… Read more

According to the Body Image Therapy Center, 70 percent of 18 to 30-year-olds don’t like their body. Eighty-nine percent of girls have dieted by age 17. And 42 percent of girls in first through third grade want to lose weight. Our society has an obsession with being thin, and no one can really pinpoint how or when it began. Some think it began in the 1840s with a minister who preached women’s overindulgences in food signaled poor morality. Others think it began much later with a “scientist” in the 1920s who came up with… Read more

A bike messenger for the National Woman’s Party, which was staffed entirely by women For half a century, women had been politely agitating for suffrage. Then some fearless young radicals came along who weren’t afraid to make some noise—even if it meant serving prison time. Seven years later, they had won the right to vote It was more than a parade; it was a pageant. On March 13, 1913, thousands of women descended on Washington, D.C. to demand the right to vote. Led by a strikingly beautiful woman clad in a white cape and… Read more

"Just like the men!" Cartoon. New-York Tribune, March 1, 1913 When African-American women demanded the right to vote, they faced resistance from racists, from sexists, and even from other suffragistsBy Sabrina Ford America’s recent presidential election was a painful one for many of us. But amid all the traumatic sound bites, one of the few highlights was watching women in their late 90s and older—born before the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote—gleefully casting their votes for a female president for the… Read more

Cats have stereotypically been associated with women, particularly spinsters and lesbians, enforced by the myth of the “crazy old cat lady.” This is actually an old-fashioned stereotype and has roots in the suffragette movement. Surprisingly, cats were used as symbols in anti-suffragette postcards to rally public opinion against the women's vote. The card's purpose was to portray suffragettes as “silly, infantile, incompetent, and ill-suited to political engagement, ” per Jezebel. Check out these postcards below.… Read more

Country music sensation and feminist icon Dolly Parton has once again proved that she’s a queen while admitting she’s still learning. Earlier this week, the 76-year-old musician made headlines when she spoke out about the Black Lives Matter movement in an interview with Billboard. “I understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen,” Parton stated on the recent global uprisings that followed the murders of George Floyd and other Black Americans. “Of course Black lives matter! Do we think our little… Read more

Donald Trump gained notoriety for falsely claiming that President Barack Obama, who was born in Hawaii, was not a U.S. citizen and was lying about his birthplace. This statement was the genesis of the “birtherism” movement where people suspected Obama was lying about his nationality and demanded to see his birth certificate. Many people falsely claimed that Barack Obama was a Muslim. And despite there being nothing wrong with being a Muslim, it was a bald-faced lie, a movement rooted in racism and xenophobia. Even… Read more

Sarah Cooper has made a name for herself over the past few years as a comedian, but she really blew up this year with the help of TikTok. She posts humorous videos of herself lip-syncing to Donald Trump and whatever nonsensical thing he’s said this week. She’s even been blocked by Trump on Twitter, which is an honor in its own right. She has the hashtag #blockedbytrump in her Twitter bio, wearing it like a badge of honor. @whatchugotforme How to tiktok ♬ original sound - whatchugotforme @whatchugotforme How to bible ♬… Read more

Wonder Woman and her alter ego, Diana Prince, have a stylist, and her name is Lindy Hemming. When the Oscar-winning Welsh costume designer behind The Dark Knight trilogy was brought on to dress Gal Gadot for director Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman, the heroine’s red, gold, and blue battle armor had already been created for her Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice cameo. But in Wonder Woman 1984, set for release on August 14, Wonder Woman’s new winged golden battle armor is entirely Hemming’s design, taking inspiration from… Read more

There’s a good chance you’ve read a book and not known that the author is a woman. That’s because, throughout history, many women have used male pen names in order to sneak their work through the publishing industry’s patriarchal doors. As more women tried to get their work published in the 19th century, they faced criticism from publishers who considered them unfit for the literary realm and refused their work for publication solely on the basis of their gender. Even the beloved Charlotte Brontë was told “literature… Read more