Andrej Pejic, Gender-Bending Model, Sends Alarming Message
Andrej Pejic might be considered one of the most beautiful women in the fashion industry, if he were in fact a woman. The rising star model, however, is a man that also models women's clothing.
Some have questioned the increasingly common occurrence to see organizations and people take a stance of gender indifference, and are concerned about it's potentially negative impacts.
As New York fashion week nears, Andrej Pejic has garnered a lot of attention. The male model, who has walked for designers like Marc Jacobs and Jean Paul Gaultier, has made a name for himself modeling both men's and women's clothing.
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Designers, constantly looking for the next big thing, have welcomed Pejic's versatility. Pejic, who was raised in a Serbian refuge camp, has said that he will do whatever it takes to make it in the industry.
"If that's what it takes for me to make it in this industry I mean, why not," he said in an interview with Hilary Alexander at a Gaultier fashion show in Paris.
However the question has become whether there should be a moral stipulation behind Pejic's career motives.
When asked if he would consider having a complete sex change, Pejic again controversially indictaed that his decision would be dictated by fame and money; he would go ahead with a sex change if offered a Victoria Secret's modeling job.
"Yah, you would kind of have to wouldn't you?" Pejic said.
The transgender community has welcomed such a figure as Pejic. Last year, the gay and lesbian magazine Out named him "stylemaker of the year." But Pejic has yet to consider himself transgender nor has he claimed any sort of "sexual orientation."
Pejic has also been criticized for supporting unhealthy eating habits.
The Telegraph reported that "Pejic, told Grazia magazine that he lives in a state of semi-starvation to fit into the designer outfits, sparking anger from nutritionists who labeled his comments as irresponsible."
"Let's be honest. You can't eat much if you want to do this. To do womenswear I have to be disciplined," Pejic said.
Weight issues are not the only ones the Pejic presents when modeling women's clothing.
Others have wondered whether designers should be creating women's clothing that was meant to fit a male physique. Pejic has even modeled push-up bras for a Dutch department store.
The Singpore Times reported on the response to Pejic's pictures.
"'Pejic looks very pretty in the pictures,' said New York magazine on its fashion blog, which nevertheless predicted 'a new round of opinion pieces' over whether fashion designers only care to create women's wear for boyish bodies," the paper wrote.
The Dutch company's ad read: "Even men get a decolleté with this new mega push-up bra. That means that you with 'totally nothing' can go to a beautiful B-cup."
ABC blog users found the ads confusing and misguiding.
"I'm sorry. Maybe I'm getting old, but I find it weird. There are no gender lines anymore. Maybe that's why so many young people today are confused," snookumsannmarie wrote.
"Think of the young guy who thinks the model is beautiful only to find out it is a man. It could really screw with their mind. But we are not suppose to [talk] about that, it's not politically correct. I'm tired of being politically correct!" the user posted.
