Model Andreja Pejic Comes Out as Transgender Woman
Australian model Andreja, formerly known as Andrej, Pejic announced that she has undergone sex reassignment surgery and now identifies as a transgender woman.
Pejic, 22, announced Wednesday that she had undergone surgery and said she will solely model in women's fashion in the future. The model has been featured on the covers of Elle and French Vogue, as well as a music video for David Bowie's "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)."
Famous for androgynous looks, Pejic told Style.com that she knew for a while that she did not identify with her given gender.
"I figured out who I was very early on-actually, at the age of 13, with the help of the internet-so I knew that a transition, becoming a woman, was always something I needed to do," Pejic said. "But it wasn't possible at the time, and I put it off, and androgyny became a way of expressing my femininity without having to explain myself to people too much."
The Bosnian-born model was discovered while working at McDonald's as a teen. Along with her brother, mother and grandmother, she fled to Serbia before moving to Australia in 2000 as a political refugee.
Pejic posted a picture and a message on her Facebook page Thursday.
"I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the love and support throughout the years," she wrote. "You've all helped me through this journey and I have learned a lot and really come into my own and the response to today's announcement truly overwhelmed me and reminds me of why I chose to do this publicly.
"I think we all evolve as we get older and that's normal but I like to think that my recent transition hasn't made me into a different individual. Same person, no difference at all just a different sex I hope you can all understand that."
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