Some members of the LSU community are gaining the national spotlight at early ages, but not in a way most people would expect – they are modeling.
Two LSU students are appearing in national publications. Megan Radelat will appear in December’s edition of Playboy magazine and Joshua Holmes is in November’s Cosmopolitan magazine.
Radelat, a general studies sophomore and new Playboy model, said she is thrilled to be in the magazine.
“I’m overwhelmed by it all, my family is excited for me,” Radelat said. “It’s really exciting for me to be a part of this.”
Radelat said everyone around her has been supportive.
“No one has had anything negative to say from what I have heard,” Radelat said. “No one told me they think it’s bad. My parents like the fact that I’m in a big magazine.”
Radelat said she was determined to be a part of Playboy since her junior year in high school.
“I took Polaroid pictures and ew to California for a casting call, and they called me to come back,” Radelat said. “I took every chance I could since I got into college to be a part of Playboy.”
Radelat said she is optimistic about what posing for Playboy will do for her future.
“I’m sure it’ll open up a lot of doors,” Radelat said. “I hope it will lead to movies and modeling.”
Radelat said she is excited about making Playboy, but knows it will not last forever.
“Right now I’m full time [at LSU]. If modeling doesn’t go the way I want it to, I’ll do business in pharmaceutical sales,” Radelat said.
Theresa Hennessey, publicist for Playboy, said Radelat is the recipient of a very big honor.
“Out of 10,000 girls, 26 are selected to be in the pictorial,” Hennessey said. “It’s a pretty big honor, and she made it.”
Hennessey said Playboy traveled to 20 cities in the United States and Canada to look for the 50th anniversary Playmate.
“We wanted to pick a special woman,” Hennessey said.
Hennessey said Radelat made it through the selection process because she had what the photo editors were looking for in a Playmate. Hennessey said Radelat had beauty, the girl next door look and was photogenic.
“Photo editors look for the most photogenic girls and Mr. Heffner makes the nal decision,” Hennessey said.
The December issue of Playboy will feature 26 nalists. One will be selected for the 50th anniversary edition in January.
“If she doesn’t get it she still could be a Playmate of the month, a Cybergirl, or at other positions,” Hennessey said. “It’s not like it ends here.”
Radelat is not the only LSU community member to make a national magazine.
Joshua Holmes, an LSU law graduate, said his life has changed since he appeared in the November Cosmopolitan magazine.
“It’s going good, it’s really been crazy,” Holmes said.
Holmes said he appeared on three national television talk shows, most notably Good Morning America.
“Oh yeah, they think you’re somebody when you make a magazine,” Holmes said. “I’ve gotten 300-400 e-mails from all over the world.”
Holmes said people always told him to look into modeling.
Julie Bates, LSU graduate and friend of Josh Holmes said she sent the application to get Holmes in Cosmopolitan.
Bates said it started when she was joking about him posing in magazines.
“I joked with him and told him to because every month they have a guy with his shirt off, and I told him to do it,” Bates said.
Bates said she e-mailed the representative from Cosmopolitan. She sent a picture and Holmes also e-mailed her a picture, but nothing came of that.
She also sent the application, and in May Holmes received notice in that he was the Louisiana representative for the July edition.
Holmes said his main passion has never been modeling.
“I was a little more realistic, I could see the odds were better to getting my education,” Holmes said. “I love sports and being around sports so I thought it was my ticket to staying around sports.”
Bates said Holmes is different from most peoples’ perceptions of college students because he takes such good care of his body.
“He’s very laid back,” Bates said. “He’s a Christian, he’s not drinking or smoking, he’s very much into playing video games, runs the lake everyday, very smart, very nice, he works out every day.”
Holmes said this past summer he was modeling in Milan, Italy and the summer before was modeling in Athens, Greece.
“I also got to be an extra in a few movies, like ‘Runaway Jury,'” Holmes said.
Holmes said early modeling success doesn’t change his aspirations of being a sports agent, but it does create more career options.
“You think of what you could be doing in acting and modeling,” Holmes said. “An agent is where I see myself in 10 years. I could see myself modeling for the next 5 years,” Holmes said.