Vol. 14 Issue 2

BACKDROP FALL 2020

TAKING THE EDGE OFF PG. 14 DAYDREAM JUNK PG. 16 THE ANTI-DIET PG. 30

College College in in Quarantine Quarantine pg. 20 backdropmagazine.com

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Letter from the Editor

Taylor Linzinmeir | Editor-in-Chief backdropmag@gmail.com

Almost a year has passed since the coronavirus transformed all of our lives, and we’re still in a global pandemic. Students are still going to class online. Residents of Athens are still required to wear masks while in public. It feels like we’re living in the movie Groundhog Day, reliving the same day over and over again.

But a lot has changed, too; the leaves on the Athens trees have begun changing from their luscious green to vibrant yellows, oranges and reds. Students are inventing new ways to complete the tasks that were once so easily accomplished pre-pandemic. Ohio University students and Athens residents are adapting. So is Backdrop.

We've adapted our style, our content and our mission.

We have overcome the obstacle of distance, successfully completing a magazine while our staff is scattered across the country, some miles away from Athens and the people they are covering.

Our cover feature by Web Editor Nora McKeown reveals what it’s like to live in OU quarantine housing on page 20. Event Planner Maya Meade explores sexuality in both her story on lingerie on page 32, and the infographic on self-pleasure designed by Creative Director Ashley Laflin on page 14. This issue also explores the ethicality of thrifting in the story written by Assistant Managing Editor Helen Widman on page 8.

I know class, work – pretty much everything—is hard right now. But soon the trees will lose the last of their leaves and the cold winds of winter will take over. Change is inevitable.

It will get better.

Stay well,

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backdrop | Fall 2020

FALL 2020 » VOLUME 14 ISSUE 2

Interested in working with us?

Backdrop is an award-winning, student-run magazine aimed at covering current events and culture with OU and Athens as our "backdrop." We are currently recruiting more people for our amazing staff. We have positions available for:

Writers Photographers Designers Social Media Content Creators And More!

If you're interested in joining our team, email backdropmag@gmail.com

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backdrop magazine EDITOR-IN-CHIEF TAYLOR LINZINMEIR MANAGING EDITOR ELEANOR BISHOP ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR HELEN WIDMAN WEB EDITOR NORA MCKEOWN COPY CHIEF LILY ROBY ASSISTANT COPY CHIEF GABRIELLA HAYES ASSOCIATE EDITORS SOPHIA ENGLEHART & ABBY NEFF MARKETING DIRECTOR KATIE HAWKINSON

CREATIVE DIRECTOR ASHLEY LAFLIN ART DIRECTORS ABIGAIL SUMMERS & LAINEY DOUGLAS DESIGNERS MACEY ELDER, JULIA GREENWOOD, CJ HERR,

KIRSTEN KETCHUM, KATEY KRUBACK, MORGAN MEYER PHOTO EDITOR ELLIE HABEL SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR SARAH TODACK SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR & EVENT PLANNER MAYA MEADE

SEE "VIRTUAL

VINTAGE" PAGE 16

Two resin ashtrays handmade by Daydream Junk's Jessica Jones. Photo provided by Jessica Jones.

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CONTENTS FEATURES VIRTUAL VINTAGE

Jessica Jones has found success using social media to sell her handmade jewelry and thrifted finds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

PHASE TWO: QUARANTINE ON CAMPUS

OU students recount their experiences under university-mandated quarantine .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Q&A

PHOTO STORY

OU alumna and current Insider digital culture reporter Kat Tenbarge shares her thoughts on everything social media. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Athenians use signs and flags to show their continuing support for the Black Lives Matter movement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

INTERNET INSIDER

THE DROP

THRIFTY AND THRIVING Thrift shopping presents an affordable and environmentally-conscious alternative to “fast” fashion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

OU’S IDENTITY CRISIS

Cover illustration by Ashley Laflin.

Since 2016, OU has been facing a decline in enrollment that hasn’t been helped by the coronavirus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

FOOD PREP SCHOOL

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

HEATH

LISTEN TO YOUR GUT

Intuitive eating has helped many college students leave diet culture behind. . . . . . . . . . . 30

STYLE

SEXY IN ANY SIZE

Awareness of the need for size inclusive lingerie is increasing, but there’s still a long way to go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Become a meal-prepping pro with Backdrop’s guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

VOICES

RECIPE

One Backdropper’s hobby has provided solace during the pandemic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

CUP OF COMFORT

STAYING ON TRACK

This vegan tortilla soup is sure to keep you warm all season long . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

CALENDAR

INFOGRAPHIC

Get the most out of autumn in Athens by visiting these local parks and trails . . . . . . . . . 36

GOOD VIBRATIONS

With so many vibrators on the market, it can be overwhelming figuring out what to buy. . . . . . . . 14

ON THE BRICKS

EXHIBIT A Backdrop’s Editor-in-Chief shares her art . . . 37

THE BEAT

HEARTSTRINGS

“Sad Boy Folk” singer RJ Martin wants to share his soulful sound with the world. . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

FALL 2020 » VOLUME 14 ISSUE 2

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Q&A

Internet Insider

BY ABBY NEFF | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY KAT TENBARGE

Kat Tenbarge, former OU student turned digital culture connoisseur, sat down with Backdrop to talk social media influencers and their internet content during a global pandemic.

Kat Tenbarge

A

s a teenager, Kat Tenbarge spent much of her time on the internet, exploring content creators through Youtube and Tumblr. Now, as a reporter for Insider in New York City, Tenbarge and her colleagues have laid the ground work for the publication’s digital culture section.

Tenbarge graduated from Ohio University’s Honors Tutorial College in 2019, where she studied journalism and environmental studies. During her time as a student at OU, she interned at Cinci City Beat in her hometown of Cincinnati and spent a semester in Columbus her sophomore year covering public affairs for The Columbus Dispatch. She was the editorin-chief of The New Political, OU's student-run, non-partisan publication, before she interned in New York City for Inverse, a science and tech company where she started to report on digital culture.

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WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY AS A DIGITAL CULTURE REPORTER LOOK LIKE? It varies, especially from publication to publication. My career is definitely modeled after [New York Times internet culture reporter] Taylor Lorenz, who is an amazing mentor and a really great person. Everyone should read Taylor’s reporting; I feel like everyone already does.

Usually in the morning, I start going on Twitter and Instagram. And looking at discussion, I follow a bunch of accounts that are like ‘tea channels’ and drama channels, and then I follow a bunch of Instagram pages, and just people in general, I follow all of the major influencers that I write about.

I usually try to start the day with a shorter article that doesn’t require a lot of original reporting, or any at all sometimes … I try to wrap that up by noon. And that kind of gets me going for the day. Then I usually work on longer projects. I usually interview at least one person a day for either a longer, ongoing feature or investigation or for something shorter. I usually am juggling several projects on the backburner. Time management may not be my greatest strength, but I usually find myself spending a lot of my weekdays juggling all of my little things I’m looking into.

WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW? I feel like a lot of times people are surprised by what I work on. Because I do investigate, I do investigative work and that’s probably my favorite thing to do. I have two investigative projects on the back burner ... There’s a feature that I’m working on with a co-worker … During the pandemic, YouTube has relied more on automation bots in the review process and the video flagging process, and they have this new policy where you’re not allowed to spread coronavirus misinformation on YouTube. But their bots have mistakenly identified a slew of videos that are debunking coronavirus myths as spreading coronavirus misinformation … we talked to a few creators who had their videos removed incorrectly and couldn’t get in contact with YouTube about it.

I also interviewed a drama YouTuber, who I love, a commentary channel with D’Angelo Wallace.

WHAT INTERVIEW WITH A SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER DO YOU CONSIDER THE MOST MEMORABLE? I think my favorite person I have interviewed is probably Elijah Daniel. He’s so nice in real life … Right before the world ended, he had a tour stop in Brooklyn. And I went, and I went early and shadowed him for the night… He is one of the creators who, I feel like, is more wholesome. He is smart and does not attract negative controversy to grow bigger, per se. He’s a fun person to talk to, and someone who I felt like was more uplifting.

WHAT IS THE DYNAMIC BETWEEN INFLUENCERS AND THEIR FOLLOWERS? I got to go to Playlist [Live] this year, which was a really cool reporting experience … Someone like James Charles, for example; he definitely has a way more interesting relationship with his fans than … a traditional celebrity might through social media, because a lot of internet celebrities are in group chats, Twitter DMs, Discord, Patreon servers with their fans, so a lot of them end up communicating directly with them.

There’s almost a hierarchy of fans for some people, because there are some fans who might have talked to the person

privately, and maybe have like some sort of, almost friendship, mutual relationship [with them]. That can also become very, very dicey. Especially when you have these younger influencers, who may exchange sexual content with their fans, or get in fights with their fan groups. There [are] weird, unhealthy dynamics that emerge from it ... There’s also just such little supervision and scrutiny when it comes to some of the smaller or even bigger TikTok creators–it’s an unprecedented amount of communication and connection that they have with their audiences. But they’re all very young, and the dynamic can become very toxic very quickly.

