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You’re a beautiful (wo)man but get off the catwalk

Bridget Ahern

by Bridget Ahern

14 Jun 05:40am

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Filed under: Andrej Pejic, Body Image, Modelling, Transgender

81 comments

Aussie runway model Andrej Pejic is one gorgeous specimen. With strikingly good looks and legs that go on forever, the Serbian-born beauty has caught the eye of every fashion designer on the planet. Looking fabulous in floor length gowns is no challenge for the 19-year-old supermodel but there’s just one thing that differentiates Pejic from other models on the catwalk - Andrej Pejic is a man.

Pejic's

Pejic’s knack for modelling both men’s and women’s clothing has sent the well-kept feathers of the fashion world flying. International designers have all clamoured to use his androgynous look while the glitterati flock to catch a glimpse of ‘the chick who is actually a dude’.

I love seeing Pejic looking incredible in mini-skirts and corseted bustiers. Heck, I would kill for his legs. What I don’t love however, is seeing him waltzing down the runway in clothes that are supposedly designed for women.

Sure, he’s beautiful, tall, blond, looks great in heels and has a strut to rival Naomi Campbell. But just because he looks the part, doesn’t mean he should land the role. I struggle to understand how clothes made for women can be modelled on a man’s body. And the worst part is the clothes seem to fit him like a glove.

We regularly hear outrage from psychologists over the dangerous precedent set by androgynous looking models such as Kate Moss and Agyness Deyn, but the same experts seem strangely silent on Pejic’s influence on young girls. Numerous studies have already shown that exposure to ultra-thin models can lead to increased body dissatisfaction - so wouldn’t idolising a male figure lead to similar problems?

The runway often showcases impractical pieces that could rarely be worn by anyone other than Lady Gaga, but parading clothes perfectly tailored to the male physique goes past impractical and on to plain insulting.

It is certainly no secret that haute-couture designers do not design clothes for an “average woman,” but I never realised they were actually designing them for a (maybe not-so-average) man.

My question to all designers is: If you had made a men’s business suit, would it be acceptable to use a buxom and curvaceous women as your model? Of course not. Why should women’s clothing be any different?

While the world is amazed and bemused by Pejic’s ability to gracefully walk in 6-inch heels, nobody seems to care that his body doesn’t actually look anything like a woman’s.  Sure, some women do have ‘boyish’ figures but the majority of real women are curvy. Not fat, just not straight up-and-down. And most men would happily say that’s the way a woman should be.

Women have already spent years comparing themselves to the waif thin models who are biologically female. Are we now supposed to compare our bodies with men? We are physically different creatures and were never meant to look the same.

With the average woman in Australia being closer to a size 14 than a size 8, designers need to wake up and realise clothes need to look good on a body, not just on a hanger.

I’m no Coco Chanel, but I’m certain I could design a dress that would look great hanging limply on a coat-hanger. The real skill lies in making a dress that looks beautiful with a real woman inside. These hoity-toity fashion designers can demand $5000 for a single skirt, so why can’t we as the consumer demand real women on the runways?

If we have reached a time when it is acceptable for men to wear women’s clothing, it would be a truly wonderful thing. If however, Andrej Pejic is being used as a media novelty, only to be cast aside months down the track, then we are not only sending dangerous signals to young girls, we are also insulting and ridiculing the trans-gender community.

Andrej Pejic should be commended for making people question the conventional norms of society. But the fashion community should be shamed, not just for idolising unrealistic body shapes, but for promoting a body shape that is physiologically impossible for women to attain.

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81 comments

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    • Erick says:

      05:47am | 14/06/11

      But what about equality? If women can be CEOs and Prime Ministers, why can’t men be supermodels?

      Maybe we should instigate a quota system requiring 40% of models for women’s clothing to be male.

      Reply

    • Sarah M says:

      08:23am | 14/06/11

      Nice one Erick.
      Try Sean O’Pry, Julien Quevenne, Garret Neff, Jon Kortajarena, Baptiste Giabiconi, Noah Mills, Adam Senn, David Gandy.

