And unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll probably know that Andrej Pejic is, of course, a man. He’s been praised for his ground-breaking ability to transcend gender boundaries, and has modeled for some of the world’s top fashion houses, including Marc Jacobs and Jean-Paul Gaultier. I recently saw him in a stunning editorial with Jessica Hart in Australian Vogue, and I have to admit, he gave the Jess a run for her money in the babe stakes. And he really does look pretty gorgeous in a frock.
Jessica Hart and Andrej Pejic in the April issue of Vogue Australia
But, FHM left a sour taste in the mouths of many when they posted Pejic’s online profile to the FHM website, and unkindly referred to him as a "blonde gender bender", a "professional cross-dresser" and a "thing", and asked to “pass the sick bucket”. The profile was quickly removed, but not before a blogger managed to grab a screenshot of the blurb, and posted it for the world to see. Media and bloggers branded the blurb despicable – and rightfully so. FHM swiftly apologised, blaming a “sub-editing” error for the post, and saying they had personally apologised to Pejic.
Andrej’s gender identity is highly ambiguous, and therefore his place on the list is questionable, and his modeling does raise questions about whether idealising a man in women’s clothing sets unrealistic body expectations for young girls (who will never achieve his slim hips for example), that’s no reason to be cruel, and all the mag has done is paint itself as judgmental, narrow-minded and a bastion of poor taste. What do you think?
You can view the screenshot of the original FHM post on the Stylecaster website here.
– Natalie Cosgrove