Andreja Pejic may not have any regrets about her transition, but she faced some harsh criticism from some important people in her life as she was deciding to undergo gender confirmation surgery.
In fact, the model's former lover had one of the worst reactions.
"You won't be special anymore. You'll just be a woman who can't have kids," Andreja recalls in an interview with 1-D, referring to her ex's nasty response.
So, what was her reaction? "Women are not baby machines. There's a lot more to being a woman, so reducing them to that is quite disgusting."
Pejic, who used to model in both male and female clothing as Andrej Pejic, had the surgery last year and made her runway debut back in February. She then became the first trans woman to get a spread in Vogue.
She describes 2014 as "one of the most difficult years of my life" and admits that she didn't take as long as she would have liked to recover from genital surgery.
"I honestly didn't know if there was going to be a future for me in the industry," she tells the mag. "Could I keep doing it? Or would I take a college course?" Hang on - college course? No future? You know how it works. One minute you're in and the next, you're not. So you just sort of have to figure out when they are over you. Luckily it all worked out."
Pejic decided not to tell anyone in the modeling industry about her plans for surgery. "I didn't want anyone to stand in my way. It was just something I had to do, career or not," she declares. "When the issue came up in conversations with my previous agent it was clear to me that, from a professional perspective, it would be better for me if I didn't transition. It might seem strange to a lot of people, because obviously it's a very gay-friendly industry, but there is ignorance in the fashion industry and it's my mission to change that."
Even though she's seen some roadblocks, Andreja is positive about the future: "I understand there's a lot of discrimination, particularly in America, but I do feel the general public can evolve. Look at what's happened with gay marriage."
Not only is her career thriving, but she also may have found love again!
"We haven't had that conversation yet! But it's going great," she says about saying the L-word with her new beau. "He's open-minded and willing to learn. It was a shock at the beginning, but then you find stuff that you have in common. You get to know someone and show them your humanity - that you are funny. It has taken me a long while to have that confidence, but I like to think I'm quite a catch!"
She definitely is -- see more of her modeling work in the gallery above!
