Joan Smalls Talks Racism In Fashion: ‘I Would Cry’

Joan Smalls is one of the most recognizable faces in the fashion industry, but it wasn’t easy getting to the top.

In the latest issue of PORTER magazine, the Puerto Rican model opened up about her struggles with race in the fashion industry. Before the H&M, Estee Lauder and Balmain campaigns, the 5’11” beauty was just trying to make it, jumping from go see to go see without any luck.

“It was really easy for some girls to get booked automatically into an agency, but I had to go to appointment after appointment and a gazillion castings, and sometimes no one looked at me at all,” she said. “I would cry out of frustration because I didn’t understand why. I didn’t want to quit. I’m determined. That’s the fuel for my fire. I’m like, ‘I’m going to show you. Sooner or later you’ll see what happens when you don’t believe in someone.’”

She also revealed that her race could have contributed to the extra work she had to put in. And PORTER writer Marisa Meltzer was glad Smalls opened up about this important topic, especially since women of color are severely underrepresented on the runway each fashion week.

“It’s a conversation that needs to continue to happen so that people see it as the norm and not some kind of a chore,” Meltzer said. “We have to do this to make people happy. Why not represent the rainbow that we live in? And then women can look at the runway and see themselves.”

In the magazine, Smalls returns to her birthplace to model the latest in swimwear, paired with shearling coats, which only works in the fantasy world of editorial. However, that military green one-piece on the cover is definitely a must-have. We will save the coat for winter.

So what makes Smalls so unique, and one of the highest paid models in the world? Let Smalls explain for herself.

“I’m not just one thing: I’m black, I’m Latina. It’s cool that people can see that a person doesn’t fit into a box and isn’t just a category. That’s the message I always try to push out there.”

To read the full interview, check out the latest issue of PORTER.

[via YahooStyle]

The post Joan Smalls Talks Racism In Fashion: ‘I Would Cry’ appeared first on StyleBlazer.