IN YOUR OBSERVATION, HOW HAS THE SPREAD OF THE CORONAVIRUS AFFECTED SOCIAL MEDIA? SPECIFICALLY, THE BEHAVIOR OF INFLUENCERS? I feel like when the coronavirus first really erupted across the country, and it was clear that we were going to have to quarantine for a while, a lot of people … certainly some prominent people expressed, ‘Could this be the end of influencers?’ Which was never that good of a take, because influencers are perfectly suited for a pandemic. They make most of their content, either at home or in LA where they already live, and they have created a connection with people online, which is where people went more than ever for entertainment and human connection, which influencers excel at. I personally think that the pandemic was phenomenal for the success of influencers, because TikTok exploded in a way that it hadn’t before.

HOW WILL THE PANDEMIC AFFECT DIGITAL CULTURE AND THE BEHAVIOR OF INFLUENCERS IN THE FUTURE? I really do think that we are going to see, as we’ve already seen [a], continued increase of attention that is paid to the stars, money that these social stars are generating, [and] relevance that they have in general society. Addison Rae, I think, is the star of the generation. Maybe I’ll eat my words in a few years, maybe her relevancy will die out, but I just see her as ‘the girl next door’ for Gen Z. b

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THE DROP

Thrifty and Thriving

Thrifting is growing in popularity and may prove to be a more sustainable and affordable option for fashion-loving college students.

BY HELEN WIDMAN | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY NIA HARRIS

W

hether it be a pair of black high-top boots, a colorful chunky sweater or a tough leather jacket, people like to have a sense of individuality that allows them to somewhat control how others perceive them.

Luckily, the concept of thrifting is tailored perfectly toward those who seek to stand out sustainably—and on a budget.

Trina Gannon, a professor who teaches classes in retail merchandising and fashion product development at Ohio University, says that thrifting is more of a shift in consumer behavior than a temporary cultural trend.

“The trend of thrift store shopping isn’t really a trend anymore,” Gannon says. “It’s kind of more like a norm. You go into places like Forever 21 or a store like Anthropologie— everything is vintage based.”

Reusing clothing is not a new phenomenon. Up until the late 19th century, according to an online article by Time magazine, people would reuse and re-wear clothing until it could no longer be of any use to them.

But when the Industrial Revolution hit the United States, the way clothing was produced changed quickly as demand grew in big cities.

Time reports that in 1897, the Salvation Army started out of a basement of a men’s shelter, where people lived in exchange for collecting used clothes from their neighbors.

According to Time, “By 1935, there were nearly 100 Goodwill stores nationwide.” Thrift stores have only continued to go in and out of fashion ever since, but nevertheless have maintained their business.

Christo Siegel, a freshman at OU, says that he enjoys thrifting for its convenience, as well as the experience.

“A lot of it [why I thrift] has to do with prices,” Siegel says.

“Because thrift shops, it’s a lot—it’s definitely a lot—cheaper.

It’s also given me a variety of things that I can’t find from somebody else.”

According to Gannon, however, middle to upper class communities have historically looked down on thrifting.

“I think thrift store shopping is awesome. I’ve done it my

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whole life,” Gannon says. “I was actually made fun of in middle school for shopping at thrift stores.

“I had a cool dress on, and a girl actually really liked it. She said, ‘Where’d you get it?’ and I said a thrift store, and then of course I was made fun of for that, [she thought] ‘Yeah, that’s so gross.'”

Siegel says he used to worry a lot more about brand name clothing and shoes.

“In middle school, I always wanted to have Nikes, I always wanted to have super nice shoes,” he says.

Now, thrifting has shown Siegel that brand name labels aren’t as important. “[Thrifting] just provides a bunch of variety and different things that you won’t necessarily get from name brand places,” Siegel says.

One of the main reasons why thrifting has become more popular is that buying second-hand clothing helps the environment.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website, “The main source of textiles in municipal solid waste (MSW) is discarded clothing, although other smaller sources include furniture, carpets, tires, footwear, and other nondurable goods such as sheets and towels.”

“

I think thrift store shopping is awesome. I’ve done it my whole life.”

TRINA GANNON OHIO UNIVERISTY PROFESSOR

Freshman Nia Harris as a child, wearing thrifted clothing.

Nia Harris wearing a thrifted white polo to complete her outfit.

In 2017, the EPA estimated that 11.2 million tons of MSW went to landfills. This number is higher than the 3.2 million tons of textiles that were combusted and the 2.6 million tons that were recycled.

Nia Harris, another OU freshman, says that the environmental impact of thrifting is one of the reasons why she thrifts.

“I feel like it’s important to do our part to stop that [problems with fast fashion] or just decrease our impact with fast fashion,” Harris says. “I’m a teenager and I don’t make that much money, and thrifting is very cheap and it helps me save up on money that way.”

The cheaper prices of thrift stores combined with the unique items may be a major contributing factor in why teens today opt to shop second-hand.

Siegel seems to agree with Harris and says that the environmental impact of secondhand clothing is a bonus in addition to the cheap prices.

“When I was younger, I would get a lot of hand-me-downs from family friends,” Siegel says.

"I can now see that was actually a really good idea because

of expenses, and how that helps the environment – kind of recycling clothes instead of having to buy brand new ones from places.”

One issue that people may have with thrifting is that when members of the middle to upper class start buying at thrift shops, those shops may then have to increase their prices to continue to profit. And when prices at thrift stores increase, it becomes more difficult for the people who rely on thrifting to afford it.

According to Gannon, prices in thrift stores have definitely increased over the years: “You look on Etsy and you find a 1970s shirt for 30 bucks, 30 bucks! 20 years ago, that was like 90 cents in the thrift store.”

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires people who donate to stores like Goodwill to value their items. In turn, Goodwill’s Valuation Guide shows items of clothing at a range instead of one set value. For example, a woman’s blouse may cost anywhere from $2-12 if it is in good condition.

These price ranges show that if donated items are brought in good condition, Goodwill then is able to mark up the price, as long as it fits in the item’s range on the estimated valuation scale.

Others argue that thrifting is not accessible for people of all different sizes, or that not everyone has a thrift store in their area in order to shop second-hand and reduce the harmful environmental impact of fast fashion.

However, shopping second-hand is not limited to in-person thrift stores anymore. Companies like Poshmark and Depop allow people to resell their gently used clothing online. thredUP’s website even claims to be the “largest online thrift store," where they resell designer brands at reduced prices.

Some teenagers today have taken to social media to resell items out of their closets or even to buy thrifted items and resell them to those who may not want to take the trip to the thrift store themselves.

“I like the idea now of people using social media [to resell thrifted clothing] … it’s like they’re entrepreneurs,” Gannon says. “They’re starting a business.”

“Do I disagree with it? Not necessarily, but would I support it? No, because I could go to a thrift store myself. But does everybody want to do that? No.” Harris recalls wearing a thrifted shirt in the first grade and being made fun of it by a group of girls.

“Now, those same girls I’ve seen have posted taking trips to go to the thrift store,” Harris says. “[Thrifting has] become a lot more widespread, I think, in American culture.”

Siegel opposes the concept of buying trendy clothes secondhand for the sole purpose of reselling them.

“Buying something cute to take away from someone else, and then selling it for a higher price… just kind of feels like it defeats the purpose of it, thrifting,” Siegel says.

In terms of today’s generation of teenagers, Harris believes that her peers are becoming more aware of issues in the clothing industry.

“I feel like [our generation] is the most socially conscious,” Harris says. “A lot of people my age are always researching different issues, just in that [socially conscious] way.” b

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THE DROP

OU’s Identity Crisis

Ohio University has been struggling to increase enrollment, even before the coronavirus pandemic.

BY ANDIE HUNT | ILLUSTRATION BY MACEY ELDER

T

he trees are nearly bare and so is campus. Everything from classes to Halloween celebrations are unrecognizable. Ohio University does not look the same as it once did. But even with the pandemic aside, the identity and mission of OU has been in transition over the past decade.

The reputation of OU has been in decline and subsequently, so has enrollment. Since 2016, enrollment has dropped consistently, only made worse by the onslaught of the coronavirus. Many first-year students that would have begun their much-anticipated college careers this fall have deferred their college acceptance or given up their spot at the university altogether.

Students, faculty and administration alike have theories as to why enrollment has diminished over the last four years, but they all have different perspectives.

Some students guess OU’s reputation of being a party school is at fault. Faculty members blame the increased investments in non-academic programs to be the cause of OU’s weakened academic reputation, while administration sees it as a lack of “strategic storytelling.”