      Need I continue…
      You show your irrelevance and demonstrate only your whining with such comments.
      You could have taken the opportunity to note that female models promote unhealthy standards for men as well, maybe men feel like losers when they can’t get themselves a pin-up model.
      How do male models impact on men and for that matter the expectations of women on men…

      Go on make a real argument Erick, progress you issue in a reasonable and intelligent manner.

    • TT says:

      08:32am | 14/06/11

      Spot on Erick.  For some reason men’s clothes seem to be considered unisex and women can wear anything they like anytime they like. 

      A quick walk through the office this morning will also show the two sets of rules in operation for men and women regarding ‘appropriate’ business attire. I wonder what sort of reaction I would get from my ‘female’ boss if I waltzed in wearing a tank top with an open un-buttoned shirt worn over the top and open-toed sandals!  Hmmm.

    • Dr. Larry Goldberg says:

      08:52am | 14/06/11

      Sarah, nobody here has heard of any of those people. The most famous male model I know is Derek Zoolander.

      Furthermore I wouldn’t interpret one pointing out inherent double-standards in the system as ‘whining’. If that were true, then the entirety of feminism would just be one 50 year long whinge. Why aren’t you grateful for the rights you have, which were gained for you in the same whining way?

      At least it’s good to know that tradition shines through here. I could never think of someone so wafer-thin and sick, attractive. When i learned he was a dude i felt like vomiting. It’s revolting to see so many people here go ‘derp but he’s beautiful’. But then again, at least we don’t have any men rattling off lists of no-names who are androgynous robots either.

    • AliceC says:

      08:53am | 14/06/11

      There are male supermodels, who model men’s clothing.

    • marley says:

      08:56am | 14/06/11

      I don’t get your point, Erick - there are lots of male supermodels.  They wear men’s clothes. 

      Frankly, if women’s clothing fits a male physique, it will not fit a woman properly (hips and boobs, don’t you know) - so it’s not really women’s clothing, just clothing for an effeminate man.  Not sure how big a market there is for that, but by all means, mandate a 40% male quota system.

    • OchreBunyip says:

      09:12am | 14/06/11

      Women are not fragile creatures that need protection, neither does the “think of the (girls) children” argument carry much weight. That a man, albeit of unusual appearance, can model certain types of women’s clothing shouldn’t be surprising. Models sell an appearance that is uncommon in average life and now there is a man of uncommon appearance who can model the same clothes. Fashion is entertainment and marketing, not reality.

    • Thomas Anderson says:

      11:10am | 14/06/11

      The guy’s a total freak. If I was voted top 100 hottest women, I would be worried.

    • Condor says:

      11:22am | 14/06/11

      Gee, some people need to get a sense of humour.

      I know Erick’s tongue was firmly planted in his cheek when he made that comment. But there is a grain of truth in it. If an effeminate man can model women’s clothes then why not? Who cares?

      Modelling is about showing the elite of beauty to create a fantasy and desire for the clothes/product whether it be male of female. Giselle Bundchen, Miranda Kerr et al are the elite of beautiful women.

      That’s the whole point of the modelling/fashion/advertising industry

    • Sarah M says:

      11:23am | 14/06/11

      Dr Goldberg:
      Fashion has largely been an industry focused on women, but as it expands and men become more interested in fashion so the male fashion industry grows.

      It is similar to motor racing, it has been a typically male industry, how many female drivers are there? Why, lack of female interest.

      Feminism was based on suffrage, the right for women to vote, the right for all groups within a state to vote, not having second class citizens because of their gender. I am TREMENDOUSLY grateful for that and how you inferred otherwise from my previous statement is beyond me. 
      When men create demand for fashion they will get that representation, it has started already. When women become more involved in motor sports they will become more widely represented, that has already started. 

      What Erick stated was a ridiculous and in no way helpful to his cause. I merely suggested that he point out that this is an issue that affects men as well as women and he could have taken the opportunity to point that out. He didn’t, he chose to TROLL instead. That is a sincere disservice to himself, and proves that he should not be taken seriously, I chose to point out why.

      The reason you don’t know the male models is more likely to because (couture)fashion is not something that is important to you, thus they remain no names. That is actually on MEN’s heads, not women’s, use your purchase power to make them household names.

      You can try and deflect the argument by attacking feminism but you still fail to provide a cogent and well reasoned response.

