Challenge 21 - Holly the Monster

Become a monster and crush a tiny city.

Set by the Front team.

I went to Front magazine for 2 weeks to do my work experience. On my first day before I got to work Iwas freaking out, I

needn't have worried the guys were true gents and I learnt valuable lessons which will serve me well within the journalism industry, such as how to make an awesome cup of tea.

Front set me this challenge as part of their 'workie challenge' feature.

If you are not familiar with it, go and buy a copy of the magazine. I got off very lightly, as they are such gentlemen, they go easier on ladies

(clearly I wasn't being myself). You might say it's sexist,

but there is no way I was complaining

After a few days at Front, Mike Rampton (features ed) e-mailed me with the brief for my challenge. "You will become a Godzilla/King Kong type monster and crush a tiny city". Perfect. Two of my favourite things are fancy dress and stomping around. Him and Joe Barnes (the editor, who attended Falmouth, proving there is hope for us yet) were the ones to come up with the idea.

I looked at loads of monster photos to get inspiration and how to make costumes. They were all a bit complex but luckily the fashion team (Hayley and Will) were on hand to help. They had some pink fur and I went shopping to find some more. All the fabric shops were closed and the market stalls were closing for the day. Brilliant. However as if by fate, the wind blew one of those apple tray layer things in front of my path. I was struck with inspiration. I excitedly grabbed it and rushed over to the man on the market stall and asked him if it was okay if I kept it. He stared at me like I was a bit odd. 'Oh, I'm on work experience and I need to dress up as a monster'. He continued to stare at me strangely, really, what did he not understand? "It's important, I'd really appreciate some more these apple tray layer thingys'. Like some kind of cockney fairy godmother he granted me my wish.

I wasn't nervous or scared about this challenge. That is, until Mike said to me 'look, Holly, this has to be good, it's going to look rubbish if you don't make the effort, we have to include this in the magazine, so it needs to be good'. Oh. My. God. One tiny little detail that had slipped my mind was that It was going in the freaking magazine.

You can't blame me for worrying the most sarcastic guys I know read Front (I say read, but the magazine has some pretty hot girls in...including me now, ha!) and I had doubts that Front were going to present me as the absolutely perfect, gorgeous creature I believe I am, (you could almost say, they were going to be honest..). If I am honest, I was actually worried about looking fat. Yes. Do I care? No. However, the worry soon passed as I wasn't at Front to look pretty (they even told me, it's not your job to sit there looking not-so-pretty) plus all of my friends have already seen me looking less than demure, so unless I could completely erase their knowledge of me there was no point in worrying about getting ripped to shreds by my friends, which I will. Maybe I could ask my cockney fairy godmother for help?

On the day, I made my finishing touches to my costume and 'set'. What can I say. Challenge completed! My only worry turned out to be when I had a wardrobe malfunction and my 'head' fell over face so I couldn't see anything and I was carrying out this challenge next to a canal. As much as the guys there are gentlemen, they do also like to laugh at people and I'm not sure they would have stopped me falling in the canal.

Difficulty rating: Easy
Fun Factor: So Much fun!!!
Do this if....again, I literally cannot think of one reason why you should not do this!

Challenge 21: Completed!

Holly

x

To see the challenge go and buy a copy a Front. To see me looking far from demure, check my Facebook.