When the Cool Get Hazed.

Girl-on-girl bullying or hazing is old news by now, for anyone who has seen ''Mean Girls'' or ''Heathers'' or ''Gossip Girl'': popular girls organize a perfectly-coiffed and designer-clothed gang; fringe girl is targeted; bullies use their meanness and power to further marginalize fringe girl and reassert their status. But news of a ''slut list'' at a top-ranked New Jersey high school last week highlighted two disturbing points: the increasingly explicit and sexual nature of the taunts, magnified by the Internet. And, in another twist, the perception that allegations of promiscuity -- however fictional -- are a badge of honor, a way into the cool group, and not a cause for shame. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]