Andrej Pejic Is Now Andreja! Model Comes Out As A Transgender Woman

Meet Andreja!
Androgynous model Andrej Pejic has revealed that she underwent sexual reassignment surgery (SRS) earlier this year and is now a transgender woman. She’s also changed her first name to Andreja.
Though she has modeled for men’s and women’s clothing in the past, from now on she will be solely modeling womenswear.
The 22-year-old recently discussed this major step in her life, explaining how she knew early in her youth that she identified as female. She said:

“I figured out who I was very early on├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥actually, at the age of 13, with the help of the Internet├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥so I knew that a transition, becoming a woman, was always something I needed to do. But it wasn├óΓé¼Γäót 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 model further explained why this decision is important to her on a bigger scale, saying:

“I wasn├óΓé¼Γäót ready to talk about it before in a public way because I was scared that I would not be understood. I didn├óΓé¼Γäót know if people would like me. But now I├óΓé¼Γäóm taking that step because I├óΓé¼Γäóm a little older├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥I├óΓé¼Γäóm 22├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥and I think my story can help people. My goal is to give a human face to this struggle, and I feel like I have a responsibility.”

She also discussed her name change:

“I added an “a” because it├óΓé¼Γäós not a full transformation ├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥it├óΓé¼Γäós just an evolution. I thought about whether I should change it or not for a while. In the West, Andrej isn├óΓé¼Γäót really a masculine name. But I think [the name change] is something that my mom really wanted because, traditionally, Andrej is a Christian Orthodox name, and in that religion, it├óΓé¼Γäós definitely a male name. So I kept the “j” and added an “a,” which actually becomes a name that I don├óΓé¼Γäót think exists. But I wanted to keep the “j” because that├óΓé¼Γäós me. That├óΓé¼Γäós my name.”

In addition to taking a bigger role in women’s modeling, Andreja is also set to appear as a mermaid in Sofia Coppola‘s upcoming Little Mermaid adaptation!
We predict more great things in her future!
[Image via Style.com]