By Sophia Ball Photos taken by Nandi Gott Feature photo taken from the Athens County website The Athena Cinema is a historic movie theater located in Athens, Ohio. Formerly known as the Majestic Theater, The Athena opened in 1915 and has been ever-growing since. In the early 2000s, the theater was renovated and transformed into an art-house cinema that features independent films, documentaries, and other specialty programs. The theater includes three screens, 35mm and digita

Bekah Bostick, associate editor Shania Twain’s Queen of Me showcases her new genre that she’s moving into in a dissatisfying collection of 12 songs. Growing up, I remember my mom playing the 1997 hit “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” constantly. This album is anything but her past hits that brought the Canadian country star to fame. After a decade that gave Twain a son, a divorce, and an illness that brought the fear that she would never be able to sing again, she’s back and ready

Anna Birk, Executive Editor Image from Cleveland.com Cierra Boyd Cierra Boyd was one of the founders of The Scene magazine at Ohio University. Today, that magazine has become the first mass-print fashion magazine on campus and is known as VARIANT. Boyd has gone on to create a sustainable fashion brand with nearly 50,000 followers on Instagram. She has styled celebrities such as Cardi B and been featured on HBO’s show, The Hype . Her fashion brand boasts creativity by creati

Katie Johnson, Head of Styling 1. Anita Pallenburg photos Dating not one, but two members of The Rolling Stones was step one of becoming an It Girl. German-Italian actress and model Anita Pallenburg also had her own coolness about her that was independent from the rockstar men she dated. She had a bohemian-meets-rocker-groupie style that she smoothly flaunted. In the ’60s and ’70s, Pallenburg rocked power suits, chunky belts, big coats and scarves, disco tops, and platform

Kate Tocke, blogger Here at OU we feel at home. Whether you live in the luxury that is Jeff Hall or the not as luxurious dirty south, we all have our ways of making our dorm rooms feel like home. You are either the person who scatters their wall with posters or you leave them barren. There is no in between. Recently everyone at OU – and all over the internet – has seen the familiar Ohio dorm halls on their TikTok for you pages recently, and that is because OU student Stuart

By: Emily Squance , Blogger Located in Rising Sun, Indiana, The Red Wolf Sanctuary (RWS) preserves and protects a wide variety of animals. Even though each creature may come from all walks of life, they are all able to call this non-for-profit home.  The Red Wolf Sanctuary was founded in 1979 on the mission of preserving North American wildlife. They hope that with their efforts in protecting and rehabilitating a wide variety of animals, they’ll allow future generations to

By Emily Squance, Blogger Tucked away behind various trees on Shafer Street, there sits a colorful building with an eye-catching pink and blue sign. Upon first glance Beads and Things may just look like an ordinary bead shop. However, inside you will be immersed in a world of color and creativity. Founded in May of 1990, Beads and Things started out as a dream yet to come to life. Ohio University grad, Joe Merkle, opened the store on 400 dollars cash and few supplies on han

By: Anna Birk, Copy Chief Just as I knew it would, the phase in my New York journey has come where I find myself thinking, “I don’t want to leave. Ever!” It’s as if I long for the city, even though I’m actively watching it pass by from my apartment. I think some of the things I was originally nervous about are the same ones that I’ve come to love: the breeze of the subway as it jerks to a stop at any given station, the pigeons that fight outside of my bedroom window every mo

By: Isabella Lasneski, Blogger It’s the start of the spring semester and you know what that means: New classes, a new schedule, a new routine! I love the saying “If you can’t beat them, join them” because it reminds me to never stay stuck in the past for too long. Things like technology and human nature are changing so often, that change has now become our new normal. Change is inevitable so why not embrace it? This year, join me in embracing the change that the new year has

By Maria Welch, Blogger Just two months into the new year, and we see a rise in denim, upcycled clothing and more leather. Along with that, we see more natural-sheer styles in both men and women. Each of these styles let people express themselves more freely than ever before. From social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, we see multiple posts of out- of- the ordinary fashion trends that are accepted to wear by both men and women. This generation is fueled by creativ