“There is a budget crisis, everyone agrees with that,” says Richard Vedder, a professor emeritus of economics who has been with the university since 1965 and has taught parttime since his retirement in 2001. “Turning [OU] around reputationally is key to turning it around financially.”

According to U.S. News and World Report, OU ranked 98th in the country in 2005, out of 220 universities. Fast forward

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15 years, OU now ranks 176th. As enrollment has declined, competing schools have seen their enrollment increase.

In the higher education market, reputation is everything.

When there is doubt over the quality, retention or value of any institution, peoples’ perceptions are the most powerful competition.

In 1804, OU established its credibility as the first school in both the west and Ohio. Now, it is one of over 100 public and private universities in the state. Ohio residents make up over 80% of enrollment, increasing the competition within Ohio.

“If you can’t get into [Ohio State University], you go to OU,” says Vedder, who administered Forbes’ Best Colleges rankings.

“In 2003 it was exactly the other way around…OU and OSU are competitors for the same students.”

This distinction in university reputation also disadvantages alumni and recent graduates as they move through their careers. According to the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the starting salary of a communications major from OSU is $37,800 while the starting salary of an OU graduate with the same major is $31,000.

Part of the new 2020 Strategic Framework introduced by President M. Duane Nellis includes increasing “Alumni and Corporate Engagement and Coordination.” This plan cannot work when the recent alumni earn less and are unable to donate to the university that gave them a quality education, but inferior reputation.

Upon realizing the decrease in enrollment in 2016, investments had already been placed into overdue renovations and building

projects, including $40 million for Jefferson Marketplace and $1.4 million for the stabilization of Ping Recreation Center since the first floor was sinking into the ground because of weak soils.

During this time, former President Roderick McDavis took out a century bond worth $250 million. A century bond is a “long-dated debt” that a company can begin paying off after 30 years. This means the university could borrow money at a cheaper rate as the interest rates would be reduced by the opportunity costs from revenue earned, according to J.P. Morgan.

With so much money going out, and unanticipated decline in annual revenue, the university found itself in a corner. The strategy shifted to a focus on expanding enrollment. In 2016, university-wide fall enrollment was 36,867 compared to 2019 fall enrollment, which dropped to 33,044.

At the end of the McDavis Administration, in an attempt to expand enrollment, OU sought to diversify the applicant pool.

This approach included adapting application requirement to become less exclusive, targeting first-generation students, and continuing the fixed-tuition and fee program, the Ohio Guarantee.

Despite the arrival of President Nellis in the summer of 2017, the pending fall semester enrollment shortcomings could not

“

I don’t think it means we don’t know who we are.

We just need to be louder and prouder.”

ROBIN OLIVER VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERISTY COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING be reversed. On average, the U.S. News and World Report ranking of OU drops at a rate of five spots per year.

“I think [President Nellis] inherited most of the problems,” Vedder says.

In an attempt to put OU back on the map, the university increased advertisements and promotion, created several new honors programs, such as within the College of Health Sciences and Professions, and hired more university administration.

According to the 2020 OU Factbook, in the fall of 2019, Athens campus administration exceeded full-time faculty at 1,535 to 1,088. From the university’s perspective, new honors programs would return the focus to academics, and more administration would mean new professional viewpoints to conceive a plan for rebuilding OU’s identity.

Four years later and $30 million short, OU was hit with the financial turmoil of the coronavirus pandemic. At this point in time, the 54.5% of annual revenue that traditionally comes

from tuition, room and board is in jeopardy. Less than half of the first- and second-year students will have utilized dorms in the fall 2020 semester.

The State Share of Instruction awarded to each public higher education institution within Ohio to subsidize the cost of tuition for residents has made its own budget cuts due to the pandemic. The state aid for Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) has been reduced by 4.38%, which means a loss of $8-9 million for OU, according to a report by President Nellis, Executive Vice President and Provost Elizabeth Sayrs and Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Deb Shaffer.

“Given the economic pressures on students and families, we are proud to be the only public university in the state to have made a commitment to support student affordability by not increasing tuition in FY21, which will also impact revenues,” the report stated.

Operating at a deficit, OU needs to bring in new revenue while upholding the Ohio Guarantee for current students and providing 89% of students with some form of financial aid. The new Strategic Framework designed by the Nellis administration has adapted to these “unprecedented times.”

This framework is comprised of new enrollment targets, such as adult learners who are past “college-age,” graduate students and other non-traditional students. It also includes integrating academic and administrative functions to create a more cohesive and consolidated university. Another initiative is the remodel of the operating budget, which will shift from traditional Responsibility Centered Management (RCM), which focuses on obtaining new sources of revenue, to a more transparent hybrid model of resource allocation with the intention to create a sustainable financial future.

This new hybrid model would mean administrative and academic benchmarking to better fit the size of the institution, as well as restructuring all-campus unit functions. With strengthened investments in academic quality and offerings, the university can rebuild the reputation and better fit its scale of spending to its income.

It is projected that over the next 10 years, the population of 18-year-olds, the target market for most undergraduate programs, will shrink, meaning these institutions will see a continued decrease in enrollment. The acceleration of degree completion has caused lower enrollment as well, due to college preparation programs available in high school, which allows students to graduate within three to four years, rather than four to five.

Higher education as a whole is going through a transition through the pandemic and over the next decade, and the students have all the power. Students are what make universities successful and keep them in business. OU students work hard for their degrees and ultimately create the identity of the school.

In OU’s pursuit to redefine its identity and mission, much is at stake, the city of Athens and its small businesses depend on the 20,000 people the university brings in each year, as well as the countless jobs it provides.

“I don’t think it means we don’t know who we are,” says Robin Oliver, the vice president for university communications and marketing. “We just need to be louder and prouder.” b

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FOOD

prep school Demystify your kitchen with Backdrop’s meal-prep guide.

BY KATIE HAWKINSON | ILLUSTRATIONS BY ABIGAIL SUMMERS

T

he art of meal prepping has gained traction in the last few years, inspiring many Instagram posts and a popular subreddit r/MealPrepSunday. But what is meal prepping?

Essentially, making a “meal prep” recipe means making one batch of a recipe that can be consumed throughout the week, or over the course of several meals. Meal prepping relies heavily on customization. You can take it to the extreme and meal prep for months in advance, or make a fancy dish to show off to all of your friends. Here is our beginners guide to start preppin’ meals!

A tried and true way to meal prep is the “One-Pan Method." Cut up your protein and vegetables to the preferred size. After that, you can season and roast everything all together.

The important thing to remember when using the One-Pan Method is to make sure the vegetables are an appropriate size. Broccoli roasts faster than potatoes, so make sure you have cubed your potatoes to a smaller size than normal. Here’s a great meal prep recipe (or meal-precipe) with chicken sausage, bell peppers, sweet potato and carrots. Steam some rice and pack it into your Tupperware of choice. Get ready to have a healthy meal for the week! b

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BASE: Bases that hold well in a meal prep recipe include carbohydrates. Carbs provide long lasting energy and a base for all of the added ingredients and spices of your choice. The most commonly used base is rice. Steam it, boil it, prepare it however you like, rice will keep for up to a week in the fridge. Tip: Pour a bit of water when reheating to retain moisture. Quinoa or pasta are also options. Greens like kale and lettuce are touch-and-go; they must be eaten quickly because they spoil quickly.

VEGGIE: Vegetables allow for a bit of creativity in a dish, cultivating a specific theme for the meal. Looking for an Asianinspired flair? Toss green beans, carrots and broccoli into soy-sauce and rice vinegar to make stir fry. Looking for a Mexican interpretation? Cook up Chipotle-inspired fajita veggies with bell peppers, onions and adobo spices.

PROTEIN: The most important part of meal prep is protein. Proteins depend on your flavor preference and theme. The meal can be made vegetarian or vegan by switching out meats for tofu or beans. An easy way to prepare protein is to marinate chicken breasts. You can prepare ahead by marinating chicken and freezing it. When it’s time to cook, pull them out, let them thaw by covering them in water in the sink and leaving for at least one hour and cooking them on the stove.

PRO TIP: Baked or sautéed proteins work best. Beware of frying foods, as fried protein gets soggy quickly and doesn't keep well.

20 minute sheet pan sausage and veggies Total time: 40 min | Makes: 5 servings

INGREDIENTS 12-16 ounces chicken sausage (usually one pack) 2 cups sweet potato, diced into ½” cubes 2 cups broccoli florets 1 cup bell pepper, chopped, any color 1 cup carrots, sliced into ¼” cubes 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning recommended) ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1 2 3 4

Pre-heat oven to 400° F. Slice the sausage into 1’’ rounds.

Add the sausage, veggies and minced garlic to a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the Cajun spices or your favorite spice blend. Season with salt and pepper. Toss veggies with your hands until they are fully combined and coated with olive oil and spices.

Bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway. Enjoy with rice or quinoa.

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RECIPE

Cup of Comfort

Vegetarians, vegans and meat eaters alike can all enjoy this hearty fall soup.

