Quotes from Andreja Pejic

A lot of people, when they look at the whole trans thing, they think,'Oh, you're transgender, and in the fashion industry, which is very pro-LGBT, so you don't have any problems because it's a progressive place.' But that's not the reality.

I was planning to transition right after high school and attend university as a girl, but then the modeling thing came up. It was an opportunity to see the world. My family knew I identified as a girl, but I didn't tell people in fashion.

I figured out who I was very early on - actually, at the age of 13, with the help of the Internet - so I knew that a transition, becoming a woman, was always something I needed to do.

I achieved my personal dream and completed my transition to be able to live life as a woman.

I think we all evolve as we get older, and that's normal, but I like to think that my recent transition hasn't made me into a different individual. Same person - no difference at all, just a different sex.

When I'm sitting in a casting room in Paris, I'm not the thinnest model. Sometimes I'm not the most flat-chested, either.

I want to be the most eligible bachelor in New York City.

It would be lovely to live in a world where trans-female models were treated as female models, and trans-male models were treated the same as male models rather than being a niche commodity.

All human beings deserve equal treatment, no matter their gender identity or sexuality.

I feel that for a lot of my career, I had success, I was adored, but I was also this alien creature. I want to show that I have the skill like any other female model, and I'm asking for the same equal treatment and equal respect as any other female model.

Don't do things just to impress others or just because you're scared you won't have any friends.

I would go through my mother's makeup kit, and I think she thought it was really cute. I was only three or four years old.

If I could talk to my younger self, I would tell her that you will grow into the woman you've always wanted to be. You will find love. You will be successful. You will be happy.

I think, at the end of the day, you have to live a truthful life and be true to yourself. You have one life, and everything has to fall into place around that.

I always dreamt of being a girl. One of my earliest memories is spinning around in my mom's skirt trying to look like a ballerina.

For a long time after childhood ended and before I expressed my femininity through androgyny, I really didn't like looking in the mirror much because I just felt like I wasn't attractive.

There are so many male models who are working in high fashion, and they are broke. It's good to be a woman.

My whole life is controversy. What can I do? I'm like Britney Spears!

Being a bride for Gaultier was a very special moment for me.

Most female models don't have any muscle mass.

I struggled to find an agency in London because no one knew whether they should put me in the men's board or the women's board. There was a lot of uncertainty about my commercial viability.

Instead of trying to be the queen of cool, it feels like more of an achievement to work with mainstream brands and reach as many people as possible. It's more unexpected for someone like me.

Australia was a very different world and culture from the one I left in Europe. Life was much more spread out. People drove everywhere. They built higher fences. Neighbours didn't interact so much.

When I first went to Milan, my agent said you have to give off a strong, masculine energy. They don't like campiness. They like boys to appear straight and to appear masculine. I quickly learned the game of it and how to navigate around it.