2011-2-28 Oyster #91: Andrej Pejic✍

Androgyny is a buzzword that has been embraced by the fashion pack for as long as we can remember, but the recent appearance of transgender models on international runways has kicked gender bending into overdrive. In the nineties, supermodels Omahyra Mota and Kristen McMenamy made their mark with their masculine look. A decade later couture sensations Iris Strubegger and Hannelore Knuts stepped into fill their shoes. Compelling and confrontational, the gender dichotomy has never failed to push a few buttons — but the archetypal tomboys and biker bitches of the past were nothing like the androgynes of the new era.

Riccardo Tisci, creative director of fashion titan Givenchy, changed all the rules when he chose to feature his transsexual personal assistant, Lea T, as the star of the brand’s Fall Winter 2010 campaign. The brooding Brazilian’s gothic aristocracy embodied the Givenchy aesthetic, and Tisci single-handedly created a new transgender perception of beauty. Word was out — femme males were in.
This reverse role-play of the sexes has now created a niche for effeminate male models. The buzz is palpable, and Melbourne model Andrej Pejic is at the centre of the hysteria.

In Oyster #91, Renee Warne asked the epicene beauty how all this twisted transgender attention sits with his own perceptions of sexuality. Here is an excerpt of the interview, along with a selection of the images.

Renee: What was your reaction when first approached to play a role in women’s fashion?

Andrej: It was expected, almost inevitable. I remember the first time. I had just finished with L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival, and Geoffrey J. Finch, the designer for Antipodium, asked me if I’d open his show in Sydney. I of course had no qualms, and the experience was unreal.

第一次接觸女性時尚時感覺如何?

顯然這是無法預期的。我還記得第一次參與L’Oréal 墨爾本的時裝週,以及Antipodium的設計師Geoffrey J.問我有沒有意願到雪梨走秀。我當然毫不猶豫答應,這些體驗都有點不真實。

Renee: Has your success in women’s shows and editorial had an effect on your bookings in menswear?

Andrej: Well, my success in women’s editorial has definitely had a positive impact on my career overall. There are levels of high fashion that male models never really reach; to be in Vogue can only mean good things.

女性市場如此成功,這對男模工作有沒有影響?

我在女性市場的成就肯定為我的工作帶來正面的影響。這是許多走高級時裝的男模也不見的會有的;在時尚界裡這是好事。

Renee: You have played a key role in bringing about positivity for, and acceptance of, transsexuals. How do you feel about being tasked with being a poster boy for the transgender movement?

Andrej: I’m not really keen on the idea of being a poster boy for anything. I think it makes for a very limited existence. However, bringing awareness to an often isolated, misperceived and mistreated minority is something I’m very happy to do. Other models have spoken out about feeling displaced and isolated as a result of their appearance.

你帶來的影響和人們的接受度對變性族群起了作用。會覺得自己是像是這個群體的代言人/形象大使嗎?

我對代言人/形象大使沒有甚麼想法。我覺得這個影響力是很有限的。不過,如果這有助於人們對少數群體的認識,可以減少誤解和傷害,我會很高興。Other models have spoken out about feeling displaced and isolated as a result of their appearance.

Renee: Is this something you have struggled with?

Andrej: I think you may be referring to Lea T. She has stated this, however it isn’t her appearance that is the isolating factor — she is a beautiful girl — rather it is the backward perception many people have of transgender individuals. This, however, is the fault of our governments and ruling circles, which are not even interested in such issues. Religious stigma and the media also play very negative roles. I personally feel very accepted in the fashion industry, [as well as] by my family and friends; however I’m aware that there are many who disapprove of the way I am, and at times I do find this saddening.

你是否為此而奮鬥?

我想你說的是Lea T。她就是個例子。她的外貌並不是她被孤立的原因-她是個美麗的女孩-但很多人對變性者的想法卻很落伍。這就是政府和施政者的問題,但他們對此卻毫不關心。宗教歧視而媒體也常常造成負面作用。我被時尚界認可,家人和朋友也都接受我,但這不代表我不知道有許多人不認同我,有時候我也會覺得難過。

Renee: Your success as part of this movement has seen you travel around the world, working with some of the highest profile talents in the industry. How has your experience affected your perceptions of beauty and sexuality?