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STORY AND PHOTOS BY MIA WALSH

T

his easy-to-make vegan take on a classic comfort dish is perfect for stressful November days and chilly nights.

INGREDIENTS - 2 tablespoons olive oil - 1/2 white onion chopped - 2 cans diced tomatoes

Vegan Tortilla Soup

- 1 tablespoon cumin

Time : 50 minutes | Makes: 4 servings

- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

DIRECTIONS

and rinsed)

1. Heat the olive oil in a mid-sized pot on the stovetop over medium heat.

2. Add chopped onion.

3. Once translucent, add the cans of tomato.

4. Immediately afterward, using the can as your measuring cup, add two cans of water.

5. Stir until mixed, season with cumin, garlic powder, paprika and black pepper to taste.

6. Add cans of beans and corn, stirring until mixed.

7. Turn the heat on low and cover for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

8. Serve hot with tortilla chips and any garnish you’d like.

- 1 can corn

GARNISH IDEAS :

- 1 teaspoon paprika - 1 teaspoon black pepper - 1 can pinto beans (drained and rinsed) - 1 can black beans (drained

- 1 bag tortilla chips

Avocado, sriracha, cilantro, vegan sour cream and vegan cheese (Daiya brand recommended).

INFOGRAPHIC

Good Vibrations

BY MAYA MEADE ILLUSTRATIONS BY ASHLEY LAFLIN

Backdrop is here to tell you what's up about getting off.

M

asturbation, particularly for women, has long been taboo, leaving many people with questions about the most effective ways to satisfy their needs. Have no fear, Backdrop is here; vibrators provide benefits for individuals and couples that want to add more to their sex lives and provide better orgasms for the parties involved. In addition to getting to know yourself and your partner on a more intimate level, using vibrators has a multitude of health benefits. b

The Options:

THE CLASSIC VIBRATOR Tends to be less expensive ($10+) Long, slim and perfectly straight Usually comprised of hard plastic

16

WAND VIBRATOR Long base and vibrating head Provides external (clitoral) stimulation Good for individual and partner use because of its length The highest intensities of the vibrator can cause very quick orgasms

backdrop | Fall 2020

THE RABBIT VIBRATOR Stimulates internally and externally Rabbit shaped “ears” stimulate the clitoris while the majority of the vibrator stimulates inside the vagina Known as the “game changer” vibrator for its double stimulation design Frees up a second hand to be used in other places for increased pleasure

THE BULLET VIBRATOR (MINI) Tend to be less expensive ($10+) Small and slim, ranges from 3-5 inches Quiet Travel-friendly Ranges from 1-10 vibration settings

ACCORDING TO INSIDER, MASTURBATION PROVIDES GREAT BENEFITS, INCLUDING: The release of hormones like oxytocin and serotonin Stress reduction, better sleep and pain relief Can lead to better and more frequent orgasms for women during sex

GENERAL VIBRATOR TIPS AND REMINDERS: Most, but not all, vibrators require batteries or come with charging cords, so they can be recharged in between uses.

Remember to clean each toy between each use! Cleaning sex toys can prevent harmful bacteria from reaching unwanted places. Scrubbing it with warm water and a wash cloth should do the trick (soap can cause yeast infections or cause damage to the vibrator depending on the model) but researching what is best for each brand is recommended.

Not every vibrator is waterproof.

THE EGG VIBRATOR Small and discrete, typically no more than 4 inches long Rounded egg shape Can fully insert it into the vagina without slipping out.

Can be placed inside underwear and go unnoticed Best for vibrator users onthe-go: those that like to feel the vibrations while they are out and about and away from home (try at your own risk) Control vibrations via remote-control Good for using with a partner, especially during foreplay

WHAT BRANDS TO BUY ON A BUDGET: Adorime Secret Lover PlusOne Love Honey

Babeland Shibari Umania

BEST VIBRATORS ACCORDING TO THE NEW YORK TIMES: 1.Best Overall: Magic Wand Rechargeable (Not Waterproof ) 2.Stylish and Powerful: Doxy Massager (Not Waterproof ) 3.Affordable and Versatile: Maude Vibe (Waterproof ) 4.Suction and Vibration: Womanizer Classic (Waterproof ) 5.Precise Stimulation: Zumio S (Waterproof )

THE CLITORAL VIBRATOR

THE G-SPOT VIBRATOR

Open-ended tip, not seen as a typical vibrator Also known as the “oral sex vibrator� (simulates same feeling) Higher intensities and settings of the vibrator can cause immediate orgasms similar to the wand vibrator

Provides enough length and strength to reach and stimulate the G-Spot Curved and emphasized vibrator head to effectively target the G-Spot Increased likelihood of female ejaculation or squirting

FINGER VIBRATOR Great for beginners Worn on the finger Primarily external stimulation Small and discreet Good for travel

backdropmagazine.com 17

FEATURE

virtual vintage virtual vintage virtual vintage virtual vintage

Ohio University alumna Jessica Jones has found success with her jewelry and vintage clothing business on Instagram.

BY HELEN WIDMAN | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY JESSICA JONES

A

t 23 years old, Ohio University alumna and Columbus native Jessica Jones never guessed she would start a business out of her favorite hobby, much less during a global pandemic. Her business, Daydream Junk, is an Instagrambased vintage store, selling items from handmade hair clips to thrifted clothing finds.

The small business started in May and has gained almost a thousand followers on Instagram since. Jones, who resides in the Athens area, says she planned to get her life settled and start selling through Instagram after she finished school.

Jones says that she thought it would be best to create an Instagram page designated for selling Daydream Junk items instead of selling from her personal account.

“I figured I also needed a name, so that’s how the name came in. I use the word ‘junk’ in a really affectionate kind of way.

So, it’s like, dreamy junk is kind of the vibe,” Jones says.

During the state-mandated quarantine in the spring, Jones says she was inspired by TikTok videos of people making custom

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backdrop | Fall 2020

jewelry and other items with resin molds. She now uses resin molds to make custom glitter and floral ashtrays, combs, earrings and more.

Jones has also experimented with making earrings out of clay.

Jones graduated from OU in May 2020, where she studied integrated media with a minor in marketing. She had plans to work at Girl Scout Camp Winacka in San Diego over the summer, which were cancelled because of the spread of the coronavirus. However, Jones still has goals of working within the media industry.

“I’ve always really liked film, and I think ultimately if I could have any job related to film ... I’d want to be a producer,” Jones says. “But since doing Daydream Junk, I’ve been really into JESSICA JONES costuming... either DAYDREAM JUMK for films or music videos... that’s been super interesting to me lately, especially for period pieces.”

In addition to jewelry and accessories, Daydream Junk sells vintage clothing finds.

Jones says she has been thrifting vintage-style clothing since she was a teenager.

“I would say [my style is] definitely very influenced by [the]‘60, ‘70s. I’ve always been— ever since I was little—I’ve always really been into that kind of era of fashion and music,” Jones says. “[I like] the fun-loving hippie vibes and flowy clothing. I like stuff that’s comfortable, but I also really like color, so I’m drawn to patterns and textures. I guess it’d be kind of like a mix of eclectic vintage.”

Jones likes to emphasize body inclusivity within

“

Daydream Junk, as many vintage clothes she finds tend to have smaller measurements than modern clothes. She strives to find thrifts to resell that will fit a wide variety of body sizes and types.

“I love vintage clothing, but a lot of vintage clothing is really small, and I think that’s just how it was made and it’s really hard to find plus size, or even anything that’s above a standard [size] 8/10,” Jones says. “So that was one of my main goals, I’ll try really hard to find stuff that can fit bigger bodies.”

Although Daydream Junk is primarily online, Jones does have space reserved to sell at Fuzz, a nail salon in Columbus.

Jones says that there were a few other shops in Columbus with booth rentals, but that they were a bit out of her price range. Finding a place in Fuzz was serendipitous.

“I’ve been following this nail salon for a really long time, and I loved their nails, and one day they posted that they were looking for vintage resellers, because they had space in the shop,” Jones says. “I messaged them [and] they said they really liked my stuff, and it hasn’t been there too long, but it’s been going pretty well.”

Brittni Stump, one of the co-founders of Fuzz, says that they wanted their business to not only be a nail salon, but also a “collective, creative space.”

Stump says that Jones pays Fuzz a monthly fee to rent out the floor space and for them to promote her items to salon guests. There are currently

I use the word ‘junk’ in a really affectionate kind of way. So, it’s like, dreamy junk is kind of the vibe”

backdropmagazine.com 19

three other small businesses who also rent floor space in Fuzz to sell vintage clothing and even plants.

In the future, Jones wants to find more shops like Fuzz where she can sell Daydream Junk items, and potentially open a pop-up shop in her own future home. Jones lives in an apartment, so that idea may have to wait, but she says she has plans to start an Esty website.

