Andreja Pejić facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Andreja Pejić
Pejić in February 2013
Born	Andrej Pejić (1991-08-28) 28 August 1991 (age 33) Tuzla, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia
Nationality	Australian
Occupation	Model actor
Modelling information
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Hair colour	Blonde
Eye colour	Green
Agency	Ford Models (New York, Paris, Los Angeles) d'management group (Milan) Storm Model Management (London) Sight Management Studio (Barcelona) Mega Model Agency (Hamburg) Way Model Management (São Paulo) Chadwick Models (Sydney) Bravo Models (Tokyo) Visage Management (Zurich)

Andreja Pejić is an Australian actress and model. She was born on August 28, 1991. In 2013, she shared that she is a transgender woman. This means she was assigned male at birth but identifies as female. Since then, she has become one of the world's most famous transgender models.

Early Life and Moving to Australia

Pejić was born in Tuzla, which was then part of a country called Yugoslavia. Her mother, Jadranka Savić, is a Serb, and her father, Vlado Pejić, is a Bosnian Croat. Her parents separated soon after she was born. She has an older brother named Igor.

When Pejić was a child, the Bosnian War began. She, her brother, and her mother had to flee to Serbia for safety. They lived in a refugee camp for a time. A refugee is someone who has to leave their home country to escape danger.

Later, her mother decided to move the family to Australia. In 2000, when Pejić was eight years old, they moved to Melbourne as political refugees. In high school, Pejić was known for being a very smart and talented student.

A Career in Modeling and Acting

How She Was Discovered

Pejić was discovered as a model just before her 17th birthday. One story says she was scouted while working at a McDonald's restaurant. Another says she was noticed at a swimming pool in Melbourne.

A Unique Look on the Runway

Early in her career, Pejić became famous for modeling both men's and women's clothing. Her look allowed her to walk in shows for famous designers like Jean-Paul Gaultier and Marc Jacobs, sometimes in both the men's and women's collections.

In 2011, she was on the cover of a magazine called Dossier Journal. Some bookstores in the United States felt the photo was too revealing and covered the magazine on their shelves.

Breaking Barriers in Fashion

Pejić quickly became a top model. In 2011, Models.com ranked her as one of the Top 50 Models. She has appeared on the covers of many famous magazines, including Elle, Marie Claire, and GQ.

In 2015, Vogue magazine wrote a story about her. She was the first openly transgender model to be featured in the magazine. She was also the first transgender woman to get a contract with a major cosmetics company. In 2017, she made history again by being the first transgender woman on the cover of GQ magazine.

Becoming an Actress

In 2013, Pejić began to focus on acting. She appeared in a music video for David Bowie's song "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)". She later acted in a Turkish TV series about the life of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror.

Pejić has acted in several movies. She played a supporting role in the 2022 film The Other Me. After filming, she took a break and worked as a waitress for six months. She said she wanted to "do something normal" and learn more about people. In 2022, she also played the artist Amanda Lear in the movie Dalíland, about the famous painter Salvador Dalí.

Telling Her Own Story

Pejić is working on a documentary about her life. She has been filming it for over seven years and has decided to direct it herself. She said she wants to tell her own story in her own way, as she often felt misunderstood in early interviews.

Filmography

Personal Life

In 2013, Andreja Pejić had surgery to medically transition to a woman. The following year, she announced a project to create a film about her journey and her life as a woman. She used a crowdfunding website to raise money for the film and successfully reached her goal.

See also

In Spanish: Andreja Pejić para niños

• List of androgynous people