Andrej: I admit that working in this industry has changed my perception of beauty. People I once thought were the most beautiful seem less so, and people who would have seemed strange to me before seem the most beautiful. However, all the great human achievements have resulted from intelligence and creativity, not physical appearance, so the amount of importance I place on beauty hasn’t changed. When it comes to sexuality… well, I’ve learned that it’s never straightforward, but at the end of the day it’s a job, not a whole new identity.

你是個成功的例子,你遊走在世界各地與這產業的知名人士工作。這些體驗,對美麗和性特徵的想法有甚麼影響?

我承認這行業確實讓我改變對美的想法。我曾經覺得漂亮的人現在看來似乎不是,人們在覺得我漂亮之前也曾覺得我怪異。但,人最好的一面,應該是智慧和創造力而不是外在。所以這對我並沒有太大改變。至於性象徵......我知道這不是三言兩語能明瞭的,但對我來說這只是一天的工作內容,不代表是個新身分。

Interview: Renee Warne
http://oystermag.com/andrej-pejic
Renee Warne writes.
Photography: Jez Smith @ Vivien’s Creative
www.jezsmithphotography.com.au
Hair: Gavin Anesbury @ RP Represents using ghd
Make-up: Natasha Severino @ The Artist Group using M.A.C Cosmetics
Make-up Assistant: Peter Beard
Fashion: Kelvin Harries @ The Artist Group
Model: Andrej Pejic @ Chadwick

點選網址，該系列還有其他圖片。

2011-3-31 As Myer's flagship store celebrates 100 years with a refurbishment, the company goes hunting for the pink dollar

Olga Galacho From:The Courier-Mail March 31, 201112:00AM

REASON TO CELEBRATE: Models Jessica Hart, Jennifer Hawkins and controversial androgynous international catwalk sensation Andrej Pejic with Myer chief executive Bernie Brookes at the reopening of the company's flagship Bourke St Store in Melbourne 100 years after it first opened for business.

2011-11-24 Catching Up With Andrej Pejic

11.24.2011 By William Van Meter

A conversation with Out100 honoree Andrej Pejic, on his philosophy of modeling and why he won’t get a boner for a photo shoot.

2011-10-26 Fashion model straddles gender divide✍

10/26/2011 | Erin Criger, CityNews.ca 

2011-10-8 "La androginia es más que una moda pasajera"✍

El top Andrej Pejic desafía el orden binario de géneros desfilando en pasarelas masculinas y femeninas. ¿Fenómeno puntual o nueva revolución sexual?MARÍA OVELAR 08 DE OCTUBRE DE 2011 00:01 H.

2011-9-28 Model Andrej's mum: "I trusthim"✍

Local News, By Matt Akersten, 28th September, 2011


He’s one of the world’s most sought-after models – and the mother of Melbourne 19-year-old Andrej Pejic says she’s happy for him, but admits concerns about his health.

來自墨爾本19歲的Andrej Pejic是當今世界最搶手的模特之一。他的母親表示為他感到開心,但也擔憂他的健康。

“He’s incredibly beautiful,” Jadranka Pejic (pictured with Andrej) says of her son’s modeling shoots and catwalk appearances in women’s high-fashion couture.

"他有著令人驚艷的美貌"Jadranka Pejic對於穿著女裝出現在伸展台上的兒子表示感想。

The proud mum keeps a scrapbook of clippings from Andrej’s jet-setting career. “He is always flying between Europe and new York, and often does 10 castings in a day, plus interviews and late-night parties. He’s exhausted,” she fretted to Woman’s Day.But would mum be OK with it if her son decided to physically transition into a women? 
“If it makes him happy, I would support him,” she considers. “We don’t judge. We trust him.
“But he’s still my baby and I miss him.”

驕傲的母親收藏著關於Andrej職業生涯的剪報。"他總是在歐洲和紐約之間來去,一天可能有10件工作,加上採訪和午夜派對。他看起來累壞了。"她對此到焦慮。但,母親是否接受如果有天兒子決定在生理上也做了轉變呢?

"如果他會覺得快樂,我會支持他。"她是這麼想的。"我們不論斷他,只是信任他。"但他到現在還是我的寶貝,我很想他。"

Jadranka is more concerned about her son’s meager diet: “I say to him, ‘What have you eaten? You’re so skinny.’ I’m pleased things are going well for him, but the worry is killing me!”

