• by whitley , August 31, 2005

I think Bust, the iconic post-feminist zine of the 90s, has crossed into the new millennium with a bad case of penis envy, or least overzealous teen girl giddiness over boys. (Note: the editors are in their 30s.) The August issue is devoted to the Esquire rip-off "Men We Love" theme, and we soon learn in the editors note that it is the third such issue they've done this year.

We also learn that one staffer has actually started stalking one of the guys she profiled, and that "he's sooooooo cute" is the new feminist intellectual speak. The editors then offer pages of luscious boys dubbed "the thinking girls' eye candy," starring cover boy Justin Theroux, who they say is "guaranteed to give you a girl boner." I'm still not sure if this is post feminist or downright "female chauvinist." Either way, I love Bust because it doesn't take itself too seriously.

And then it's onto those yummy boys. We learn that actor Justine Theroux made Mary Louise Parker's mother meow, that Flaming Lips front man Wayne Coyne is a hopeless romantic, Spike Jonze values his mother's opinion above anyone else, and rapper Chuck D thinks that rap's locker-room mentality towards women needs to change.

Once you get through the boy candy, there are actually some substantial articles about important issues. There is a really good opening profile of young-adult novelist Francesca Lia Block, in which she talks about the 40-something character in her new novel "Necklace of Kisses," who has just gone through a divorce; the author has recently divorced as well. "I didn't realize that growing up for this heroine was really going to be about becoming more active and taking a less passive role (in my own life)," she says. I take this as a symbolic quote for the post-feminism generation, which all too often has rebelled against the angrier first wave.

Other tidbits include a profile of an "anti-geisha" and stories about The Pink Mafia Skydive Club, an anti-fat camp, an artist who tattoos dolls, and a fabulous quote from Angelina Jolie ("ever since I dated a woman, I know what it is to grab a curve on a woman's body. Skinny's not fine when the lights are low."). There is also a good piece about how the Bush administration is trying to block all methods of birth control, why America's Next Top Model isn't sexist, and a 1950s camp for cross-dressers. Then it gets girly with fun recipes; write-ups of food-flavored beauty products (they sit next to an article about the dangers of said beauty products); and fashion (three easy projects to turn men's clothes into femme fashions).

Essentially, Bust's editorial point of view is on the mark. The magazine is real and captures how lost and confused the feminist movement is. But one thing is certain, the ladies at Bust are having a ball figuring out why.