But gender identity certainly isn’t the only issue surrounding Pejic in the fashion industry. Controversy is always in vogue.

For years, international fashion weeks have been criticized for employing ultra-skinny models with similar builds to Pejic’s, increasingly so since 21-year-old Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston died from complications of anorexia in 2006.

“Typically, high-fashion models have boyish figures,” says Salvador Camarena, a Los Angeles-based wardrobe stylist.

To some in the modeling industry, it’s these same boyish figures that could be driving Pejic’s high-end success while simultaneously feeding the industry’s unhealthy environment.

“To me, selling women’s clothes using a teenage boy’s body is the ultimate cynicism. It’s as if the fashion industry is saying, ‘Here is the perfect woman for our clothes: a boy!’ ” says style guru and “Project Runway” mentor Tim Gunn.