Andrej Pejic comes out as transgender woman: Marc Jacobs and Jean Paul Gaultier model undergoes gender surgery

The catwalk model hopes that by being “open” that sex change will become “less of an issue”

Ella Alexander
Sunday 27 July 2014 12:57 BST
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Model Andrej Pejic has come out as a transgender woman.

The 22-year-old has publicly told how she underwent sex reassignment surgery earlier this year.

Pejic – who now wears a necklace bearing the name ‘Andreja’ – has modelled both menswear and womenswear during her career for brands such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Marc Jacobs and DKNY.

“I want to share my story with the world because I think I have a social responsibility,” Pejic told People. “I hope that by being open about this, it becomes less of an issue.”

Born in Serbia, Pejic always “dreamt of being a girl”; one of her first memories is “spinning around in my mum's skirt trying to look like a ballerina".

She began to take to puberty-blockers and at the age of 17 was scouted by a modelling agency and was happy to lend her androgynous appeal to both menswear and womenswear. Pejic also starred in David Bowie's music video for 2013 single "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)".

She is currently represented by Storm, who also look after Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne.

“About a year and a half ago, I reevaluated things," said Pejic. ”I was proud of my gender nonconforming career. But my biggest dream was to be comfortable in my own body. I have to be true to myself and the career is just going to have to fit around that."

She then started meeting with doctors to discuss surgery, which has now been completed.

"I was happy the moment had come – as happy as you can be before a surgery," she said.

However, although the sex reassignment was clearly important to her, Pejic doesn’t wish to be defined by it.

“What's in between anyone's legs is not who they are,” she said.

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