By: Grace Potochney, Blogger  For a long time, not only our country but the world has seen the environment arise and become global issues, but it was until the past five years that this matter has gained awareness by us. As an elementary schooler about a decade ago, I remember learning about recycling and it seemed like something fun that adults wanted young children to know. But, here we are entering 2022 and some researchers say our planet is in its emergency mode. As co

By: Anna Birk, Copy Chief Whatever they tell you about New York … it’s all true; the good, the bad, the crazy, the cost. I suppose out of everything, I’ll start with a bit of a highlight reel: When I first got to my apartment, I was greeted like a true New Yorker by paying entirely too much, for an entirely too-small apartment. The dead cockroach who greeted me upon entering the apartment really was the icing on the cake, and continuing with the apartment adventures, the ra

By Emilie Burch, PR Director If there was anything to take away from 2021 it is that the movement in self-expression is only just beginning. It comes in the form of dressing in bold styles, trying new daring makeup looks and to complete the look wearing the hottest hairstyles of the year. Influenced through celebrity style and pop culture phenomenons, the hair we expect to see trending this year will only elevate your look even further. Here are 5 hairstyles to try in 2022:

By: Savannah Dawson, Blogger It is the start of a new year, which means one thing – New Year’s resolutions. One thing rings true about new year’s resolutions: they  often do not last past January 31st, if they even make it that long. The end of January brings the looming fear that you will break the promises you made to yourself, or that setting back into a normal schedule will force you to give up the goals that you had prepared. One great way to fix the issue is through m

Image by Madison Kopp By Olivia Szmania, Blogger Body dysmorphia and impossible body standards are prospering. As I have grown up and become a young adult, what has unfolded before me has been terrifying. With today’s inspiration being the Kardashians and Instagram influencers, the body expectations have surpassed reality. Girls strive to have a tiny waist, curves, large butt, and large chest. When analyzing popular celebrities and influencers that portray this ideal, it s

By Sarah Osterle, Blogger It’s the time of year where pumpkin spice lattes and fuzzy socks come out! This is also the best time to bring out new and maybe some old fashion trends to be stylish yet comfy. Fashion trends of 2021 have been quite funky from chunky rings to fun flared pants but for this coming fall, I have five fun trends that will add spunk to your outfit! Anything leather This can range from leather pants, skirts, jackets, etc. I mean ANYTHING leather can leve

By Taylor Strnad, Blogger Cooking in college can be a hassle. If you live in a dorm, you have to go to the front desk and ask to borrow pots and pans or ask one of your neighbors for theirs. Then you have to go to the community kitchen, which everyone is always using to make something, so you might not even be able to cook when you want to. All of this can make cooking frustrating and not worth the hassle. But, if you’re lucky enough to have access to a microwave and a micro

Illustration by Kayla Edwards By Kayla Edwards, Blogger From shapewear to puffer coats, the Kardashians have had an impeccable influence on the fashion industry. Each one of the sisters have their own unique style and have all had their own period of capturing the media’s eye with their sense of fashion. Kendall usually sports her effortless but chic model off duty looks and Kim is most always dripped down in Yeezy, but recently Kourtney has taken the spotlight for own sense

Hello beautiful beings! My name is Sarah Ladipo, my stories are dedicated to my critical thoughts about all things related to myself, the world we live in and maybe even other worlds. I’m continuously philosophically thinking about random things and I’m also ranting (with good reason) about things I think should change or exist in the society we live in. I hope you enjoy the plethora of random, yet important things I blog about. #Blog #MoreBlogs #VRNT

Hello, I’m Emily Squance. I am a junior majoring in strategic communications with one minor in business analytics and one in psychology. I have been working for Variant Magazine since August 2020. Ohio University has many opportunities to learn and grow; fortunately I have discovered my passions of writing and design through working with Variant. You can find me either typing up a blog, designing an Instagram story, or even taking photos for my blogs. Working with the Varia