244
Fashion Jobs
H&M
Visual Merchandiser Manager- Newmarket
Permanent · AUCKLAND
L'OREAL GROUP
Operations & Transport Manager
Permanent · AUCKLAND
ABBOTT
Tpm Contract Manufacturing Manager
Permanent · AUCKLAND
ESSILORLUXOTTICA GROUP
Optometrist - Opsm Rotorua
Permanent · ROTORUA
DANGERFIELD
Online Coordinator
Permanent · AUCKLAND
PUMA
Key Account Manager nz
Permanent · AUCKLAND
L'OREAL GROUP
Key Account Manager
Permanent · AUCKLAND
PETER ALEXANDER
Part Time - Sales Assistant - Peter Alexander nz - Queenstown
Permanent · QUEENSTOWN
FOOT LOCKER
Sales Associate Casual
Permanent · LOWER HUTT
ESSILORLUXOTTICA GROUP
Retail Associate | Sunglass Hut Manukau
Permanent · AUCKLAND
ESSILORLUXOTTICA GROUP
Retail Associate | Sunglass Hut Dunedin
Permanent · DUNEDIN
ESSILORLUXOTTICA GROUP
Retail Associate | Opsm Rangiora Eyecare
Permanent · CANTERBURY
PETER ALEXANDER
2 x Casual - Sales Assistant - Peter Alexander nz - MT Maunganui
Permanent · AUCKLAND
PETER ALEXANDER
2 x Part Time - Sales Assistant - Peter Alexander nz - MT Maunganui
Permanent · AUCKLAND
LULULEMON
Assistant Manager | Christchurch (Tuesday - Saturday Rotation)
Permanent · CHRISTCHURCH
ICEBREAKER
Icebreaker : Sales Associate, Casual - Wellington Airport Touchlab
Permanent · WELLINGTON
DFS
Personal Shopper
Permanent · AUCKLAND
H&M
Department Manager- Chartwell (Hamilton)
Permanent · HAMILTON
H&M
Store Manager Wellington
Permanent · WELLINGTON
H&M
Sales Advisor- 28h
Permanent · AUCKLAND
H&M
Assistant Store Manager- Sylvia Park
Permanent · AUCKLAND
H&M
Department Manager- Sylvia Park
Permanent · AUCKLAND
By
Reuters
Published
Feb 10, 2017
Reading time
2 minutes
Download
Download the article
Print
Text size

Belgian model becoming public face of intersex people

By
Reuters
Published
Feb 10, 2017

Belgian fashion model Hanne Gaby Odiele knew from a young age that she was different from other girls but did not understand why until she was 17 and read a magazine story about an intersex girl.


Hanne Gaby Odiele walked the runway for Raf Simon's first Calvin Klein show on Friday. Calvin Klein, Fall-Winter2017 - Womenswear - New York - © PixelFormula



Her doctor soon confirmed that Odiele, too, was born with sex characteristics that do not fit the typical definitions of male or female.

Now the 29-year-old veteran of runway shows for designers including Chanel, Dior and Tommy Hilfiger, Odiele is telling her story in hopes of boosting awareness of the condition.

"It is time for intersex people to come out of the shadows, claim our status, let go of shame and speak out against the unnecessary and harmful surgeries many of us were subjected to as children," the New York-based model said ahead of New York Fashion Week.

The tall, willowy blonde is speaking out as Americans' understanding of sex and gender identity is changing rapidly. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2015 established the right of homosexual couples to marry, and advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have continued to advocate for equal treatment.

Intersex is a separate issue, not referring to sexual orientation but rather covering a spectrum of body and chromosome variations. Up to 1.7 percent of people are born with intersex traits, according to figures from the United Nations.

Odiele has Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. She was born with a pair of XY chromosomes typical of a male and had internal, undescended testes that were surgically removed when she was 10 years old.

"I was always told there was something wrong with my bladder, so I really didn't know," Odiele, who was discovered by a fashion scout weeks after learning she was intersex, said in an interview.

More surgery followed in her late teens. She cannot have children and takes hormone replacement drugs.

Surgery for intersex children is controversial and has pitted doctors against intersex advocates who say the procedures can cause lasting physical and psychological damage.

Kimberly Zieselman, the executive director of the non-profit group interACT Advocates for Intersex Youth, said Odiele's story was not unique.

Zieselman had finished college, law school and married before she uncovered medical records that showed she was intersex.

"It is a very poorly understood condition," she said. "Before we can change the hearts and minds of policy makers and the medical community, we need to have a better understanding in general society."

 

© Thomson Reuters 2024 All rights reserved.

Tags :
Catwalks
People