Barnes & Noble is requiring the new issue of Dossier, featuring Andrej Pejic, be wrapped in opaque plastic before stocking it in stores, reports Jezebel.
Men’s bodies are glorified on magazine all the time, but never hidden behind fuzzy-colored shrink-wrap. Barnes & Noble execs, however, are concerned people will mistake Pejic’s body for that of a woman, according to Jezebel. His flawless make up and short golden curls may look like what many of us would associate with characteristics of a woman, but he is a man, nonetheless.
"We knew that this cover presented a very strong, androgynous image," Dossier co-founder and creative director Skye Parrott said in an interview with Jezebel, "and that could make some people uncomfortable. That's partly why we chose it. I guess it has made someone pretty uncomfortable." Added Parrott, "I've been talking to all my friends who work in magazines, and nobody I know has ever heard of anything like this happening. Especially with a guy. Guys are shirtless on magazine covers all the time."
Dossier had the option of complying with the request and wrap the issue, or have the issue pulled from Barnes & Noble and Borders. Of the 20,000 worldwide print, the opaque covers make up less than 10% of the orders.
“As a kid, you get to the stage where you realize the gender barriers that exist in society and what you're supposed to do and not supposed to do,” Pejic explains. “I really tried being someone else during that period. It was hard for me — not being able to express myself and feeling I had to be someone else.”
Now as an adult, Pejic has been able to embrace who he is and so has the fashion industry. Although Pejic’s cover is being censored, his presence is undeniable. He is a world-renowned supermodel who has graced the runways in both men and women’s garments, including a Jean-Paul Gaultier wedding gown in New York’s fashion week. His androgynous characteristics have made him the epitome of diversity in the fashion industry.
"The thing about Andrej is, if you see him, he is very, deeply androgynous," says Parrott. "But he is also very comfortable with that. It's a shame that everyone can't be as relaxed about it as he is."
