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So I’m minding my own business, studying at my favorite bookstore coffeeshop, when I look up to give my eyes a break and what do I see?  This:

Exclusive! “TIGER: Raw, Never-Before-Seen Photos! by Annie Lebovitz”

Ahh, yes, always one to bring the scandal (remember the Miley Cyrus / Billy Ray Electra controversy last year?) I am not surprised to see Ms. Lebovitz has a hand in this.

“The MYSTERY of a SPORTS SUPERSTAR we thought we knew”

What is going on here.  Do I think that Tiger’s affairs should be cover material?  No, but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles, isn’t it.  I don’t see why any celebrity (or politician) sex scandal deserves front-page anything, save for our human voyeurism.  But how is it that after all the scandal Tiger still comes out as an Adonis?

I can’t even think of a role-reversal example of this to compare it to.  We typically are left with the aftermath of a husband-gone-wild and a wife in shambles, where Mr. Wild Oats comes across as the bad guy.  It is rare that we see as much attention paid to scandals of Mrs. Wild Oats’s adventures of her own.  But, if we did, I think it’s safe to say that Mrs. Wild Oats would play the role of slut/whore/bitch and not be featured on the cover of fashion magazines as a brooding sexual object only months after the debacle.

And yet, there Tiger is in all his shirtless, weight lifting glory (where are the golf clubs?), with Never-Before-Seen Photos! and an Exclusive! insight into the MYSTERY of the man we “thought we knew.”  Please.  Vanity Fair will do anything to move their lavatory literature.

Can you think of any examples of women in Tiger’s position that come out on top?

Panty predicament?  Fear not.  Cosmo’s got your back (lower back, if you know what I mean).

Classy.  Because not only do I need a magazine to tell me which undergarments to wear, I need them to be named after the underwear of children of the opposite sex, and I need them to make my butt look like someone else’s butt. The article begins:

A little more than 10 years ago… wearing a thin strip of fabric between your butt cheeks was considered daringly sexy.

Are we supposed to pretend that Cosmo didn’t tell us that thongs were “daringly sexy?”  The article goes on about the history of the thong and other “man-melting undies” – which might actually be interesting if it was about women’s fashion for women’s sakes, and not just as lures for mates.

But, that’s why I subscribe to Bitch and Bust and not Cosmo.  Thanks Jezebel!

5:00 Edit: The timeline of underwear at the bottom reminded me of this:

As self-described on its homepage, “New Moon Girls is an online community and print magazine where girls create and share poetry, artwork, videos, and more; chat together; and learn.  All in a fully moderated, educational environment designed to build self-esteem and positive body image.” Sounds pretty good to me!

New Moon is a bimonthly magazine that offers a refreshing change from CosmoGirl and Seventeen with an emphasis on real girls real talents and abilities, creativity, and uniqueness rather than perpetuating the media standards that inhibit these important and empowering aspects of being a young woman today.

The newly launched website offers girls an opportunity to connect with each other in a safe environment and continue to engage with the magazine’s approach to inspiring stories and ideas online.  There are advice columns, art activities, poetry and art galleries, body and emotion explanations, and tons of other cool features that help girls understand and express who they are, rather than telling them who they should try to be.  We could use a little more of that.

Your typical ladies mag probably has some gorgeous model on the cover whose spent about seven hours in makeup prior to her photoshoot.  It probably has headlines about how to lose weight, have better sex, and make your man happy.  It’s lined with ads for make up, weight loss products, and designer clothes and jewelry that’d cost you a full paycheck (not to mention that you’d never have anyplace to wear them).  There’s an interview with some Hollywood starlet who’s promoting her latest show or film, and trying to iron out some trashy rumors.  If you’re lucky, there’s a gossip column outlining everyone else’s dirt, too.

Not the kind of magazine you want on your coffee table, but not sure there are other options?  Rest assured, and pick up a copy of BUST: a magazine “for women with something to get off their chests.”  According to editor-in-chief Debbie Stoller:

I’ve always believed that pop culture is far more than just a matter of keeping us entertained on the couch.  Not merely reflective, pop culture acts to shape our ideas of our society and, in particular, women’s place in it.

I picked up my first issue of BUST in June, and read it cover to cover – not something I can often say about magazines.  The issue contained interviews with Kathy Griffin, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, screenwriter Vendela Vida (of Away We Go) and the women of the Gulabi Gang (an Indian domestic violence vigilante women’s group).  There were recipes, DIY instructions for pinatas, tongue-in-cheek articles about the obsession with women’s bodies, and a thoughtful discussion of labiaplasty.

Issue #2 included interviews with Diablo Cody and Regina Spektor, craft and recipe instructions, a fall preview of music, movies, television and books, and a killer crossword (which went much better for me than the June/July puzzle).  In short, the magazine delivered.  Again.

BUST has everything you could hope for, from book, music and movie reviews to feminist friendly fashion designers to DIY instructions for everything from lunchboxes to shower curtains to kombucha.  The magazine regularly features interviews with empowered women from a variety of fields, ranging from pop to politics.  The “Boy Du Jour” column highlights interesting men in the media, and male artists are often included in the reviews (another reminder that feminists aren’t “man-haters”).

You can bet I filled out that little cardboard subscription card ASAP and dropped in my mailbox.  In fact, I did that after binging on Issue #1.  Issue #2 looked so good, I couldn’t risk my subscription not starting in time so I picked it up at the store, too!  If you’re looking for something a little less insulting and a little more empowering than Glamour, Cosmo, or Elle, I highly recommend BUST magazine.  You won’t be able to put it down.

“Bitch,” like it or not, is a complex word. It can function as a noun or an adjective, referring to or describing an outspoken, stubborn, and persistent woman, or it can function as a verb, the act of speaking up about something that rubs you the wrong way.

For over ten years, the pages of Bitch magazine have provided a forum for you-know-whos to you-know-what. BITCHfest: Ten Years of Cultural Criticism from the Pages of Bitch Magazine collects an assortment of feminist responses to topics from puberty to sex to homemaking to activism. It’s like the Whitman’s Sampler of feminist ideology!

BITCHfest is a great introduction to feminist thinkers. It’s clear throughout the volume that feminists are unashamed of their diversity: article after article provides a unique perspective on the messages that pop culture surrounds us with. One author defends Martha Stewart, another uses her as an example of housewifery on steroids; one author commends Buffy the Vampire Slayer for bringing a lesbian couple to the small screen, another scolds the series for an all-too-common ending to a same-sex romance.

The contributing authors, like the feminist community, are a diverse group of women from all walks of life – from different countries, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, and generations – whose voices work together, even as their perspectives differ. Some essays will grab your attention, break your heart, spark your anger, or incite you to action. Others may drift in one ear and out the other, lull you into daydreams, or offend. The beauty of BITCHfest is that each essay is followed by another, and there is always a new perspective waiting just a page or two away.

Feminism has been criticized for not having a figurehead, a solitary leader to direct the movement. I would argue that this is one of the many strengths of the movement. Feminists are allowed to think for themselves, to differ from one another, to fight alongside each other and separately. BITCHfest and Bitch magazine provide a forum for these diverse voices to respond to culture, and even if the authors don’t win you over to their arguments, they are sure to get you thinking.

Visit these links to learn more about BITCHfest and Bitch magazine.