 Betty Boob & Celina Hex, BustSelections: "Don'ts for Boys,"
by Betty, Ms. M., John-boy and Jimmie-a-go-go (page 18); "Hope
I Die Before Marcia Gets Old," by Edward Berridge (page
21); "Talking Dick," by Betty (page 88) Recent review (from Inquisitor):
"The world should be thankful every day that Bust exists...
It's the best wimmin's magazine ever." (From Ben
Is Dead): "Definitely the best of the chick zines." Sample: $5 from P.O. Box 1016, Cooper
Station, New York NY 10276 (Checks: Bust)
When did you launch your zine? What inspired you to do so?
 Celina:
The first issue was in July 1993. We were fed up with how mainstream
women's magazines were speaking women our age (mid-twenties).
While men's magazines were about pleasure, women's magazines
seemed to be all about anxiety—how to get a man, keep a
man, hide your smells, keep your elbows soft, etc. They were
not about the cool new bands you could listen to, how fun it
was to go out and laugh with your best girlfriends all night
long, or anything that was really fun in itself. Sassy was, but
Sassy was for girls younger than us. We decided to put something
into the popular culture that would reflect women the way we
knew them to be: smart, funny, sexy, and undeniably feminist.
Betty:
Mainstream women's magazines held no appeal for us—the closest
we got to liking a magazine was Details and that was for boys.
We wanted to do something that we and our friends could get into. Where'd you get the name?
Betty: We
wanted something girlie something strong, something feminine,
something that had to do with anatomy, something that meant alot
of things.
Why publish a zine?
Betty:
Because you can do it yourself and be your own boss. What's your favorite part of publishing a zine?
Celina:
There's so much... But the best part is that I feel that with
Bust we are actually doing something that matters. So, it's fulfilling
for me. No, we're not getting paid to do it, but from the fan
mail we get and things people tell us when they meet us, I know
that we are fulfilling this mission: to give girls something
that they can identify with, something that reflects them, and
makes them feel less lonely. We've kind of identified a community—and
like our '70s right-on sisters said, there's power in numbers.
Anyway, all of this makes me feel good. I also like getting the
free books from publishers, having the chance to meet and interview
women I have admired for a long time, and it keeps me off the
streets! Have you published any other zines?
Celina:
Before we started Bust, I didn't even know what a zine was. Any general tips for aspiring zinesters?
Betty: Ask
alot of questions, talk to as many zine publishers as you can
about what they did, get the Factsheet Five zine publisher's
resource guide, and do it yourself.
Celina:
You need to figure out what your mission is, then let that direct
everything else you do. And really, the most important thing
I think is to have a mission (other than "I wanna make a
zine too!!"). It's important, if you're going to put a lot
of time into a project like this, that you have a real reason
for doing it—a need. In my other life, I'm a
Celina:
multimedia producer for Nickelodeon Online with a PhD in social
psychology. Go figure!
Betty:
producer, director and writer of commercials, spots, and videos
for television. Fan
Mail
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