Male model on FHM's list of the world's sexiest women
June 1st 2011 18:42
It seems that some of FHM's readers are a little slow on the uptake! Australian model Andrej Pejic was recently voted the 98th sexiest woman in the world by readers of the popular men's magazine - despite the fact that Pejic is not actually a woman at all.
Unfortunately, the news quickly went from being hilarious to unpleasantly controversial when one of FHM's writers - who was clearly horrified by the result - published this vitriolic and completely uncalled-for blurb on the magazine's website:
"'Did you spot it? The missing 's' in 'he'? Or perhaps the Adam's apple was a giveaway? Don't worry if you weren't quick enough in playing detective, you are not alone. Andrej has been confusing the male gender since he was 14, but also admits most men still buy him a drink, despite the shock. The professional crossdresser most likely fooled his modelling agency as well and admitted to not being sure whether the agent knew he was really a dude when he approached him.
"Although his sexual identity is ambiguous, designers are hailing him as the next big thing. We think 'thing' is quite accurate. Tall, skinny, and flat-chested, Andrej is considered in couture circles as the 'perfect coat-hanger' for high fashion garments, moving the industry on from hot girls who look dangerously boyish to just boys who look like girls. Having managed to get away with it in campaigns for Marc Jacobs and Jean Paul Gaultier, the blonde gender-bender has jumped the gun in hoping he might one day be signed as a Victoria's Secret Model (Pass the sick bucket). Well, he might have a hard time keeping it a secret then.
"More troubling is the fact that Andrej is not the only one when it comes to supermodels that are not all they seem. The current face of Givenchy and "lady" locking lips with Kate Moss on the cover of Love magazine is transgender model Lea T, who began life as Leandro. One fashion trend we won't be following."'
Where to even begin here? The fact that the writer called Pejic a 'professional crossdresser', a 'thing', and asked for someone to 'pass the sick bucket'? Or the idea that fashion houses hiring models who are different to the norm is somehow 'troubling'? Or how about the hypocrisy of it being apparently okay for Kate Moss to be kissing another hot woman on the cover of a magazine, but when she's kissing a transgendered model it's just plain wrong?
The hateful blurb has since been removed from the website and FHM has gone into damage control, with a spokesperson for the lad's mag stating that "Regrettably the copy accompanying Andrej's online entry wasn't subbed prior to going live. Once we realised, we removed it immediately and apologised for any offence caused. FHM has spoken to the individual concerned and taken steps to ensure this can never happen again."
It's not the first time that Pejic's androgynous appearance has caused a stir of the not-so-tolerant variety. Last month when he appeared on the cover of Dossier magazine, with his shirt unbuttoned and his long hair in rollers, some bookstores took it upon themselves to censor the magazine by placing it in opaque plastic bags because he looked too much like a woman.
Thankfully Pejic himself seems to be capable of dealing with such controversies: at 19, he's completely comfortable in his own skin and knows that it's his willingness to embrace the classically feminine elements of his appearance that has made him such a huge success in the world of high fashion.
"I was happy with that look because I was always experimenting with it, even before I started modelling," he told journalists last year. "There are a lot of boys who look like me in the fashion industry, but they're not prepared to have it made intense like that."
"I'm sure most people think of me as a woman. It doesn't bother me anymore and I feel fine about it... I don’t consider my looks unusual."
Here's hoping that in time, the rest of the world - including readers (and writers!) of magazines like FHM - will agree.
That's a man, man... Andrej Pejic outranked Lady Gaga on FHM's list of the world's sexiest women.
Unfortunately, the news quickly went from being hilarious to unpleasantly controversial when one of FHM's writers - who was clearly horrified by the result - published this vitriolic and completely uncalled-for blurb on the magazine's website:
"'Did you spot it? The missing 's' in 'he'? Or perhaps the Adam's apple was a giveaway? Don't worry if you weren't quick enough in playing detective, you are not alone. Andrej has been confusing the male gender since he was 14, but also admits most men still buy him a drink, despite the shock. The professional crossdresser most likely fooled his modelling agency as well and admitted to not being sure whether the agent knew he was really a dude when he approached him.
"Although his sexual identity is ambiguous, designers are hailing him as the next big thing. We think 'thing' is quite accurate. Tall, skinny, and flat-chested, Andrej is considered in couture circles as the 'perfect coat-hanger' for high fashion garments, moving the industry on from hot girls who look dangerously boyish to just boys who look like girls. Having managed to get away with it in campaigns for Marc Jacobs and Jean Paul Gaultier, the blonde gender-bender has jumped the gun in hoping he might one day be signed as a Victoria's Secret Model (Pass the sick bucket). Well, he might have a hard time keeping it a secret then.
"More troubling is the fact that Andrej is not the only one when it comes to supermodels that are not all they seem. The current face of Givenchy and "lady" locking lips with Kate Moss on the cover of Love magazine is transgender model Lea T, who began life as Leandro. One fashion trend we won't be following."'
Andrej Pejic = 1, Transphobic FHM writer = 0
Where to even begin here? The fact that the writer called Pejic a 'professional crossdresser', a 'thing', and asked for someone to 'pass the sick bucket'? Or the idea that fashion houses hiring models who are different to the norm is somehow 'troubling'? Or how about the hypocrisy of it being apparently okay for Kate Moss to be kissing another hot woman on the cover of a magazine, but when she's kissing a transgendered model it's just plain wrong?
The hateful blurb has since been removed from the website and FHM has gone into damage control, with a spokesperson for the lad's mag stating that "Regrettably the copy accompanying Andrej's online entry wasn't subbed prior to going live. Once we realised, we removed it immediately and apologised for any offence caused. FHM has spoken to the individual concerned and taken steps to ensure this can never happen again."
It's not the first time that Pejic's androgynous appearance has caused a stir of the not-so-tolerant variety. Last month when he appeared on the cover of Dossier magazine, with his shirt unbuttoned and his long hair in rollers, some bookstores took it upon themselves to censor the magazine by placing it in opaque plastic bags because he looked too much like a woman.
Thankfully Pejic himself seems to be capable of dealing with such controversies: at 19, he's completely comfortable in his own skin and knows that it's his willingness to embrace the classically feminine elements of his appearance that has made him such a huge success in the world of high fashion.
"I was happy with that look because I was always experimenting with it, even before I started modelling," he told journalists last year. "There are a lot of boys who look like me in the fashion industry, but they're not prepared to have it made intense like that."
"I'm sure most people think of me as a woman. It doesn't bother me anymore and I feel fine about it... I don’t consider my looks unusual."
Here's hoping that in time, the rest of the world - including readers (and writers!) of magazines like FHM - will agree.
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Comment by angelbird72
Cooking with Feeling
There's been a lot of gender-related controversy lately, so here's hoping this story ends up having a net effect of showing people that slurs and hurtful words like that writer's are just unacceptable. And commentary like yours helps achieve that!
Comment by Journeywoman
Great Hair Style Tips
I Dream of Hollywood
Fashion Peach
Hope all's well with you Ms angelbird