A biography for Andreja Pejichasn’t been written yet.
“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.”
“In the beginning, I was worried there are too many shots of me as a boy out there. Now I'm at a point where I know my past doesn't make me any less of a woman today. I can be proud of it. I don't have to bury it.”
“I didn't know if I could have a career in fashion; I didn't fit in an obvious box.”
“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.”
“You can wax on so much about your figure and your skin and your face and all of those really important, and I'm all about skin and keeping it healthy, but if you don't have confidence, none of it matters.”
“On a personal level, my mom is my biggest inspiration. She's always been an idol for me. I used to dream about growing up and being like her.”
“I'm comfortable in my skin, and for my look to be celebrated is great.”
“When I was little, the idea of waking up as a girl was like a fairytale. I had this idea that I'd meet a witch who would transform me. From the moment I found out that it was actually possible, I went to bed each night feeling that when it happens, it will be the best day of my life. And it was!”
“I love Amanda Lear, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sharon Stone.”
“I was lucky to grow up in a family where your parents loved you no matter what you were or what you came out as, and a lot of kids don't have that ride.”
“During the day, I really don't wear much makeup.”
“I achieved my personal dream and completed my transition to be able to live life as a woman.”
“When childhood ended, I had to suppress feminine characteristics and try and be a boy. I didn't want to grow up at all because it meant becoming someone else.”
“It just so happens that some of the things I like are feminine.”
“Fashion is quite inclusive and good at embracing different things and different forms of beauty. It's a very liberal industry. You can be yourself. Just not overweight.”
“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.”
“I was scouted working at the register at McDonald's in Melbourne, Australia. I worked there as my first job, and a guy walked in and gave me his card. I was 16. I was skeptical, but I looked it up when I got home, and it was legitimate.”
“Sometimes I've seen comments about my knees or about my jawline, or people write things like, 'She still has signs of being a boy,' and then I realized that these are beautiful features. I've grown to love them.”
“I was prom queen, and the year before, I was prom king. It was kind of the same; you just got a differently shaped crown.”
“I want to keep sharing my story in the hope that young trans people or just people who feel different or ostracized have something to look up to.”