Fashion Knows No Gender

It is no secret that the fashion world has been at the centre of continual controversy and debate over the years concerning topics such as the use of fur or promoting images of size zero women. But when model, Andrej Pejic, was voted 98^th in FHMs top 100 sexiest women in the world 2011, a whole new side to the fashion world was publicised; the world of transgender modelling.

Transgender modelling is not a recent addition to the fashion world, dating back to the 1950s, but the story of 19 year old Andrej Pejic brought it to the forefront of public debate and scrutiny.

FHM apologised for any offence caused by the androgynous male appearing in the list. Not only did they apologise, they also described Pejic as a ‘thing’ and warned readers to ‘pass the sick bucket’ at the thought of Pejic’s dream to be a Victoria Secrets’ model, and guaranteed readers that this would never happen again. It is understandable that FHM apologised for any offence caused, but their criticism of Pejic caused as much controversy as the story itself.

Like other transgender models, Pejic has had a high profile career, modelling for the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier and Marc Jacobs, and has appeared in both French and Italian Vogues. When questioned on his reaction to the controversy surrounding his career and his place in the fashion world, Pejic replied "It's a very liberal industry. You can be yourself. Just not overweight."

We live in a world where equal rights, whether it is between different races, genders, religions or ages, are at the forefront of all areas of life – surely fashion should be no exception to this? If anything, surely transgender modelling is essential in an industry where bringing something unique to the table is everything.  Or has our tolerance and awareness of equal rights stepped too far over a boundary into the ridiculous? Should we celebrate Pejic’s achievement of being voted one of the sexiest women in the world, or should we be questioning the world we live in, in which we are no longer able to easily differentiate between genders?

Pejic was not the only androgynous model to cause a stir in the fashion world this year. Model Lea T appeared on the cover of Love magazine’s androgynous issue this year kissing Kate Moss, with Moss styled as a man and Lea T as a woman.  Below the image were the simple, yet powerful words ‘This Is Hardcore.’ And it certainly was.

Lea T was the face of Givenchy in late 2010, has appeared on the cover of many fashion publications including French Vogue and Italian Vanity Fair, featured on the Oprah Wincfrey Show, and it currently number 42 in the Top 50 Models Women List by models.com. T has been welcomed by the fashion world, but as her fame rocketed, her family relationships became increasingly strained. In a world whereshe is adored and accepted by many as the world's first transexual supermodel, her own family has rejected her.

Where T has been accepted by society but rejected by her family, Pejic has faced discrimination in society, but acceptance within his family, posing the question; will it ever be possible for a transgender model to be accepted in all walks of life?