Andrej Pejic is no more — ladies and gentlemen, meet Andreja Pejic. Style.com reports that Pejic chose to undergo sexual reassignment surgery earlier this year, and first spoke publicly about her transition at GLAAD’s Chelsea headquarters on Wednesday.
Pejic rose to fame as Andrej Pejic, an androgynous male model who famously covered a 2010 issue of Paris Vogue , followed by runway appearances for Gaultier, a Marc by Marc Jacobs ad campaign, and a slew of magazine covers — including the fall 2011 issues of both New York Magazine and Dossier Journal, on which the then-male Pejic appeared shirtless, and caused a lot of controversy at the newsstands. (Because shirtless men = okay, and shirtless ladies = bad, remember?)
In an interview with Style.com, Pejic states that she knew at age 13 that she was meant to be a woman, and transitioning was "always something I needed to do." But, until transitioning was possible, "androgyny became a way of expressing my femininity without having to explain myself to people too much," especially to friends who had no understanding of trans* culture or gender identity.
Now, Pejic hopes to speak more about the challenges of living with gender dysphoria "to give a human face to this struggle." Read the full interview with Pejic at Style.com, where she debunks myths about trans* people, talks about transitioning from a male to a female model, and gives the thoroughly touching story behind her new name. It's a fascinating interview with a woman who looks set to became another much-needed advocate for the trans* community. Viva Andreja! (Style.com)