“My next biggest thing is to make an Etsy,” Jones says. “I was trying to make my own website for a while, but it was a little bit expensive [with] the payment plans, and I’m not a great graphic designer.”

After the Etsy page is up and running, the next goal for Jones is to start shipping to farther locations, even internationally. So far, most of her Daydream Junk orders come from Columbus and Athens, but she has shipped to Seattle, Chicago, New York City and even one order to Australia.

“I’m always kind of surprised, like a happy surprise[d], when I get [orders] from other states, and [I think that's] just the Instagram algorithm doing its thing,” Jones says.

Despite the pandemic throwing her post-grad plans for a loop, Jones remains optimistic. She is currently taking a gap year from pursing a job in the film industry while nannying for a family near the Athens area.

“I can package stuff up at their house which is cool, so it’s kind of nice to kill two birds with one stone that way,” Jones says. “And yeah, I’m just working it for a year so it’s not like, a high commitment type of job. But I’m really just using this time to figure out what I want to do.”

Some of the most valuable advice Jones would give to students who have an interest in starting their own small business would be to pay attention in marketing classes and to not be discouraged.

“I think passion is really important. And also, just having the motivation for [your ideas] would really help, so that’s what’s helped me, is personalizing things a little bit,” Jones says.

“I find that sets you apart a bit from other brands... also thinking like a consumer and then putting that into your brand.”

Her advice for business owners wishing to navigate the world of Instagram?

“Hashtags work,” Jones says. “I think hashtags definitely work and the Instagram algorithm is a mystery.” b

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backdrop | Fall 2020

BELOW

Jones makes her personalized hair clips out of custom resin molds.

TOP AND LEFT

Some of Daydream Junk's homemade jewelry.

backdropmagazine.com 21

FEATURE

PHASE TWO:

Quarantine on Campus Students who have been exposed to the coronavirus at OU share their experiences in university quarantine housing.

BY NORA MCKEOWN | PHOTOS PROVIDED BY TREY SPENCER & PATRICK FRANCIS

T

rey Spencer was not expecting to come to Ohio University's campus this semester after facing several delays in his original plans to move in.

"I was like, 'you know what, I'm not going to expect things to get better,’'' Spencer says. "'I'm just going to expect the absolute worst, because we know what happened last spring.'"

Spencer is a freshman and is affiliated with the army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). Because of this affiliation, he was invited to come for OU's second phase of students moving in on campus.

OU has implemented a plan to house students on the campus to follow social distancing guidelines. According to the university’s website, there are several new policies in place to ensure safety in the residences halls. The rules mandate that students wear masks on campus outside their rooms, don't allow guests to stay in the dorms, and require six feet of distance between individuals in the lobbies or study areas. The university changed all water fountains to fill stations, removed community items from the kitchen, limited access for students

22

backdrop | Fall 2020

to that space, and increased signage for safety reminders.

A email from OU's Director of Communication Services, Carly Leatherwood explained what would happen if a student were to test positive or become exposed to the virus. " If a student tests positive they will be moved to the isolation hall on campus as soon as possible,” The email stated. “If they have been exposed and determined to be high risk, they are moved to the quarantine residence hall on campus as soon as possible."

As of Oct. 19, there were 1,315 students living on campus, according to the OU’s coronavirus dashboard.

"I remember I didn't even read the email," Spencer says. "My hands were shaking. I just saw the big, bold 'you are authorized to return for phase two.' I was like, 'Oh my God, thank goodness that I get to come back.' Oh my God, I was so excited."

He immediately checked his ROTC group chat and had received many messages from fellow ROTC cadets that they would be moving to campus soon too.

On Sept. 25, Spencer moved into Boyd Hall. He was originally supposed to have roommates, but due to the pandemic he was

living alone in a double.

There were some other ROTC friends living in Boyd with Spencer, so he would occasionally hang out with a few people he had met. Sometimes he would go for runs or workout outside, and for the most part, Spencer says he followed social distancing guidelines well.

He was notified on Monday, Oct. 5 that two people living in Boyd with him had tested positive. Spencer says he had been playing cards with the guys who tested positive on Sunday night, so he called the university's coronavirus hotline to ask them what he should do.

They told him they would get back to him within 36 hours and that he should quarantine himself until then.

"I was really nervous in my room," Spencer says. "Because I realized I was probably getting sent to 'Dirty South.'"

The next day, he received a call instructing him to pack up his things and prepare to finish out his two-week quarantine in one of the halls that OU has reserved for students who haven't necessarily tested positive but were exposed to the coronavirus, Hoover House. He says he was told that a bus would come to Boyd to pick him up at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday night to transport him to his new residence hall.

When the bus arrived to pick him up, many of the seats were covered in plastic.

"I get off the bus and [the driver] says 'Good luck!'" he says. "And, I am in front of Hoover Hall and there was nobody to guide me."

Spencer walked into the lobby, and it was dark. On a big table were two bags of food and a set of keys with his name on them. He got a little lost in the building as he searched for the room number that was on his key but eventually he was able to settle into the room that would be his home for the rest of his quarantine.

The next day, Spencer was tested, and his results came back negative. Still, the university requires students who have been exposed to carry out the 14-day quarantine. Spencer isolated himself in the room until Oct. 17.

He says three meals are delivered to his room a day, but he has no say in determining what food he gets beyond informing dining staff of any dietary preferences or allergies.

"I'll be real with you," Spencer says.

Students in quarantine halls receive three meals a day and do not have a say in the food they receive. Photo provided by Trey Spencer.

"I've pulled better things out of the military rations ... it's not great, but I don't have a choice. I made sure to bring a bunch of extra food with me and I think that's going to come in handy."

Because students are unable to interact with each other or leave their rooms often, Spencer says he has no idea how many people are living in Hoover House with him.

However, the ROTC said he is able to go outside once a day to a designated area as long as he practices social distancing and wears a mask. Spencer says the ROTC told him and his peers not to enter any buildings, vehicles or be six feet from anyone else.

Despite having some anxiety about being isolated, among other stressors, Spencer says he has been trying to stay positive throughout this experience.

"I kind of realized that this is the situation," Spencer says. "I can't do anything about it. I'm doing my part to keep my community safe. This is required of me."

This is also part of what Spencer says keeps him in that room. He says that there are no people supervising him in the hall; he hasn't noticed any RAs, guards or staff monitoring the students in quarantine other than the man who drops off his food.

"The only person keeping me here is me," Spencer says. "And my goodwill and trusting the university."

Spencer says he is looking forward to moving out of the quarantine dorm.

"The biggest thing with me is that I didn't violate any guidelines," Spencer says. "I didn't go out, I still got exposed. I didn't break any rules and I still got [exposed]."

backdropmagazine.com 23

TESTING POSITIVE Patrick Francis, a sophomore studying nursing, was surprised to find out that he wasn't one of the students invited back to campus for Phase One. Because clinical labs are particularly difficult to manage online, he was expecting to be on campus before most other students returned.

Despite these difficulties, Francis says his online classes were actually running pretty smoothly until he received the email inviting him back for Phase Two in early September. Francis was excited to move down to campus. Another friend of his was also moving to Athens, and although it caused some tension among his friends who weren't invited back, he was optimistic going into the rest of this semester.

But he says living on campus now has been very different in comparison to his positive freshman year experience.

"I was happy to move back down to campus," Francis says.

"But it was not the same, even when I was healthy."

Francis was assigned to a suite in Bromley, and he is the sole resident of that room. He enjoys having all of that space to himself and not sharing a bathroom, but, it can become lonely at times.

"There are just not a lot of kids [here] in general," Francis says. "Freshman year, everyone kept their doors open, and obviously you can't do that now. So, it's almost like a closedoff atmosphere. It doesn't have that social aspect that it did last year."

Despite a lack of new social interactions, Francis was still able to hang out with the small group of friends he did have on campus until a few of them discovered they tested positive for coronavirus one Monday, October 5. Francis had been in close proximity to them, so on Tuesday October 6, he called the university's coronavirus hotline and went to Scott Quad to get tested.

He isolated in his dorm room until his positive test result came on Thursday morning. At that point, he says he started to receive calls from the Athens County Health Department, Ohio Health, and a university liaison for contact tracing, checking on his symptoms and managing when he would be allowed back on campus for his in-person classes.

"I thought I was going to be able to lockdown in Bromley because I don't have a suitemate or a roommate," Francis says. "And, I'd been there since Monday. I was at least

Francis' original room in Dougan House. Photo provided by Patrick Francis.

24

backdrop | Fall 2020

comfortable there."

For a few days Francis isolated in Bromley with food delivered from the dining hall to his dorm, however, on Thursday evening, he says he received a call from housing and residence life instructing him to pack his bags and prepare to move to another dorm to complete the 10-day quarantine.

Francis gathered what he could and waited for another call with his new housing assignment.

