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Andreja Pejić

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Andreja Pejić (/ənˈdreɪ.ə ˈpɛdʒɪk/ ən-DRAY-ə PEJ-ik, Serbo-Croatian: [ǎndreja pêːjitɕ];[4] born Andrej Pejić; 28 August 1991) is an Australian[5] model and actress.[6] Since coming out as a trans woman in 2013, she has become one of the most recognisable transgender models in the world.[7]

Andreja Pejić
Pejić in February 2013
Born (1991-08-28) 28 August 1991 (age 33)
Tuzla, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia
(now Bosnia and Herzegovina)
NationalityAustralian
Occupations
  • Model
  • actor
Modelling information
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Hair colourBlonde[2]
Eye colourGreen[2]
Agency

Early life

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Pejić was born in Tuzla, Yugoslavia (now part of Bosnia and Herzegovina), and has one older brother, Igor. Her mother, Jadranka Savić,[8] is a Serb, and her father, Vlado Pejić, is a Bosnian Croat. The couple divorced shortly after Pejić's birth. During the Bosnian War, the siblings fled to Serbia with their mother and grandmother, settling in a refugee camp near Belgrade. After the refugee camp, the family settled in the Vojska village near Svilajnac.[9]

Following the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, Pejić's mother felt unsafe and decided to initiate the process of immigration to Australia. In 2000, the family moved to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, as political refugees when she was eight years old.[10][3]

While attending high school at University High, Pejić was described as being "academically brilliant".[11]

Career

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Pejić was scouted as a model just before her 17th birthday while working at McDonald's,[12] though she has also said in an interview that she was scouted at a swimming pool while still in high school in Melbourne.[13]

Pejić was initially notable for modelling both masculine and feminine clothing. In the Paris fashion shows of January 2011, Pejić walked both the men's and women's shows for Jean-Paul Gaultier and the men's shows for Marc Jacobs. In May 2011, her magazine cover for the New York-based magazine Dossier Journal—in which Pejić, with long blond locks in curlers, is pictured taking off a white shirt —was ruled too risqué by US bookstores Barnes & Noble and Borders, which covered the image with an opaque sleeve.[14] Concerns were expressed that customers would read Pejić, who at the time was presenting as gender fluid, as a topless woman.[15]

At the Stylenite in July 2011, Pejić appeared on the catwalk both in masculine and feminine clothes from Michalsky.[16] The following year, she modeled bridal creations by Spanish designer Rosa Clara at Barcelona's Bridal Week 2013.[17]

Pejić ranked number 18 on Models.com's Top 50 Models list in 2011,[3] was named one of Out's Most Compelling People,[3] and was ranked number 98 in FHM magazine's 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2011,[18] an award that was criticised for its hostile tone to transgender individuals, especially transgender women; the magazine referred to Pejić as a "thing", commenting, "Pass the sick bucket."[19] FHM subsequently removed the copy accompanying Pejić's entry and posted an apology.[20]

Pejić has appeared on the covers of international editions of Elle, Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar, L'Officiel, Fashion and GQ. Andreja has also appeared in editorials for fashion publications including Vogue, Elle, I-D, Dazed and Confused, Love, Allure, Purple and Numéro.[21]

On 6 August 2012, Pejić appeared as a guest judge on Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model.[22] Pejić became the first openly transgender model profiled by Vogue, in its May 2015 issue, and also became the first-ever trans woman to sign a cosmetics contract. In 2016, Pejić was awarded "Best International Female Model" by GQ Portugal and the following year she made history by becoming the first transgender woman to appear on the cover of GQ.[23][24][25]

In 2013 Pejić shifted her focus to acting, appearing alongside Iselin Steiro, Saskia de Brauw, Tilda Swinton and David Bowie in the video for Bowie's 2013 single "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)".[26] In late 2013, she made her acting debut playing Radu the Beautiful in the short-lived Turkish television series Fatih, which is based on the life of Mehmed the Conqueror.[27]

Pejić made her major film debut in the 2018 crime thriller film The Girl in the Spider's Web and has since gone on to act in multiple short films and features,[28] most notably playing the supporting role of Nino in the 2022 film The Other Me. After shooting The Other Me, Pejić spent six months working as a waitress. Pejić shared with Gamerant Magazine, "I just got a job as a waitress, and I was working in this restaurant called El Nido in Santa Fe. I just wanted to ground myself a little bit and explore human beings. Since 18, I was working as a model and traveling the world and I was like, this is a good opportunity to do something normal."[29]

In 2022 Pejić appeared as French singer and artist Amanda Lear, in the biographical film Dalíland, based on the later life of surrealist artist Salvador Dalí.

