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: 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: Jordan Schmitt; Editor in Chief Among the many topics discussed during Athens City Council on Monday, February 8, one important discussion stuck out: hair. Council member Micah McCarey proposed an update to the city’s anti-discrimination legislation that would provide additional protections against race-based discrimination involving hair textures and styles. The proposed ordinance protects, “protective and cultural hairstyles – includes but is not limited to braids, lo

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

Photos by Ashlynn McKee, Photo Assistant By Zoie Lambert, Blogger Ten minutes outside of Ohio University is a weathered parking lot with several potholes and a Hometown Inn. Known for its air-conditioning, free Wi-Fi, and floral bedsheets dating back to 1970, the place can be described as unassuming. For an aspiring barber, however, it was a fresh start. Sealonda Smith, first name pronounced Shuh-lawn-duh better known by her nickname “Smitty” given to her while playing bas

Image from Google By Olivia Szmania, Blogger John Quinones, former ABC News correspondent and host of the show, “What Would You Do?” received the Carr Van Anda Award at Ohio University on October 19th. The E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University, gives the The Car Van Anda award to recognize the outstanding work by journalist during their careers . He has won seven national emmys for his work with “Primetime”. Starting from the beginning, he grew up in povert

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

Photo By Emily Squance By Emily Squance, Art Director The Vietnam War was a devastating war for many; the events that took place will forever impact our society as we know it. However, with the 43 years that have passed since the war, many generations are growing up with little to no knowledge of its imprint. On Veterans Day in 1996, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund introduced a replica of the memorial in Washington, D.C. This was “The Wall That Heals,” and since the intr

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

Image by Brent Newlan My name is Hannah Mazanec, I am a senior studying fashion merchandising with a marketing minor. I have been working at Variant Magazine for about a year now. I have written a few blogs about the origins of streetwear, cruise recommendations for a vacation, as well as how fashion trends are perceived among different body types. I have also occasionally helped out with makeup for some of last year’s photoshoots. The reason I wanted to apply to become a pa

Hi! My name is Kayla Edwards. I’m from Akron, Ohio. I am a senior studying Fashion Merchandising and with a minor in Business Entrepreneurship. I joined Variant Magazine last year as a stylist and now I’m very excited to be taking on the role as Head of Styling for this school year. I am very passionate about fashion. After college, I plan on furthering my education and pursuing my graduate degree in Fashion Design with goals of being a designer and starting my own label. N

Graphic by Maddie James By: Alaina Falbo; Blogger Every year when summer comes around, I like to make a bucket list to challenge myself to see what I can accomplish. Bucket lists are also a great cure for summer boredom. I usually get ideas from social media, mostly TikTok. I try to put things on my list that I’ve never experienced. Here are the eight activities you should try in the last weeks of summer! Go bike riding  Bike riding is a perfect way to enjoy the summer sun

Image from @cyd_theedawn on Instagram Hi, I’m Cydnee Livingston. I am currently a senior at Ohio University, studying Communications with minors in PR & Advertising and Retail Merchandising & Fashion Product Development. I was looking for a creative outlet at Ohio University and luckily I found Variant. I started at Variant in May 2020 as co-head of event planning. I loved Variant so much I came back for another year and am now the co-head of the Makeup Department. I’ve alwa

By Maya Meade, Blogger With Mother’s Day just around the corner, it is time to start thinking of the perfect gift to give your mother or important parental figure in your life. Aside from the typical gifts like accessories, flowers and breakfast in bed, there are many unique ways to show your loved ones you care. You can get creative and make your own, or buy from local businesses. Here is some inspiration for you to start the search for the perfect Mother’s Day gift: Create

Photo from @peopletreeuk on Instagram By Maya Meade, Blogger Earth Day is this Thursday, and you can do your part to celebrate by shopping these brands. People Tree People Tree is a pioneer in sustainable and Fair Trade clothing. The brand started in 1991 and has been continuing its mission to make clothing at the highest ethical and environmental standard from beginning to end. The goal is to make innovative, stylish and affordable clothing for women while respecting the