Andrej recently admitted he adheres to a strict low-calorie eating regime so he can fit into the tiniest gowns. “Let’s be honest. You can’t eat much if you want to do this,” he confessed. “To do womenswear I have to be disciplined.”

相較之下Jadranka更關心的是兒子的飲食,我問他:你到底有沒有好好吃東西?你實在太瘦了。"我很高興他工作順利,但就是無法不擔心!"

Andrej承認自己最近在限制攝取的卡路里,好讓自己能穿上最小號的衣服。"說實話,你要想穿上這樣的衣服,你就不能吃太多。"他承認。"想做女裝工作,就得對自己嚴格一點。"

http://www.samesame.com.au/news/local/7392/Model-Andrejs-mum-I-trust-him.htm

2011-9-14 Genderless World's Most Popular Male Model Walks Runways in Heels, Dresses

By JUJU CHANG (@JujuChangABC) and HANA KARAR

Sept. 14, 2011

He's the most popular male model in the world, but he makes his money wearing women's clothing. 

With porcelain skin, a luscious pout and delicate bone structure, Andrej Pejic, a 19-year-old from Bosnia-Herzegovina, is perhaps the sexiest lady you've ever laid eyes on. "I've always liked feminine things since I was a child," he said.

 

"Toys, Barbies." Modeling is one of the few industries where women make three times more money than men, and Pejic now commands women's fees for his work. 

His face has graced the covers of numerous high-fashion magazines around the world, more than any other male model, and now he has offers pouring in for acting roles, a reality show -- even his own nail polish line.

 

The newcomer was swarmed by international press after walking this week at New York's Fashion Week.

 

"He's rare. No one looks like him," said photographer Chris Benz.

 

"I mean no one. None of the boys look like him. None of the girls look like him. 

It's just him. It's Andrej." Pejic wears a women's size 2 or 4 -- with no alterations. He says his sexiest feature is his hips and the toughest part of modeling in women's clothing is squeezing into size 11 high-heeled shoes, which add inches to his already 6-foot-2 frame.

 

People instantly recognize that his beauty is genderless. Much like artist Andy Warhol's trans-sexual muse "Candy Darling," Pejic is taking androgyny mainstream. 

The difference is that he is still biologically a man. Pejic said he does not take hormones to alter his appearance, and he has never had to shave his face.

"I prayed to God and it worked," he said.

While he does consider himself to fall under the transgender umbrella, Pejic said he has no plans to undergo any surgeries.

"I feel comfortable the way I am," he said. "I don't feel the need to alter my body significantly."

Happy in his own skin, Pejic readily admits that his look doesn't just blur the line between male and female, it seems to erase it. The runway is now dominated by flat-chested, rail-thin giants like him.

When asked if he saw himself as a man or a woman, Pejic responded, "I see myself," adding that he doesn't see gender.

"Women are sexier than men," he said. "With every species, there is always a gender that is more extravagant, and in humans that is women. ... There is hair, there is skin, there is just more to show the beauty."

Pejic and his family moved to Australia when he was 8 after his parents divorced, escaping ethnic-war-ravaged Yugoslavia.

I grew up in a refugee camp in Serbia," he said. "My mum was Serbian and my dad was Croatian."

He said he was 3 or 4 years old when he first put on women's clothing and, even away from the cameras, Pejic said he is more comfortable wearing female fashions over menswear.

"Like any other kid, except for cowboy outfits, it was something else," Pejic said.

All he saw was "a child," he said, not a gender. 

A modeling agency discovered Pejic while he was working at a McDonald's. They knew he wasn't the classic alpha male, and Pejic soon crossed over into women's wear.

Fashion designer Jean Paul Gautier put him in a wedding gown for showing his 2011 spring collection. Gender confusion is precisely what Pejic's "It Girl" status depends on.

"Now, I tend to use the women's room because it's a lot less complicated," he said. "When I try to use the men's room it's like, 'Please leave,' when I want to go to the toilet. I don't want to go through the whole process."

More friendly than flirtatious, Pejic said he'll chat with both men and women while out in public, but remained coy about his sexual identity and his romantic life.

"For me, love has no boundaries," he said.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/genderless-worlds-popular-male-model-walks-runways heels/story?id=14522370