In a 2022 interview Pejić gave an update on her forthcoming autobiographical documentary:[30] "I'm trying to finish my documentary, which I've been filming over the past seven years, and I've decided to take control of it and tell my own story and direct it myself. I've always felt, from the beginning of my career, the media didn't really understand me and interviews made me quite uncomfortable. Things have progressed a lot more in, say, the past five years, in terms of how we approach gender."[29]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
2013 Reason Gemma Christensen Short
2017 Bagdad, Florida Pizza Short
2018 The Girl in the Spider's Web Sofia
2021 Habit Addy
2021 Sapphire Sapphire/Ethan Short
2021 Bitter Fruit Eileen Short
2022 The Other Me Nino
2022 Dalíland Amanda Lear

Personal life

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In late 2013, Pejić underwent sex reassignment surgery. In September 2014, Pejić announced plans on the Kickstarter crowdfunding platform to create a film about her reassignment surgery and life as a woman. Pejić started off with a projected goal of $40,000, ultimately exceeding the target funding goal.[31][30] Pejić had previously dated Are You the One? cast member Remy Duran.[32]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Schneier, Matthew (5 September 2014). "A Model's Life, Chapter 2". Fashion & Style. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Andreja Pejic". Storm Models. Archived from the original on 16 June 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d "Andreja Pejic - Model". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  4. ^ "Andrej Pejic – 98th Sexiest Woman in the World – FHM". YouTube. Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  5. ^ Press, Clare (7 March 2015). "From Andrej to Andreja Pejic: How Australian boy became world's first transgender supermodel". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  6. ^ "How Model Andrej Pejic Works Both Sides of the Runway - Fall Fashion 2011 -- New York Magazine - Nymag". New York Magazine. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  7. ^ Godwin, Richard (7 July 2016). "Andreja Pejic on becoming the most famous transgender model in the world". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017.
  8. ^ Stojanov, Ivana. "Mama Andreja Pejića: 'Skoči mi pritisak kad čitam komentare o mom sinu'" [Andrej Pejic's Mother: 'My Pressure Jumps When I Read Comments About My Son']. Blic (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 1 September 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  9. ^ Ostojić, Dražen (31 December 2011). "Naš Andrej je lep ko lutka!" [Our Andrej Is Beautiful Like a Doll!]. Alo! (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 9 January 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  10. ^ "Andrej Pejic Vogue: Androgynous Model Appears Nude in Vogue Brazil". Fashion & Style. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  11. ^ Overington, Caroline (25 March 2013). "Raising My Androgynous Son Andrej Pejic". The Australian Women's Weekly. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  12. ^ Williamson, Charlotte (20 February 2011). "Andrej Pejic: Who's that boy?". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 December 2011. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  13. ^ "Exclusive interview: Andrej Pejic". Sunday Night. YouTube. 13 February 2011. Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  14. ^ Levy, Megan (17 May 2011). "Book Giants Censor Aussie Male Model's Breasts". The Age. Archived from the original on 1 September 2016. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  15. ^ Sauers, Jenna (16 May 2011). "Barnes & Noble Censors Cover Featuring Androgynous Male Model". Jezebel. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  16. ^ Thakur, Monami (4 May 2012). "Androgynous Model Andrej Pejic Walks the Ramp for Jean Paul Gaultier". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  17. ^ "Male model Andrej Pejic Shines as Best 'Bride' at Barcelona Bridal Week". Hello!. 9 May 2012. Archived from the original on 1 September 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
  18. ^ Moody, Jon. "FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2011". FHM. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  19. ^ "Andrej Pejic Is Not a Person". Lela London. 15 December 2011. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  20. ^ "FHM: Andrej Pejic Apology". FHM. 30 May 2011. Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  21. ^ "Andreja Pejic - Model". MODELS.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  22. ^ "Androgynous Model Andrej Pejic Appears on Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model". Yahoo News. 6 August 2012. Archived from the original on 28 June 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  23. ^ Ungerman, Alex. "Vogue Profiles First-Ever Transgender Model Andreja Pejic". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on 22 April 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  24. ^ "Here's The First Transgender Model To Be The Face Of A Cosmetics Company". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  25. ^ Matera, Avery. "GQ Just Put a Transgender Model on Their Cover for the First Time Ever — And It's Beyond Beautiful". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on 22 May 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  26. ^ "The Stars (Are Out Tonight) VIDEO EXCLUSIVE". Facebook. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  27. ^ Reed, Mariel (17 June 2014). "Andrej Pejic Cast In Sofia Coppola's The Little Mermaid: Consider Our Interest Piqued..." Marie Claire. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  28. ^ "Andreja Pejic | Actress". IMDb. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  29. ^ a b "The Other Me's Andreja Pejić Talks Her Connection To Her Character, Journey Into Acting, And Future Documentary Project". Game Rant. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  30. ^ a b "Andrej(A) - The Kickstarter Backed Documentary". Kickstarter. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  31. ^ Zuckerman, Blaine (24 July 2014). "Andrej Pejic Now Andreja After Sex Reassignment Surgery". People. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  32. ^ "Coolest Person in the Room: Remy Duran". 21 August 2019.

Further reading

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