One of the hottest and most controversial models of the moment broke on the scene in 2011

Jul 26, 2014 05:14 GMT  ·  By
Andreja Pejic emerged on the scene in 2011, as Andrej, a male model
4 photos
   Andreja Pejic emerged on the scene in 2011, as Andrej, a male model

Since 2011, perhaps no other model has been as popular and controversial as Andrej Pejic, a 22-year-old male model of such beauty and grace that he could (and did, indeed) model both for women and men’s collections. After refusing on countless occasions to address questions of his orientation or whether he considered himself a boy or a girl, Andrej is coming out now as a trans-woman.

In a statement to People magazine and another one on Facebook, Andreja reveals that she underwent sex reassignment surgery early this year and is finally ready to share her news to the world, finally come out in the open with the news.

She isn’t doing it because she wants free publicity (her beauty more than guarantees she gets enough attention, from the right people) but rather because she knows that, as a public figure, she has this responsibility towards the LGBT community.

Andreja wants to be a model for them too and, at the same time, help other trans-people who might be dealing with gender identity issues (like she did when she was younger) or going through transition, by making them see they’re not alone.

“I want to share my story with the world because I think I have a social responsibility. I hope that by being open about this, it becomes less of an issue... I always dreamt of being a girl. One of my earliest memories is spinning around in my mom's skirt trying to look like a ballerina,” Andreja says.

It wasn’t until recently that she accepted that she was a woman and started the long process of becoming the woman she was always supposed to be.

“About a year and a half ago, I reevaluated things. I was proud of my gender nonconforming career. But my biggest dream was to be comfortable in my own body. I have to be true to myself and the career is just going to have to fit around that,” she explains.

Pejic has every reason to be proud of her career: not only did she usher in a new “breed” of model, but she also opened the conversation on beauty and how it should never be stereotyped by gender. Whether Pejic wore male’s clothes or women’s gowns, she always looked stunning, so no wonder designers were basically banging down her door to get her on their catwalks.

She modeled for the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier and did plenty of magazine covers and even more endorsement deals. In a very short time, Pejic became the model everyone in the fashion industry was talking about: a beauty like no other, whether in the male or female modeling catalogs.

The gallery below is proof of that. That also landed Pejic in the crossfire, with certain media outlets and fashion insiders protesting against having a male model walk for women’s collections. Pejic was stealing their jobs and, at the same time, completely “distorting” the idea of female beauty by the mere fact that, at the time, he was a man.

On Facebook, Andreja writes that, though a woman now, she is still the same person as before.

“I think we all evolve as we get older and that's normal but I like to think that my recent transition hasn't made me into a different individual. Same person, no difference at all. […] I would also like to reach out to all young gender non-conforming youth out there: I know it's hard, I've been there, but remember it’s your right to be accepted as what you identify with – you deserve the same respect as any other human being on this planet. As a transgender woman I hope to show that after transition (a life-saving process) one can be happy and successful in their new chapter without having to alienate their past,” she writes.

Because of her popularity as a model and the beautifully worded way in which she came out, Andreja has been welcomed and praised as a hero by the LGBT community.

Andreja Pejic, famous model (4 Images)

Andreja Pejic emerged on the scene in 2011, as Andrej, a male model
Pejic modeled for some of the biggest fashion houses out thereWhat made Pejic so special was the fact that he could model both men and women’s clothes
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