It wasn't until Friday afternoon that housing called him again to ask where he was. When he told them that he hadn't left his room since Monday, they asked him to be at Dougan House, a residence hall for students who have tested positive for the coronavirus, in an hour.

"I had to take all my bags and walk across campus," Francis says. "I don't know if there was transportation, but I wasn't offered any."

When he arrived at Dougan House, he called the housing number again and followed their instructions to find his new room key and return his old one. When he went up to the room he was assigned to, he said it was obvious that it hadn't been cleaned since the last person had stayed there.

"The sheets were all used already and the garbage was full," Francis says.

So, he called the number he had spoken with before and asked for a new room that was sanitized. They moved him to the room across the hall, and that is where Francis was set to start his quarantine.

Leatherwood described OU’s room cleaning process in an email.

"Housing and Residence Life (HRL) notifies Facilities Management and Safety (FMS) that a room has been vacated,� it stated. “FMS schedules the cleaning of the room to happen between 3-7 days after it is vacated. Resident Custodial Services (RCS) staff will clean the room consisting of trash removal, wiping down all horizontal surfaces with EPA approved disinfectant, sweep and mop the floor, and a clean bed linen packet is left for the next resident. If the room requires a quicker turn around than 72 hours, the RCS staff will take additional PPE precautions and follow the same process as above. FMS then notifies HRL that the room is ready to be reassigned."

Francis says he was told that each day at around 11 a.m., there would be food waiting for him.

"It would come in bags and it would just be on a giant table in the lobby of Dougan," he says. "You would just go down the stairs and your name would be on three bags. You would just grab your three bags and go back upstairs."

Francis says he is not a picky eater, so he didn't mind the food. He felt safe eating what he was given too because the dining staff accommodated his severe peanut allergy well.

However, even before spending two nights in Dougan House, Francis says he planned to quarantine elsewhere.

"We have a relative's house who is not home," Francis says.

"So, I'm just finishing out my quarantine there because I'm definitely more comfortable."

He drove himself to the house on the Sunday night and completed his quarantine there.

"There was no guidance or anything," Francis says of his experience in the quarantine hall. "Obviously, I didn't know anyone there. So, the only time I talked to people was over FaceTime and calls. So, it was weird not having that social interaction that you should be having."

Francis says he also wasn't aware of any designated outdoor areas that isolated students could use. The only time he had been outside during his quarantine was to walk to Dougan House from Bromley, and to walk to his car to drive to the place he would finish his quarantine.

"Overall, I understand this is not an ideal situation for anyone," Francis says. "But the whole process of moving my stuff and moving to a dirty room could have been avoided ... and every kid that's positive, especially kids that quarantine the 14 days, everyone is going to be so lonely. There's no way anyone's mental health is thriving in this situation." b

Food delivered to quarantining students in Hoover House. Provided

by Trey Spencer.

25

THE BEAT

Martins experiences at Ohio University have helped make him into the musician he is today.

HEARTSTRINGS

RJ Martin has a unique sound he’s excited to share with the Athens music scene.

BY AYA CATHEY | PHOTOS BY SOPHIA DAUGHERTY MUNOZ

R

J Martin is used to standing out.

“There’s not a lot of artists like me in Athens, so sometimes I’ll open for a band with a different style,” Martin says. “There won’t always be people who connect to my songs; I’m an odd one out. But that’s okay, I love what I do, and I wouldn’t change that.”

Martin, a “Sad Boy Folk” artist, is an Athens-based singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He describes his style of music as indie-folk and is heavily inspired by musicians such as Shakey Graves, Bob Dylan and Green Day. In April of this year, he released his first EP, Don’t Wait. The EP features four songs: “Ashes,” “ Chihiro,” “Midsummer,” and “Interstellar Love Songs.”

“Ashes,” his most prominent song on the EP, was written about his cousin who passed away in 2018. He recorded most of the acoustic guitar on the EP using his late cousin’s guitar.

The rest of the EP explores abstract themes of death, passing on, and genesis.

“Chihiro” is about traversing a world of spirits, and “Midsummer” is about the loneliness experienced after being laid in your own grave. “Interstellar Love Song” follows a

26

backdrop | Fall 2020

slightly different theme, but its message is about the feeling of genesis: to embark on a new beginning.

“Ashes” and “Midsummer” were both created as demos before he was signed to Brick City, an Ohio University student-run record label, and was given the opportunity to release his full EP. “I had no idea when I’d release or finish them, but knew I wanted to,” Martin says. “Writing these songs were part of a big healing process and kind of a proverbial sigh of relief, once I finally finished.”

During the songwriting process, Martin writes his music and melody first so that it is easier to set the lyrics to a rhythm already in place. For the structure of the songs, he looks for inspiration from other artists and engineers that he enjoys.

“Often, I’ll hear listeners call my songs 'chill' or 'soothing.'

Which is okay, but I don’t make music for people to fall asleep to,” Martin says. “I want my music to evoke an emotional experience, one where people feel impacted by simply listening to a single line or melody.”

While he usually has a more drawn out writing process, he recently started experimenting with many different melodies

and lyrics all at once. His newer pieces were originally inspired by a particular story he wanted to tell, but by the time he was done writing, his ideas had completely changed.

“It happens without me noticing,” Martin says. “Sometimes it’s frustrating, but more often than not, it’s pretty cool to see the idea grow through the lyrics.”

As a part of his capstone project, Martin signed with Brick City in the fall of 2019. While his spring showcase was cancelled due to the pandemic, he recently performed in Fall “Quaranstream,” a studio session for OU’s All Campus Radio network , or ACRN, and at the Brick City Pre-Game party on Twitch.

“During quarantine, there were many times where I felt unmotivated to write songs,” he says. “Life fuels my inspiration, and when the days became monotonous, it was hard to create music. But I’ve been looking forward to this project since I was a freshman. Although things are different this year, it’s been great so far.”

Outside of the industry, Martin’s musical ambitions don’t stop. He is an OU senior and music production major working as a music director for ACRN. The station is primarily folkrock and entirely staffed and operated by students.

As a director, Martin is responsible for curating fresh tunes for the new music rotation.

“ACRN is more than just a college radio station,” he says.

“There’s something there for everyone, regardless of their experience level, whether it be writing, music production, graphic design, marketing, advertising, or even social media management. If you love anything that has to do with music, there’s a place for you here.”

Gilly Faut, a promotion director at ACRN, describes Martin as “a folk singer-songwriter with an authentic acoustic style.” Faut is a vocalist and junior at OU studying music production.

“Martin is hardworking, talented, and genuinely nice to be around,” she says. “He’s a great person to talk to and I think that’s reflected in his music. It’s comforting.”

Martin is also not afraid to take a stand for what he believes is right.

Last spring, he and his friend Reese Clutter produced and mixed songs for the local band Gorilla Party. Three months after working with the band, a survivor of sexual abuse spoke out against Tyler Tompkins, a member of the group. Martin and Clutter knew they wanted to make a statement supporting survivors of sexual abuse, but decided it wouldn’t be enough.

They decided to donate the proceeds of their work to My Sister’s Place, a domestic violence agency in Athens. Martin and Clutter believe harassment is a huge problem in the music

“

There’s not a lot of artists like me in Athens” RJ MARTIN MUSICIAN

RJ Martin is a senior at Ohio University working toward a major in music production.

industry, and they want to continue making the community a better and safer place for creators and fans.

“These problems can’t afford to be glossed over,” Martin says.

“If you don’t recognize the issues and speak up about them, you’re only allowing them to get worse.”

Martin also played in the indie-rock band, WMN, with drummer Jordan Latas and frontwomen Bailey Panzeca and Taylor Swann. Jordan Latas, a Columbus-based guitarist and drummer, is a senior studying music production at OU. Panzeca and Swann are vocalists, guitarists, songwriters, and recent graduates of OU. Back in 2019, Panzeca enlisted Martin and Latas for her bedroom pop project. Latas played drums for the band and Martin played bass.

“RJ is so freaking talented. I love 'Don’t Wait,' it has this soft, beautiful, folksy sound, and it’s distinctive to his style,” Panzeca says. “That’s one of the best things about him, he stays true to his own, and he genuinely loves what he does.”

Although Latas and Martin’s music styles are quite different, with Latas leaning more towards psychedelic rock, the two are great friends. They have also worked on several studio sessions and are incredibly passionate about their craft, both as bandmates and solo artists.

“You can meet him once and tell RJ is a genuinely good dude,” Latas says. “It takes a kind-hearted, talented person like him to write sad music that feels good. And he does it so well.”

From writing songs in his bedroom to becoming a wellknown musician on campus, OU has played a huge role in Martin’s journey. He thanks his professors for the networks he has built and accredits OU’s music department to make him a more well-rounded artist.

“There’s something about going into the studio that is unexplainably amazing,” he says. “I get to learn from experienced professors and musicians and create a long-lasting network. It’s simply a different world.”

