A gorgeous model named Andrej Pejic is making moves
socially due to both his beauty and for his androgynous modeling style. He has
modeled clothes intended for both men and women, and is extremely successful at
both. At the young age of twenty, Pejic has been on the “covers of 14 magazines
last year” as well as walking in fashion shows by top designers such as Marc
Jacobs and Jean Paul Gaultier. He is one
of the most strikingly beautiful people I have ever seen, and his ability to
model without remaining strictly within the realm of masculine or feminine is
something that provides a representation of gender queer people in the fashion
industry.
By pushing the boundaries
surrounding gender roles, Pejic allows for the modeling industry to start
becoming more accepting of non-gender conforming people. Many people in the fashion industry would
consider him transgender, however, Pejic is not trying to transition into a
woman, he simply just does not comply with typical views of gender. Bonnie Gosh
says “He is seen as a bit of a maverick, someone who has embraced his sexuality
without any need for explanation or justification.” I think what makes me look
up to him the most is that he is not doing this to increase his popularity, or
to get extra work, but because he just wants to represent who he is, without
the pressures of remaining in a singularly female or male representation. His success in the industry has caused a
sudden rise in the number of models who are considered androgynous, which also
makes it more difficult for him to remain at the top of the industry in his
field. However, by pushing the envelope to the point where more transgender and
gender queer individuals can enter the modeling field, he has started “to
challenge.. negative attitudes about what it means to be [different.]” (101) In
her article addressing homophobia, Barbara Smith declares that publicity and
courage are the necessary tools to make “pervasive taken-for-granted homophobia”
(101) cease to exist in our society.
Pejic talks about how he
grew up as a refugee from Bosnia, and his family’s flight to Australia where he
was able to grow up in a better environment. He talks about how he has always
had more of a traditionally female mindset, “for instance, preferring Barbie
dolls over toy cars” and being caught shoplifting makeup during one point in
his teenage years. Although Pejic is accepted in the fashion industry, which is
seen as a more open minded realm, when reading about this I wondered about how
it was for him growing up in Australia. Children are often the harshest people
around, and I can imagine that growing up and leaning towards feminine things
exposed Pejic to a lot of bullying. Pejic
did however say that his family and friends were all extremely supportive, and
that helped him to know that it was okay to be himself. Cherrie Moraga
discusses how “men and women who transgress their gender roles... are
territories to be liberated.”(150) Feminism, and the activism involved with it,
is essential to the acceptance of people who are not within societies created
gender boundaries. Andrej Pejic has been able to become successful due to his persistence,
the open mindedness of the fashion industry, and by feminism working to combat
the ideas of a homophobic society.
Heres the link to the article for anyone who is
interested
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/46332627/ns/today-style/t/gender-bending-model-pushes-limits-runway/#.T0W-gPUcBoE
Gosh, Bonnie. “Gender-bending model pushes limits of the runway” Associated Press, 2012.
Moraga, Cherrie. “Queer Aztlan: the Reformation of Chicano Tribe” from The Last Generation South End Press, 1993.
Smith, Barbara. “Homophobia: Why Bring it Up?” from The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. Ed Henry Abelove et al New York& London: Routledge, 1993.
I think that it's groundbreaking for the fashion industry to accept an androgynous person like Andrej Pejic. I also believe that the ability to embrace one's identity is the key to resisting social control, as exemplified by this model, Andrej Pejic, as well as the narrator from “Send in the Clowns.” In Kate Bornstein's article, the narrator indicates that he is a thespian or some other kind of performer. The narrator emphasizes the point that “humiliation is a whip of the defenders of gender” (Bornstein 88). Our heterosexist society uses humiliation and other forms of provocation to suppress sexual deviants, such as the transgender and the androgynous. One possible solution to this problem is the idea that sexual deviants should be so comfortable with their sexualities that they can learn to “laugh at themselves.” The author explains this solution by stating that “...when there's no fear of being humiliated for one's portrayal of gender, there's less opportunity for the culture to exert control” (Bornstein 88). The author continues to reinforce this idea, praising “fools” and jesters for being able to laugh at themselves, for they are amongst those who are the most resistant to humiliation, and thus, societal control.
ReplyDeleteOur heterosexist society tries to force everybody into a certain mold in terms of sexuality- either you're a male, or a female. However, individuals such as Andrej Pejic and the narrator from “Send in the Clowns” are able to break this mold and set an example for others like them, by embracing their identities.
Kate Bornstein, “Send in the Clowns” from Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us. Ne York: Vintage Press, 1995.
I agree that Andrej Pejic is groundbreaking in both the fashion industry and in society by casting transgender in a good light and making it publicized artistically. However, it is possible that he is only accepted for his obvious beauty and ability to “pass” in each gender role. As Riki Wilkins says in “Deconstructing Trans”, “with most communities founded on oppression…those who can pass are most highly valued” (Wilkins, Deconstructing Trans). Pejic passes for a woman easily and models mostly as a woman. His acclaim in the fashion industry goes to show that if you can “pass” as a certain gender, you will be accepted in society. This leaves people who don’t “pass” as their desired gender still in the dark, wondering where they belong. “A 6-foot, 3-inch presurgical transsexual woman with a deep voice and 5 o’clock shadow is doing the hardest, loneliest, and most dangerous gender activism there is” (Wilkins, Deconstructing Trans). Pejic’s acceptance into the fashion industry and confidence in his own skin, whether he be posing as a man or woman, still shows progress in our society though. Pejic’s acceptance into the artsy world of fashion promises the hope of political action for transgendered people. “[Trans people have] a kind of tenuous artistic legitimacy…With this legitimacy has come political activism. Transsexual activists now pass local ordinances, educate policy makers, and win lawsuits” (Wilkins, Deconstructing Trans). Though transgendered people are still largely looked down upon by society, there is hope for political change.
ReplyDeleteBibliography
Wilkins, Riki. “Deconstructing Trans”