      PS, none of them are androgynous, I assure you.

    • Matthew says:

      12:49pm | 14/06/11

      Sarah M, CEOs have mostly been a males domain because males have shown interest in it rather than having a child.  Why should women now demand that they have a 30-40% minimum in that particular role?

      We’re not talking about voting here.  That’s not an “interest” as it’s mandatory and women were excluded in times past for no good reason other than they’re female (which some might argue is a good enough reason in itself).

    • john says:

      01:00pm | 14/06/11

      @Erick “But what about equality? If women can be CEOs and Prime Ministers, why can’t men be supermodels?”

      I say if the shoe fits wear it!

      Suck it up people, its 2011.  Bitter, jealous, acidic despicable whinging obstinate out-of-date wankers who can’t deal with it.
      AAAAAArrhhhh!!! there’s a guy in a dress-its the end of the world, RAPTURE is here OMG hillbillies, here we go again.

    • Erick says:

      01:09pm | 14/06/11

      So it’s true what they say about feminists and a sense of humour. wink

      Of course it’s ridiculous to demand a gender quota in certain jobs, regardless of the person’s qualifications, experience or suitability for the position. But this is exactly what feminists are doing, by pushing for gender quotas in company directorships and Parliament.

      Notice also that feminists only want quotas in the prestigious and high-earning jobs. Not for garbage collection or unblocking sewer pipes.

    • St. Michael says:

      01:48pm | 14/06/11

      I’m sorry, but the Doc wins the thread for citing Derek Zoolander.  That is all.

    • Outraged says:

      03:13pm | 14/06/11

      Amen Erick!

      The author, Bridget Ahern, is being very homophobic and conservative by suggesting their are “Boys Clothes” and “Girls Clothes” and never the twain shall meet. But this is the 21st Century! Boys and in the girls room, and girls are in the mens rooms at clubs…bring on Gender Ambiguity, I say!

    • James says:

      03:34pm | 14/06/11

      Although that being said, modelling in general is a freak show and it’s quite ironic that Pejic, with a boyish figure, is considered an ideal by women who have clearly lost the plot, not to mention the author who seems to think that modelling is relevant to Actual Real Life.

    • Laura Z says:

      09:49pm | 14/06/11

      She’s not commenting on w omen’s right to a double standard here- if you’d read the article, you’d know we were talking about the types of bodies (in this case, a “boyish” or male figure) modeling female clothes.

      This argument is not ‘this man has a right to be a supermodel’, it’s ‘he shouldn’t set a negative body image example by modeling w omen’s clothing.

    • angrymenz says:

      01:32am | 14/08/11

      i want a quota requiring 40% of prostitutes, lap dancers, housewives, maids, hooter waitresses, traditionally female domains, to be straight men! why the discrimination? Why is that straight men can’t wear heels, dresses and lipstick at work when women can wear men’s clothes? Men too have children, why is that people assume that we can work as many hours as we used to before having children just because we are men?! We spend as much time working, as we do housework and take care of children like working women!  Also just as men pump hormones into their bodies to be more muscular, we can also inject similar hormones to lactate! Why do women have to have the sole joys of breastfeeding when we have the same potential capability?

    • Andy says:

      05:57am | 14/06/11

      He looks like a boy dressed in girls clothes.

      Reply

    • Fred says:

      11:50am | 14/06/11

      he looks like a goose

    • Nat says:

      06:34am | 14/06/11

      totally agree with you Erick..
      anyway.. clothes designed for women ? rather clothes designed for a tiny percent of women with the finances and the body shape. lets get real… Sick and tired of that same old rant.. you should know that women would never buy clothes modelled by “regular” women.. people need to dream. Live with it !

      Reply

    • Gregg says:

      06:51am | 14/06/11

      I had never heard of Pejic the would be chic with a pelvic dic before your article enlightened me Bridget but that is not surprising for I’ve often wondered over who has time to waste time with the cat walk parades for much the same reasons as some you have mentioned, but now it’s really WTF and I’m so glad you have finished with:
      ” Andrej Pejic should be commended for making people question the conventional norms of society. But the fashion community should be shamed, not just for idolising unrealistic body shapes, but for promoting a body shape that is physiologically impossible for women to attain. “

      Otherwise, I was getting a bit worried Bridget with:
      ” I love seeing Pejic looking incredible in mini-skirts and corseted bustiers. Heck, I would kill for his legs. What I don’t love however, is seeing him waltzing down the runway in clothes that are supposedly designed for women. ” , particularly the ” I love ” bit
      And really, beautiful! , come on Lleyton does not need to say.