As for the near future, Martin hopes to release an album soon. His time at OU has encouraged him to explore several career interests after graduation, including scoring films, and songwriting or producing for other artists and bands.

“There’s a lot I’m looking forward to exploring, in music and in life,” he says. “But I mean, I would love to be a rock star.”b

backdropmagazine.com 27

PHOTO STORY

Signs Of the Times

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backdrop | Fall 2020

Athenians Huxley and Hoffman’s bedsheet flag has received a lot of attention. “We’ve had some people come by and take pictures of it,” Huxley says.

Six months after George Floyd’s death, signs around Athens remind residents that the Black Lives Matter movement isn’t over.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY ELEANOR BISHOP

backdropmagazine.com 29

PHOTO STORY RIGHT

A hand painted flag on Mill Street quotes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s famous Letter From Birmingham Jail.

I

n early June, as footage of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin swept across the internet and ignited protests against police brutality around the world, Ohio University junior Tyra Huxley was one of many Athenians who felt a call to action.

“Being in Athens, there weren’t a whole lot of protest flags hung up in the first couple weeks of it happening," Huxley says. “We had to do something to put our mark on it and help in whatever way we [could].” She and her roommate Wil Hoffman made a sign out of a bedsheet that reads, “I Can’t Breathe ‘Justice For All’ #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd,” and hung it over their apartment’s third-floor balcony.

Six months later, Huxley and Hoffman’s flag remains up and is one of many homemade signs adorning houses and apartments near campus that show support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

“We did it just to raise more awareness and make people realize that Athenians care and we’re empathetic to the situations and we believe Black lives matter,” she says. “White silence is violence.”b

RIGHT

Flags in support of the Black Lives Matter movement hang outside of River Park apartments.

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backdrop | Fall 2020

RIGHT

Through carboard, bedsheets, markers and paint, OU students continue to make their voices heard.

BELOW

Megan Fitch and Mckenna Knisely, an OU fifth year and senior respectively, hung up their homemade cardboard sign in July. They used rainbow paint to represent their support for Black members of the LGBTQ community during Pride Month. When their original sign was destroyed by a rainstorm, they painted a new one.

“We’re planning on keeping it up until it falls and then we’ll make another one,” Fitch said.

backdropmagazine.com 31

HEALTH

LISTEN TO YOUR

GUT

College students share their disordered-eating struggles and how intuitive eating has helped them.

BY ABBY NEFF | ILLUSTRATION BY ABIGAIL SUMMERS

M

iliana Bocher was 14 when she first started picking out the flaws of her body.

She was running track and field for her high school team when she noticed she had gained weight from muscle. That summer, without the distraction of school and friends, thoughts about her body overwhelmed her.

As a way to control the situation, Bocher, now a sophomore studying data science, web design and political science at New York University, says she began restricting her diet and exercising twice a day, often in the middle of the night.

She was diagnosed with severe anorexia nervosa and body dysmorphia the first week of her sophomore year of high school.

“It wasn’t until two years later where I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that was an eating disorder,” she says. “But at the time, I was just like, ‘Oh, I’m making healthy decisions for my body,’ but I just never realized that my body was healthy the way it was the first time around.”

Delaney Murray, a graduate student in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University, questioned if her body belonged for the first time in middle school because her body was bigger than the popular girls, who were "shorter and petite."

In high school, she swam for her school’s team, and used that to justify her clean eating behavior.

“And I just would think about food constantly, and what I was allowed to eat, how much I was allowed

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to eat, if I looked weird compared to other people, what was a good food what was a bad food, if I ate too much this meal I had to restrict it the next,” she says.

She remembers girls on her team behaving in cruel ways towards her because she was not as athletic as them, causing her to develop anxiety around exercise during her undergraduate years.

Murray would make it a competition with herself, for example, that she could finish writing a paper even when her body felt weak from hunger.

“I spent a lot of my brain power thinking about food, and that’s kind of how my eating issues have always manifested,” she says.

According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), 28.8 million Americans, or 9 percent of the U.S. population, will have an eating disorder within their lifetime. Additionally, Black and Indiginous people of color (BIPOC) are less likely than white people to be asked by a doctor about potential eating disorder symptoms, and more than half as likely to receive an official diagnoses and treatment.

Dr. Kate Hibbard-Gibbons, a counseling psychologist at OU with an interest in eating disorders and trauma, says that the process of making peace with food and body image is important to heal one’s relationship with their body.

“It depends on where they’re starting in their

journey in regard to how someone begins to love their body and have a better relationship with food,” Dr. Hibbard-Gibbons says.

“Body satisfaction is about liking your body all the time. It’s not about thinking positive thoughts all the time, but it’s about accepting where your body is at.”

Murray was never officially diagnosed with an eating disorder, yet her disordered eating habits like exercising instead of finishing a meal align with Bocher’s. Both neglected their body’s hunger cues because they believed that was the healthy choice for their body.

The idea of eating less and exercising more is not exclusive to eating disorders. Diets like Keto and intermittent fasting promote the restriction of carbohydrates, sugar and sometimes food all together, as a way to force the body to burn fat.

Evelyn Tribole, a registered dietitian in Newport Beach, California, and Elyse Resch, a nutrition therapist in private practice in Beverly Hills created a framework for a new way of eating based on 125 studies that eliminates all dietary restrictions that aren’t medically necessary. It’s called “intuitive eating.” “[This work is] really about cultivating a healthy relationship with food, mind and body, and that is that food is not inherently good or bad, nor is it inherently moral,” she says. “And yet, people describe so much guilt and shame around the eating, so part of this is about removing that.”

Tribole, who has written three books about intuitive eating, two which she is a coauthor of, and seven about food and nutrition, says the alternative diet promotes a return to listening to natural hunger cues without a focus on weight loss. “Interoceptive awareness,” she says, is the body’s ability to recognize physical sensations, such as hunger and fullness, and is vital to eating intuitively.

“When you are connected to your body and those very important messages, it helps you get your needs met, whether it’s biological [or] psychological, and so it’s really, really profound,” Tribole says.

“But when you are at war with your body, there’s a tendency to dismiss this, and it has profound implications in terms of your quality of life.”

In her practice, Tribole often recommends intuitive eating as a part of eating disorder recovery.

“One of the things that I look at, when someone’s in the throes of an eating disorder, [is that] there’s a cost that they are paying, even if they have no desire in that moment to change,” she says. “And I start looking at what’s going on with the quality of your relationships, what’s happening with you socially. Do you turn down things because you’re not sure about the food that’s going to be there?”

Murray first heard about intuitive eating

from her mother, who is a registered dietician.

After reaching out to a therapist, Murray began implementing intuitive eating into her lifestyle.

She says she feels a bit freer with the food she eats.

“I still struggle with it a lot, but I’ve tried to be a lot more gentle with myself in terms of what I can eat and how I can eat and when I can eat and I think that is sort of where the intuitive eating comes in as well,” she says.

Bocher’s road to recovery was strenuous. She battled her disordered thoughts the most in the first six months of recovery. She says school work kept her grounded and focused on things other than her eating disorder.

After working with a private therapist and dietician for four years, Bocher says she realized she didn’t have to live her life through restrictive diets. She stopped exercising in the middle of the night her senior year, and her hunger cues returned within the last year.

“For instance, perfect example; this morning, I woke up, I wasn’t hungry, so I didn’t eat,” she says.

“But I know that once I get off this interview, I’m a little peckish, so I’ll probably eat something, even though it’s not, like, lunchtime.”

Intuitive eating is an option that’s not always considered when someone is looking to heal their relationship with food and their body, but has proven vital for the recovery of many.

“And with time and treatment, it’s actually possible–I think that the largest message I want out there is that recovery is possible, and just depending on where you’re at, you may need more support than others, and that’s okay,” Tribole says.

“There’s no shame in that.” b

“

Body satisfaction is about liking your body all the time. It’s not about thinking positive thoughts all of the time, but it’s about accepting where your body is at.”

KATE HIBBARD-GIBBSON OU COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGIST backdropmagazine.com 33

STYLE

SEXY in any size

BY MAYA MEADE | PHOTOS BY BETSY PHILLIPS

Lingerie can be empowering for people of any body type, but finding size-inclusive brands can be a struggle.

I

t can be made of satin, silk, lace, mesh, cotton or linen. Lingerie can help women celebrate their bodies in a variety of ways. Some women wear lingerie for their partners, others wear it for themselves. Lingerie alone is beautiful, carefully crafted to make the wearers feel good. The struggle that some people face, however, is finding lingerie that fits their body type.

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Many lingerie brands cater to “straight” sizes , which usually range from a size zero to a size six, depending on the brand.

In recent years, the industry has made an effort to change that narrow image and provide more inclusive role models for women seeking out lingerie. Still, brands with inclusive sizing are few-and-far between.

