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Title: CROSS-DRESSING SUPERMODEL IS SHOCK HIT OF LONDON FASHION WEEK
Source:
www.dailystar.co.uk
URL Source: http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/vie ... ck-hit-of-London-Fashion-Week/
Published: Mar 1, 2011
Author: By Nadine Linge
Post Date: 2011-03-01 16:37:54 by Ferret Mike
Keywords: None
Views: 9775
Comments: 13
THE pouting lips, the peachy skin, the razor-sharp cheekbones, the long blonde hair – no wonder this stunning model is the talk of London Fashion Week. But look a bit closer as this is no ordinary catwalk star... the beauty is actually a MAN. Andrej Pejic, 19, has made his name by wearing clothes for both men and women and insists he’s happy with his gender-bending look. “Sometimes I get bored of all the attention that comes with modelling but it’s better than bricklaying,” he laughs. “Being cast as a woman is not something with which I feel uncomfortable. “As a woman I am sensual and sexy. As a man, I’m more simple. I’m comfortable in my skin and for my look to be celebrated is great.” And it is certainly being celebrated – his name has been on every fashion editor’s lips and a string of designers included Vivienne Westwood have asked him to walk the catwalk for them, alongside female models. He was born in Bosnia but his family fled to Australia during the war, when he was eight. Growing up in the tough working-class Melbourne suburb of Broadmeadows could have been hard for the feminine boy, but Andrej was never bullied, thanks to his older brother Igor keeping an eye out for him. He always had feminine looks, and loved trying on his mum’s dresses and make-up, but it was only when he was 14 that he decided to make the most of his unusual features. He says: “I decided to experiment with my look. It was a personal decision because I was unhappy. “It wasn’t something I did for attention, it’s just the way I look physically. “I figured out who I was, like most teens have to. I had to accept the fact I was different and be accepted for that. I don’t put a label on my look.” Andrej’s striking beauty was first spotted by a model scout when he was just 17 and working in a fast food joint. The talent scout bought a cheese-burger then told him to go and see a modelling agency. “I jumped straight into it,” Andrej laughs. “I thought it was better than working at KFC.” But 6ft 2ins Andrej isn’t sure whether he realised he was actually a bloke. “He didn’t say,” explains Andrej. “Obviously when I went into the agency, they figured it all out but they signed me up anyway. In the beginning they wanted me to be more masculine and told me to go to the gym. “That wouldn’t be such a good idea now because I wouldn’t fit into womenswear.” Andrej, who planned to study law before he was discovered, is a favourite of fashion legend Jean Paul Gaultier and modelled for him at London Fashion Week wearing a white ruffled wedding dress, which Rihanna recently wore to the Grammys. “Sometimes womenswear is fun and less restrictive,” says Andrej. He’s appeared in Vogue, at New York and Paris Fashion Weeks and has even fronted a campaign for hot designer Marc Jacobs. Brit designer Paul Smith reckons Andrej is the hottest thing on the catwalk at the moment, saying: “Fashion is today and tomorrow and he is today.”Andrej attributes his success to the way he offers designers a two-for-one bargain. He says: “In times of recession and economic collapse, clients don’t have the money to hire men and women so I’m a good deal.” Andrej refuses to say whether he is gay or straight, only letting slip that he’s single and believes “love has no boundaries”. But he does admit he’s been chatted up for years by straight men who think he’s a woman. “Sometimes they are shocked,” he says. “Most of the time they still want to buy me a drink.” Andrej is a popular with his fellow models. “Most of the girls are friendly,” he says. “They don’t mind if I’m in their dressing room. I guess they find me intriguing. “Fashion is quite inclusive and good at embracing different things and different forms of beauty. “You can be yourself. Just not overweight."
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#4. To: Ferret Mike (#0)
LOL! To Andrej Pejic; The gym is your friend.
Not if it hurts his income. ;-)
Good point. I think I glossed over the 'cross dresser' aspect. Or maybe my mind just blocked it out.
#7. To: We The People (#6)
I don't get hung up over what he is paid to model. The way I look at it is if he is making enough to laugh at people looking down their noses at him as he goes to the bank, it's all good.
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#5. To: We The People (#4)
#6. To: Ferret Mike (#5)
Not if it hurts his income. ;-)
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