Sunshine: our new Style Intern!

How would you describe your Style Intern experience?

What an experience! Style Intern took my emotions from high self-confidence at the beginning, to self-doubt in the middle, to almost giving up, and then straight into battle mode towards the end. I entered the competition to win and the pressure of the challenges, boardroom eliminations and losing friends made the whole experience bitter-sweet. Style Intern made me reassess how I manage and handle certain situations, forcing me to adapt in just a couple of days. But one thing I know for sure, ‘Boy was it a crazy ride!’

You seemed to have doubts about taking the Style Intern position and were obviously under a lot of strain. How do you feel about that now?

I wouldn't say doubt, but rather fear of the unknown. How many interns do you know who are 27 years old? I have been with the same company for six years, mastering marketing in a radio and television environment, and know it like the back of my hand. At times I just doubted whether I would survive the new magazine environment. That probably made me seem withdrawn to the judges for the first few episodes. I was finding my feet, but once I did that the whole process was smoother and I had my rhythm back. I'm ready now and can’t wait to start! My aim is to impress the rest of the FAIRLADY staff, so that I am offered a permanent position within the company. That's my new challenge for the next six months.

How has your life changed since the show aired?

My life has not really changed, but it will never be the same again. I go to work every day (even weekends), plan events and go about my daily life. I get approached by the occasional viewer who will ask questions about the show and the other contestants. It was just hard not being able to tell people that I'd won. A lot of them assumed, but I couldn't really give them an answer. Seeing myself on TV, however, made me realise that I need to change a few things about myself.

You and Rosemary seemed to have developed a close relationship.

Rosie and I formed quite a close bond while we were in the penthouse. We shared similar life experiences and frustrations, and I guess that made the relationship so natural. I haven't spoken to her since the announcement, but she sends messages on Facebook.

As for the other interns, I haven’t seen Refiloe but we have spoken. She is back at school. I bumped into Raymond at the Fashion Week and at the FAIRLADY July fashion shoot. He’s working at MAC in Eastgate. I’ve also met up with Dylan and Alschke when I was in Cape Town a few weeks ago.

You and Dylan seemed to clash quite a bit on the show.

Dee is my favourite. We clashed throughout the show because we both have such strong personalities, but I didn't hate him as people assumed. He was one of my strongest competitors and had to be eliminated. He could possibly have knocked me out of the competition, but he is one of the only contestants with whom I am regularly in touch. We have an amazing relationship and I see him whenever I’m in Cape Town. Twitter and Facebook make it easier for us to stay in touch when I’m in Johannesburg.

Suzy said that you need to brush up on your people skills. How do you feel about that?

It was one of the most surprising statements that anyone has made about me and it had me in tears – although I thought the cameras had stopped rolling at that stage. I pride myself on being able to interact with different types of people in any environment, and so the criticism upset me. At the time it felt like a personal attack, but then I hadn’t really made an effort to meet with the FAIRLADY staff when we started shooting. I was so caught up in finishing my challenges and outshining the other contestants that I didn’t take the time, and I think that gave people the impression that I wasn’t friendly. My objective was winning the competition and I thought that once I’d achieved that I’d have plenty of time to make friends.

Do you see yourself having a career in magazines?

Definitely. After shooting the show, I realised that there are so many intricate details that go into compiling a magazine from cover to cover. Learning and absorbing all that information is going to be the fun part. The thing that excites me the most is that I’m going to have some of the best editors in South Africa guiding and moulding my career. It’s like a visa into the fashion world, and I landed it.

I am very creative in my thinking and execution style and can’t wait to be part of the team that puts this magazine together. Seeing my name as a contributor in FAIRLADY (even as Head Steamer and Shoe Taper for now) will make it all so official. After a few years, who knows? I might be FAIRLADY’s Fashion Editor or the presenter/judge of Style Intern 2.

You describe yourself as Queen Bee in your current office. How do you think you’re going to handle starting over as an intern at FAIRLADY?

Queen Bee, me? Never. I'm more the fire starter; the one with the loudest laugh in the room, and the ‘make it happen’ girl! People just gravitate towards me because I'm entertaining. Being an intern is going to be hard and exciting at the same time. Luckily, because I’ll be working with Fashion Editor Chu and new Beauty Editor Candice-Lee Kannemeyer, I will have an opportunity to meet some of the most influential and important FAIRLADY clients and designers. The challenge will be nurturing those relationships while making my mark on them. It will be a humbling experience, but all worth it once those relationships and contacts are established. I'm going to have to remember how to make coffee though... Shannon brought that up as one of the intern’s duties.

Now that you’ve seen the show, would you have done anything differently?

I would have painted my nails for the Revlon client! It's so funny thinking back to that chaotic time and realising that that was the last thing on my mind. I actually bit off all my nails during that period. I can only imagine what the client thought. Then again, when I woke up that morning, meeting with clients was not part of my agenda. It will teach me to always be prepared in the magazine world. My twitter friends gave me -20 points for that mistake. Wonder if I'll live it down!

And the ‘cherry on the f*** you cake’ statement – I'd probably take that back for my mom's sake. The rest of the show was a true reflection of who I am, and I wouldn't change a thing. I am proud of all the work that I produced for FAIRLADY, even the stuff I failed at dismally, because I learnt a lesson with each challenge.