Annelise Oelberg*, a sophomore studying political science at Ohio University, typically purchases lingerie from online clothing stores Shein and Romwe because she is more comfortable buying lingerie online and enjoys the wider variety of colors and styles. Buying online also provides her with a larger range of sizing options. Oelberg usually wears a large or an extra-large but tends to size up online if a piece looks particularly tight fitting.

“I think there are aspects of my body that fit the normal or ideal body type,” she says. “For example, my thighs and butt are some of my best physical features, in my opinion, but I definitely think my boobs are a bit smaller than the normal body type.”

For less expensive options and cheaper quality lingerie, Romwe and Shein are not bad alternatives, especially for college students on a budget. In short, it will do the job. Whether the purpose is to feel confident, surprise a partner or spice up sex, there are plenty of ways for these brands to be functional.

Regina Nagel*, a sophomore studying psychology at OU, has also purchased from Shein, as well as Fashion Nova. Nagel prefers Fashion Nova to Shein because of the quality. Shein and Romwe pieces tend to be cheaply made and mass produced because of their low prices, so reading the reviews is recommended before buying any products off of these websites.

“I would say my body is seen as ‘normal’ in society,” Nagel says. “My proportions are a bit odd, but I still have an acceptable body in the eyes of our society. I don’t really have to think about whether or not something will fit me as deeply as women of other body types.”

Christine Koeman*, a sophomore studying pre-professional biology at OU, typically wears a medium or large depending on the style of lingerie. “It’s hard because I’m in the middle region where I’m not skinny [by] societal standards, but I’m not what you would consider plus-size, either,” she says. “I would say it’s sometimes hard to find confidence that way …

You don’t see many models that represent this category, it’s either skinny or plus-size, so I never feel like I’m represented, or that my body is wanted.”

Koeman has purchased lingerie from La Senza, Victoria’s Secret and Spencer’s. While Victoria’s Secret is one of the world’s most well-known lingerie brands, Koeman says that it is her least favorite brand that she has worn. La Senza is her favorite.

A Teen Vogue article from 2018 titled “10 Size-Inclusive Lingerie Brands to Support Instead of Victoria’s Secret” highlights the flaws behind the Victoria’s Secret marketing and lingerie styles. The brand overwhelmingly represents tall, thin and cis-gender women. Ed Razek, the chief marketing officer of L Brands, the parent company of Victoria’s Secret, was the businessperson who developed Victoria’s Secret and the company’s annual fashion show. In the past, he has made controversial and offensive remarks in regard to hiring transgender and plus-size women. He claimed that Victoria’s Secret does not present more plus-size models on the runway because of a lack of general interest from the public.

With a variety of body types and a variety of women seeking lingerie, there are still a lot of questions about what the best places to buy lingerie are that promote body inclusivity.

According to the same Teen Vogue article, the average American woman wears a size 16 and up, far from the typical image of lingerie models portrayed in the media and on the catwalk.

“I make sure that the lingerie I buy accentuates my body in a way I like. I definitely think this influences the brands I choose to buy from,” Oelberg says. “I have never even tried looking for lingerie at Victoria’s Secret because I know none of their stuff will fit in a way that will flatter my body type. I think for this reason, I prefer shopping online because I know they will have a lot of options to choose from.”b 35 *Names have been changed to protect privacy of sources

VOICES

A unique hobby has helped one Backdropper remain grounded during the pandemic.

L

ooking back on my time in quarantine due to the coronavirus, my life has been a rollercoaster. Maintaining my identity as a college student while mentally feeling like I’m in high school again has been a challenge. Despite this, I feel that I have made the best possible use of my time and have paid more attention to my mental health, stayed close with my friends and even become more politically informed, all while on this journey to keep my identity on track. My main hobby, railroading - and more specifically model railroading - have been a key part of this journey. What I stand for.

Since I was a toddler, I have had a fascination with any and all things related to trains. I started how most people my age did; with Thomas the Tank Engine. Around age five my dad gave me my first real “model” train set, and I’ve been off and running ever since. When I played with my trains as a child, it was simply playing; I didn’t see any deeper meaning other than it was something I loved doing. [My dad] was killed when I was nine, and I have transitioned away from the trains he got for me, but the memory still lives on. Model railroading is something we shared, and I like to think that maintaining an interest in the hobby will serve as a way to keep my memories of him alive and “real.” To me, it represented childhood innocence and it still does today; it serves as an escape from the real world and keeps my mental health intact.

Model railroading is all about creating and immersing oneself in a miniature world, an escape from the real world. In 2020, having a means to get away from the seemingly constant depressing news has been essential in keeping my mental health up. Many times during quarantine I have discussed the coronavirus, a political issue or school issue, and it got to the point where I was getting uncomfortable and needed something to distract myself from all the negativity that would make my head spin.

All those times, model railroading has been there. When I started college, my time to work on models was cut short, much more than I anticipated. I began to think that I would not have the time I wanted to commit to my layout; the model train setup I have at my house to run trains on. With the start of the pandemic, I realized that I would finally have the time I have wanted for so long to work on the layout. For at least 15 minutes every day, I try to immerse myself in a modeling project — of which I have many to work on — research about the hobby or just watch trains run on my home layout. Those 15 minutes have sometimes made the difference between having a shit day or an alright day, especially after catching up with the latest, often upsetting, political news.

While model railroading and real railroading, to an extent,

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have played a key part in my life, politics have not historically.

Tourist railroading is the subset of railroading that involves mostly non-profit – with some for-profit -- railroads that focus on presenting railroad history for the entertainment and education of the public. In my experience, along with stories from friends in the industry, tourist railroading has long been a hotbed

of organizational politics. In the past I have stayed away from discussing and involving myself in politics, making my decisions either on a whim or on limited information. I think my main reason for paying more attention to politics is the fact that I’m simply growing up. I’m at the age now where I should be doing more adult things and having some political knowledge and it's part of that. Also, I am finally old enough to vote in a presidential election, and I want to make sure my vote will be worthwhile. During quarantine I have spent more time “doing my homework” on political information, and I feel that I am now better able to make political decisions for myself, and better respect people’s differing opinions in general.

I have been improving my political identity, and now have a better idea of what I stand for.

I cannot understate how many lifelong friends I have made through real and model railroading,

and having those friends to talk to, virtual or in person, has been essential for maintaining my identity during quarantine.

My longtime best friend, who I have known since first grade and I have shared a love of trains with, and has had a strong influence on my identity. At this point I’m considered a family friend of his and there aren’t many railroad things that we don't share with each other. Most of the people I have met through my model railroad club, the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway and the Ohio Railway Museum have become a second family of sorts over the years. We have been there for each other and are able to talk about almost anything and respect each other’s differences, even if we couldn’t do it in person. The people that I share the hobby with have been essential to maintaining my identity through quarantine, and that can be tied back to my passion for model railroading. b

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OONN TTH THE HHEE

BY NORA MCKEOWN

Cooped up? Stay active (and safe) this autumn by visiting these Backdrop-approved parks and trails.

HOCKING HILLS Hiking in Hocking Hills is a rite of passage for outdoorsy OU students. The state park offers many different trails of varying difficulty in its seven different hiking areas, and it is open from dusk to dawn all year. Take a virtual tour of some of their trails on their website before you head out there yourself! Renting a cabin or pitching a tent in their campsite is also worthwhile.

STROUDS RUN STATE PARK Hike, fish, camp or rent a boat at Strouds Run State Park, which is about a 15-minute drive from OU’s campus. There are hilly trails open and boats are available to rent on weekends between 11 a.m. and one hour before dark. Strouds offers kayaks, canoes, pontoon boats or paddle boards for rent.

BAILEY’S TRAIL SYSTEM IN CHAUNCEY This trail system has 14 miles of trails currently available to hikers, runners or bikers to explore.

The trailhead can be found at the Chauncey-Dover Community Park. Stay tuned, because there are a total of 88 miles of trails planned that are in the process of being opened.

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Sells Park Sells Park is located on Avon Street off of East State Street across from the Athens Community Center and connects to the trails at Strouds Run State Park. For a shorter hike, Sells is a great place to visit. There is a small pond and a few short trails open to the public. Visit the city of Athens website for a map of the trails available.

Exhibit A.

I’m not a runner or a bread-baker. I’m not big on meditation.

When I need to feel zen, I paint. Hi, I’m Taylor Linzinmeir, the editor-in-chief of Backdrop Magazine. I tend to exhibit a lot of anxious energy in my day-to-day life and painting helps quiet my mind. Here are some of my pieces from the last few years.

LEFT

Untitled portraits of Frida Kahlo, Iris Apfel and Halima Aden to showcase women who break the "beauty myth," or the idea that there is only one aceptable form of beauty everyone must conform to.

ABOVE

"The Girl with the Star Earring" portrait of my niece painted to emphasize how the culture of girlhood has both changed and stayed the same through generations.

LEFT

"Hair Care" painted to distigmatize natural body hair.

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