      But on
      ” question to all designers is: If you had made a men’s business suit, would it be acceptable to use a buxom and curvaceous women as your model? Of course not. Why should women’s clothing be any different? “

      If you had not noticed, our PM is doing her dammest to lead the charge!

      Reply

    • Matthew says:

      12:57pm | 14/06/11

      I don’t know about you Gregg but I don’t consider Julia to be buxom or curvaceous.

    • Gregg says:

      02:20am | 15/06/11

      @Matthew,
      She’s more curvy with boobs than beanpole even if a lot of curve is in the backside.
      But it’s what’s out front that kind of has her not quite the shape for a jacket or needing a specially tailored one.
      Maybe Joe Hocking could loan her a few old ones.

    • Peter says:

      07:16am | 14/06/11

      Don’t you get it? The overwhelming majority of fashion designers are natural born pederasts.

      Reply

    • Sad Sad Reality says:

      09:51am | 14/06/11

      Agreed. Most fashion is their mental illness writ in cloth.

    • APP says:

      07:36am | 14/06/11

      Oh great, he was called a thing and now he is a specimen…

      Reply

    • Stephy says:

      07:54am | 14/06/11

      I agree with the article, but just like mens clothing can fit women, womens clothing can fit men too (If they’re small enough. My sister and hubby and I were shopping in Target and while we were selecting jeans for hubby to try on my sis and I got a little devious and pulled out a pair of size 10 womens jeans for him to try… too big! right, size 8…. still too big. The ratbag fits into a size 6 womens jeans, a size many women find hard enough to get to. There really are some men that fit womens clothes. The question is whether they suit.)

      Reply

    • KH says:

      07:58am | 14/06/11

      Of course they are modelling the clothes on a mans body, because that is in fact what most of them are designed for.  Look at the typical ‘model’ woman - way taller than 99 percent of women, no hips and no bust (although fake ones do get a look in).  They look like teenage boys.  He fits right in.  Since most fashion designers are men, this should tell you a lot.  Then you wonder why so many women have serious body issues.

      Reply

    • Blind Freddy says:

      09:01am | 14/06/11

      Most hetrosexual males don’t care about catwalk fashion.

      Many fashion designers are gay and design clothes for women to look like effeminate gay boys.

    • TChong says:

      08:00am | 14/06/11

      Much rather the Lowes ads.
      Trackies and flannelnet spruiked the way it should be.
      Sartorial elegance, durability, and cheap prices.
      Add a pair of Desert boots, and perfection is obtained.
      What more could any fella need ?

      Reply

    • fairsfair says:

      10:20am | 14/06/11

      Especially when Tezza got the “Saucony Sports Socks $6.99” line… ahh, those were the days.

    • Cloud Strife says:

      08:08am | 14/06/11

      He is absolutley stunning, and looks amazing in the clothes he models. He is a model, so that’s really all that counts.

      Reply

    • Static says:

      10:24am | 14/06/11

      he is also the ideal of gay designers who have always made clothes for the slim boys that are there ideal

    • fairsfair says:

      11:42am | 14/06/11

      I agree cloud strife. I don’t save for weeks on end to pick up that thigh slashed, furry, gold belted number he is parding in the pic on the right. If I ever look to the runway it is for the spectacle of it all. He is adding to the spectacle in a good way.

      If he didn’t broadcast that he is male, nobody would know. Just look at how he reached #98 in the sexiest women poll recently. I think he should be left be. He is good as his job even if he is confusing and confronting in the most interesting and harmless of ways.

    • Huey says:

      08:23am | 14/06/11

      I am always amazed at what the “fashionable or fashion conscious or fashionista’s” will accept. This Airhead (I saw him interviewed) is just another piece of amazing. I know what androgynous is and I don’t like it.

