Andre J.

Biography

Born Andre Johnson in Newark, New Jersey, Andre J. was raised by a single mother in a housing project called Academy Spires

For several years in the early 2000s, they lived in Los Angeles, California. During those years, they worked at a boutique on Melrose Avenue and made three brief appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno segments "devoted to human curiosities". "There is not a special message in the cover, I just loved it," she said later.

Personal style Though Andre J. often wears feminine clothing, they do not consider themself a crossdresser. Rather, they see themself as unconfined by gender and social conventions. "Most people are conditioned to think of a black man looking a certain way," they told The New York Times. "They only think of the ethnic man in XXX jeans and Timberlands, and here Andre J. comes along with a pair of hot shorts and a caftan or maybe flip-flops or cowboy boots or a high, high heel." Most recently, Andre J.'s style inspirations have included Cher and model Donyale Luna. They describe their aesthetic as a "60s, not mod, but mod-ish, and hippie look" that is also influenced by the style of 1970s blaxploitation films.

Called a "cheerful muse" by New York Magazine, Andre J. says their positive outlook on life has influenced their style: "I want people to look at me and feel inspired, to feel hope, to smile. I want to surge positive energy in your body, confirm that you too can be yourself." They said they have been affirmed by strangers telling them that they were glad they are alive, and believe that they were put on the earth "to be a bodhisattva, to just glow, emanate love, respect, peace, pizzazz".