(COVER MEDIA)

Andrej Pejic feels “typecast” as an androgynous model.

The 20-year-old Australian made headlines last year after appearing on the cover of Dossier magazine with his hair in curls and his torso exposed. The shoot sparked controversy as he was mistaken for a shirtless woman. US bookstores Barnes & Noble and Borders covered the image with an opaque sleeve as it was deemed too risqué.

Andrej has opened up about how society views him, explaining he fears he has been pigeonholed.

“Yeah I feel like people are typecast very easy,” he told New York Magazine.

“It was a base for me and I’ve proved that I can be versatile in the modeling and other things in acting or singing.”

The model turns to people he’s close to for support. He believes he and other androgynous models are judged too harshly.

“Well I love my model transgender sisters,” he said.

“This is usually a group of people that are not treated nicely by society. They are usually segregated and go thorough torment and it’s nice to sort of share these stories and open people’s minds.”

Andrej also opened up about his past. He proudly declares he was prom king and queen.

“I was prom queen and the year before I was prom king,” he said.

“It was kind of the same you just get a different shaped crown.”

Andrej began working at a McDonald's before rising to fame on the catwalks for the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier. He worked on the front counter at the food retailer.

“I had to serve the food. Like, I brought the food,” he said. © Cover Media

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