      Reply

    • Pamela says:

      11:03am | 14/06/11

      Air head?!? Pretty bold to say this after watching an interview? Omg, your a frigid genius!!!  That’s ok. You don’t have to like it, cause the people in the world who are more accepting don’t like you.

    • Pete says:

      08:31am | 14/06/11

      It just illustrates the twisted warped idea of reality designers have.  They want all these thin undernourished girls modelling their clothes to look like young boys and young boys to look like girls that look like young boys. Then they say thats what women look like, or should look like.  These guys must be on drugs,because every woman I know doesn’t look like that.  Get some real women on the cat walk.  I wonder why they call it that?

      Reply

    • Duncan Fine says:

      08:41am | 14/06/11

      I invented the Piano Key Necktie! I invented it!! And what have you done, Derek??? Nothing!! You’ve done NOTHING!!! NOTHIIIIINNNNGGGGG!!!!!!!!

      Reply

    • Clare says:

      08:48am | 14/06/11

      People are being silent because of the so-called sensitivity to the trans-gender issue. What a straw man!!!!!! The real issue is that these designers don’t actually like the bodies of real women, and have finally found a way to dispense with them altogether.  They went as far as they could with a specially selcted ‘type’ of woman, but now they can go further. The majority of haute coutier designers are openly homosexual men, self declared, so they are just not pretending anymore.  If they want to design for transgender men, so be it, but lets forget about calling it ‘women’s’ fashion.

      Reply

    • MD says:

      09:11am | 14/06/11

      So thin girls (and guys) aren’t real people?

      Get over yourself.

      Reply

    • Markus says:

      10:30am | 14/06/11

      Haven’t you heard? Any woman who wears a size 10 or smaller is either an anorexic alien or a 12 year old boy.

      It has to be true, the bitter fatties said so.

    • Rebecca says:

      11:01am | 14/06/11

      If The Punch was Facebook, I would ‘like’ this.

    • Seanr says:

      11:59am | 14/06/11

      Well said MD and Markus. Can’t stand the whole ‘real women’ thing. My wife is naturally petite, eats normally and still has complete strangers coming up to her (usually fat ones) and telling her she should eat more…she’s too polite to say anything back to them.

    • Muttley says:

      12:06pm | 14/06/11

      lol. No need to be so angry Markus. If you like boys just come out and say so…..

    • Sarah says:

      04:32pm | 14/06/11

      If The Punch was Facebook, I would ALSO ‘like’ this!

    • Matt says:

      02:54pm | 16/06/11

      @ Rebecca: if The Punch was facebook, I would ‘like’ your comment….but if The Punch was facebook, you wouldn’t of made that comment…..

      oh dear…

    • the sound of settling says:

      09:12am | 14/06/11

      Ack. Couture fashion is an art form. It is not designed to be worn by the ‘average woman’ - it is an exercise is creativity, in creating an amazing piece with textiles. This kind of fashion is about opening our imaginations. It’s about a sense of play and wonder. It is not for or about you, or me.
      The reason so many models are rail-thin is because the works of art hang better on their shapes. The clothes that make it to your local shopping centre are designed for women. But they are generally different from the pieces that we see on the catwalk - or certainly at this end of the catwalk. Noone actually expects to do their hair in giant bird nest styles, or wear clothes made out of metal and lights - and yet these things do appear in the catwalk.

      Eating disorders do not exist because of catwalk models. But someone like Pejic could be incredibly inspirational to other androgynous men and women - so why bring him down? Like so much of the best art in the world he, and the designers who are using him, challenge traditional boundaries and asks us to question our own assumptions about beauty, femininity etc.

      Reply

    • Pete says:

      11:48am | 14/06/11

      art my butt. so all these fashion houses are just there for art’s sake what a wank.  They are there to sell clothes What you see on the catwalk is to art what synchronised swimming is to sport.  Sound like a page out of the “Emporers new clothes” to me. and yes the spread of anorexia is down to young girls being sucked in by ” the latest looks” on the catwalk

    • Ashlee says:

      11:57am | 14/06/11

      First person to post that has any idea about fashion as an art form.
      Avante garde models are different to retail runway models. Good luck to him.
      I just find it hilarious that some posters are turning this into a feminist debate. He is androgynous and if you knew anything about this art form you would know it defies gender and the arguments that go with gender debates. There are androgynous females that wear tuxedos tailored to our traditional curves although no one ever calls it men’s fashion.

    • D says:

      09:15am | 14/06/11

      Fashion at that end of the spectrum isn’t designed with women in mind.  Not sure it ever was.  There isn’t a whole lot of models with curvy hourglass figures.  The ones with curves are usually in the Victoria Secrets fashions rather than what this guy is modelling.

      You should be glad, he lets you use the phrase ‘real woman’ without insulting those women who are the small percentage who do fit into this type of clothing.

      If you are looking to the runway fashions for your ideas of what the majority of women look like, you should think about reassessing where you get your values from.  I have no issue with a male making a living out of modelling whatever fashions are sent his way.  After all, fashion is often a fleeting thing, in a few years he may not have ‘the look’ people are after and his time will be over.  He should make the most of it.

      Don’t make Andrej the issue.  They aren’t designing clothes for him.  He just happens to suit the clothes that are being designed.  HIs androgynous look is just as hard on men as it is on women - if he’s held up as what people should aspire to look at for both genders, then males have as many body issues to contend with as women.

      Reply

    • Elphaba says:

      09:31am | 14/06/11

      This isn’t a surprise.  The fabrics are expensive, so they use as little as possible.  Most models are skinny and flat-chested with no hips and no bums, so they fit the clothes. The clothes are designed mostly by gay men.

      It was only a matter of time before a bloke started modelling them.  Fashion IS weird.  This isn’t a revelation.

      Reply

    • Lauren says:

      09:36am | 14/06/11

      But all female models have boyish shapes (6th tall, no breasts, no hips…)
      Having an actual bloke model these clothing makes no difference.

      Reply

    • AdamC says:

      10:05am | 14/06/11

      This Pejic guy has definitely flashed in the pan. Move on, please.

      And, while we’re at it, can we also move on from this ridiculous, catty - ‘why aren’t ‘normal’ (i.e, larger, plainer) women supermodels as well’ schtick? Frankly, I would be offended if I were a grown women constantly lectured to about how my self-esteem is held hostage by glossy magazines and Kardashians. I am sure there are plenty of well-adjusted women out there who have fulfilling lives and couldn’t care less about a skinny Broady boy modelling clothes on a catwalk. Why don’t we ever hear from them?

      Reply

    • Helpless says:

      12:23pm | 14/06/11

      Like.

      This is a plausible and empowering mentality for women. 

      Why should they care about and conform to the pressure to be thin?  Why should they care if it is in all fluff-piece and fashion magazines?

    • Slothy: says:

      01:41pm | 14/06/11

      Personally, I’m not threatened by catwalk models or women in magazines since I know they have very rare genes, not to mention professional hair, make up, lighting, airbrushing, chefs and trainers helping them look their best.  When my self esteem is wallowing, it’s the everyday women that cause it - the stunning looking chick down the hall who never seems to have a bad hair day or a ‘I’m running low on clean clothes’ thrown together outfit or the friend who turns heads without a scrap of makeup.  (Of course, the cause of this need to compete with other women to meet some arbitrary asthetic ideal is a much larger and deeper problem.) It’s also important not to get drawn in to the ‘real’ woman trap - there may be an ‘average’ body type, but not being able to fill out a bra doesn’t make you less female.

      That said, as someone who is on the bustier side, I would still love it if fashion did a little more offer flattering clothes to more average women.  It’s annoying to have to teach myself to sew just because I want a button up shirt that fits nicely around the waist without gaping terribly at the bust (god damn broad shoulders but god bless multisize patterns).

    • dancan says:

      10:12am | 14/06/11

      “I love seeing Pejic looking incredible in mini-skirts and corseted bustiers. Heck, I would kill for his legs. What I don’t love however, is seeing him waltzing down the runway in clothes that are supposedly designed for women. “

      Nice bit of jealousy and sexism there Bridget.  You’re a bit threatened I take it.

      Reply

    • Pamela says:

      10:21am | 14/06/11

      I think Andrej looks sensational. As a short curvy woman I have no problem with him strutting his stuff. All the power to him!!

      Reply

    • Markus says:

      10:22am | 14/06/11

      The fashion industry is nothing but an elite social clique, dominated by and for gay men.

      The sooner you come to terms with the fact that the industry has absolutely nothing to do with designing clothes to market to women, the sooner you can move on to blaming something else for your insecurities.

      Reply

    • unconcerned model citzen says:

      10:32am | 14/06/11

      Most of the designers are homosexuals that is why they use transgender looking people for displaying their clothes. Female models do not look like women : broad shoulders and small hips (anorexic look) so poeple like Pejic are perfect for the purpose.

      Reply

    • adie says:

      12:03pm | 14/06/11

      as a size 10 woman with broad shoulders, and small hips, this hurts. I may not be stick thin like the models are, but im still the same shape as them.  Does that mean i dont look like a woman either?

      Not all of us are blessed with boobs and hips.

    • Gomez12 says:

      10:45am | 14/06/11

      Simply a natural progression isn’t it?

      The fashion industry has been dominated by Gay men for years. And, get this, weirdly, Gay men aren’t actually interested in womens bodies!!

      Hence all models have been becoming more “boyish” for decades now. Finally we’ve simply switched to Girlish looking men. 

      As someone noted earlier, Hetero men have no interest in catwalk models for the most part. Heck, I saw America’s Next Top Model last night, and despite being “Top Model” contenders, I wouldn’t call many of them more than marginally attractive. Yet the panel of Gay men and other models select one every week as being “Gorgeous”!

      Reply

    • PedoBear says:

      11:29am | 14/06/11

      Pretty sure the last time i checked I was real.  The term ‘Real Women” is offensive and overused. Cat walks are more like moving art, the clothing is not made for the average consumer, you don’t see it handgun on the high street racks do you.
      Settle down and go eat a pie.

      Reply

    • Trent says:

      11:41am | 14/06/11

      The majority of women cant wear or afford the clothes worn by female models.

      I think in this age of equality we should allow this bloke to be a model.

      I think its a bit weird but if he has the body to fashion the clothes fair enough. I dont see people complaing about Penny Wong wearing blokes clothes. fairs fair.

      Reply

    • JoeJiudice says:

      11:45am | 14/06/11

      I love this article!  It’s so well written and insightful!  It’s not a rant at all and there’s no rambling on either!  Wow!  It’s just the best. 

      Wow!

      Oh my god!

      Wow!

      Reply

    • EMAARGH says:

      12:04pm | 14/06/11

      QUOTE “My question to all designers is: If you had made a men’s business suit, would it be acceptable to use a buxom and curvaceous women as your model? Of course not. Why should women’s clothing be any different?”


      BRIDGET AHERN - you are amazing. keep up the good work!!!!!!

      Reply

    • Outraged says:

      03:24pm | 14/06/11

      What are you talking about?! Women wear Business Suits and Power Suits and Blazers and Pants to my office all the time. No men complain about them wearing “Men’s” clothes?

      Yet, the minute one man starts wearing “Women’s Clothes”, all the chicks on here get outraged? Your homophobia is not subtle and not going un-noticed…

    • Kassandra says:

      04:33pm | 14/06/11

      One of the best ads for mens’ business shirts featured a hot chick wearing the shirt and little else. Seeing this dude in a dress doesn’t seem to have the same effect. He’s just weird. Oh , and I don’t want his legs either.

    • Grant says:

      12:41pm | 14/06/11

      What is the problem with this?  Shouldn’t the model be able to wear whatever on the runway?

      Bridget, you are projecting gender roles, even though both genders are heading towards the middle of gender identity.

      Men are becoming more effeminate (shaving or clipping pubic areas (I do), moisturising their faces etc) and women are now more masculine (increases in sexual expression and freedom, educational outcomes, job status etc).

      Reply

    • Leto says:

      12:53pm | 14/06/11

      Given that 60% of the population in this country are overweight or obese, the “average” person in the country would be overweight.

      It’s probably the reason why I find it so difficult to find anything but low fat dairy products.

      Nobody cares what the dude wears on the runway. When was the last time anyone you knew wore any of that crap anyway?

      Reply

    • Slothy says:

      01:17pm | 14/06/11

      While I agree with the thrust of your argument, you’re straying a little in to the trap of defining what a ‘real’ woman looks like. Although fashion’s focus on the supermodel minority to the exclusion of a more average body type is problematic and damaging (not to mention frustrating when shopping!) having an unusual body shape does not make any of those supermodels less female. Body shaming works both ways.

      Reply

    • Mathias says:

      01:28pm | 14/06/11

      The world has gone completely bat shit crazy

      Reply

    • ausspud says:

      03:05pm | 14/06/11

      what a puny little shit,I can just imagine someone calling him fat and watching him run off in a huff with mescara running down his cheeks.
      Geez a 2yo will beat the living snot out of him.

      Reply

    • philbe2 says:

      03:17pm | 14/06/11

      I call false equivalence.

      “My question to all designers is: If you had made a men’s business suit, would it be acceptable to use a buxom and curvaceous women [sic] as your model?”

      That’s not the same. How about: “If you had made a men’s business suit, would it be acceptable to use a woman visually indistinguishable from a man (think Penny Wong) as your model?”

      Reply

    • Lloyd says:

      04:18pm | 14/06/11

      Thank you for bringing this highly important issue to the public attention.No, really, it was so fascinating reading a bunch of boring suburbanites predicable opinions on something out of the ordinary.Yawn.

      Reply

    • Kika says:

      04:27pm | 14/06/11

      If you didn’t know that fashion designers (mostly all gay men) design for other gay men then you’re a bit slow off the mark. This dude is their dream because not only is he a man, he is very feminine man so he can wear everything they design with ease.

      Reply

    • darren says:

      04:29pm | 14/06/11

      Actually there are quite a lot of asian women with that sort of “boyish” body. My missus is one of them . Given the rise of China’s economy that might give you an idea of why this guy is getting somewhere. It seems to me that rather than being a valid comment on women’s body shapes this indicates that some people are completely unaware that there are actually quite lot of female body shapes that are dont comply with the stereotypically rounded shape. Not every woman is a shapely fatty you know…

      Reply

    • Sarah says:

      04:36pm | 14/06/11

      When I was a teenager (the 90s), I never idolised super-thin catwalk models. I could not think of any of my friends that did either. If anything I would have idolised someone like Elle McPherson who had a healthy athletic body. Most girls I know just want to have a nice figure (size 10 maybe), not to be super-thin like Kate Moss or Nicole Ritchie.

      Reply

    • Penguin says:

      07:11pm | 14/06/11

      I find him quite interesting.  And it doesn’t really matter, high fashion has very little to do with average Australians wear.

      Reply

    • maddie says:

      08:33am | 15/06/11

      NOTHING on the runway is designed for women. Or anybody really. That’s why there is a distinction between runway and off-the-rack. The idea of the runway is to showcase the designers aesthetic and point of view.

      Seriously, if you think one male model in women’s clothes is going to drive young girls to eating disorders and self-harm, then I’m sorry to say that you have grossly underestimated women.

      If Pejic is going to affect anybody, it will be all the gender-confused young men that finally have a gender-fluid role model out there who’s not a drag queen or punchline to some joke.

      Reply

    • Ben says:

      10:41pm | 15/06/11

      Didn’t read all the comments, but, am I the only one who finds this article more than a tad offensive? Token and misguided gesture to the trans* community not withstanding, the whole article read as some biologically determined diatribe about ‘Real Women’. What exactly is a real woman? And what exactly gives the author the authority to determine what is or isn’t a woman?

      I totally understand the issues regarding body image and the fashion industries impact on mental health of women, particularly youth. However, what is wrong with having Andrej modelling women’s clothes? Is it only acceptable if he is ridiculously buff and ripped? Is that the only way a ‘real man’ is allowed to be portrayed? Cannot men have a desire to wear clothes typically attributed to women?

      If we ignore the who-ha about “Oh no, he is too skinny and are going to make women want to look like men”, then we can see this as a pretty awesome step forward for the millions of queer and genderqueeer individuals out there who have seen him and thought, “Androgynous model that isn’t a woman? About time!”

      Reply
 
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