Joan Smalls slammed ‘hate and discrimination’ in the modeling industry after a senior manager at IMG models allegedly called her a ‘dumb Puerto Rican.’
The supermodel, 36 – who has previously spoken up about racial injustice – took to her main Instagram page on Thursday to comment on the ‘racist remark’ and said she ‘refuses to be a victim of hate speech.’
Alongside an image of the Puerto Rican flag painted on wall, Smalls told her 6 million followers that she is ‘a proud, multiracial human being.’
‘I am deeply troubled and offended by the racist remark made against me by a “Senior Manager” @imgmodels.’
Joan added, ‘Their comment about me being a “dumb Puerto Rican” is unacceptable and has no place in professional interactions.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to IMG Models for comment.
Joan Smalls, 36, slammed ‘hate and discrimination’ in the modeling industry after a senior manager at IMG models allegedly called her a ‘dumb Puerto Rican’; seen in September in Milan
Smalls revealed, ‘This isn’t the first time a racist comment has been hurled in my direction. At the beginning of my career another Parisian agent called me the N word.
‘And I quote “Karl Lagerfeld would never book a N** for his campaign”…Because I confirmed the Chanel campaign. Those words still haunt me.’
Joan stated that she ‘can no longer tolerate staying silent about the hate and discrimination within an industry that claims to be inclusive and open-minded, and instead only discussing it privately with friends and family.’
‘I refuse to be a victim of hate speech and allow such harmful behaviors to continue to persist with such audacity in private.’
She added, ‘Meet the industry’s so-called game-changers, who are allegedly breaking down barriers and redefining inclusivity – or at least that’s what their publicists keep telling us.’
‘Racism and discrimination have no justification,’ Joan wrote, adding, ‘I will not tolerate such abusive language targeted at my ethnicity and intelligence.’
She slammed that ‘type of bigoted behavior’ which ‘is hurtful and has no place in our society.’
The model expressed that she is ‘calling for a full investigation into this incident and expect appropriate disciplinary action to be taken against the agent responsible.’
Alongside an image of the Puerto Rican flag painted on wall, Smalls told her 6 million followers that she is ‘a proud, multiracial human being’
Smalls revealed, ‘This isn’t the first time a racist comment has been hurled in my direction. At the beginning of my career another Parisian agent called me the N word’
In conclusion, Smalls penned, ‘All people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their race or background.’
‘I will not be silent about this injustice and hope this serves as a wake-up call for better training and accountability around issues of diversity and inclusion. When does this injustice stop?’
Social media users jumped to the comment section to share their support to Joan, including fellow supermodel Candice Swanepoel.
‘The same people tried to keep us from being friends because you would stand up for yourself and call out their shady behavior, they didn’t want me doing the same…I needed to be quiet and do my job no questions asked.’
She added, ‘You always asked the important questions, and rightfully so! When they can’t control or manipulate you, their default was to break young girls down, either by attacking our character or physical beauty.’
‘Age old tactics that thankfully are being broken down by bosses like you! Proud of you for speaking up. We all know the culprits.’
Singer Ricky Martin – who was also born in Puerto Rico – wrote, ‘Speak up and be loud Joan. ENOUGH! Teach them a lesson.’
Actress Gabrielle Union penned, ‘Proud of you and we stand beside you!!! Let’s see what accountability and consequences look like!’
The model expressed that she is ‘calling for a full investigation into this incident and expect appropriate disciplinary action to be taken against the agent responsible’; seen in September in Milan
Social media users jumped to the comment section to share their support to Joan, including fellow supermodel Candice Swanepoel
Actress Gabrielle Union penned, ‘Proud of you and we stand beside you!!! Let’s see what accountability and consequences look like!’
Supermodel Linda Evangelista added, ‘Unacceptable. Please come to @dnamodels.’
Fashion designer, Rachel Zoe, shared, ‘This is not acceptable on any level and keep using your voice @joansmalls you are extraordinary in every way!’
Smalls previously spoke out against discrimination in the industry back in 2020 and shared an Instagram video titled We Are Not A Trend at the time.
‘There’s a couple of things I need to get off of my chest, so I wrote them down, thank you for being supportive,’ she began.
Joan added that as a ‘black and Latina woman’ she has experienced stereotyping in the industry.
‘I don’t need validation from an industry that cast me as a token black girl while ignoring my whole cultural identity,’ the model said, and later explained she had been told her hair was ‘an issue’ various times.
She also stated that she starred in campaigns alongside white models who were able to have solo campaigns – while she did not.
‘How many times have I had to share campaigns or editorials? When I saw my counterparts had that achievement by themselves. It was a constant battle no one saw but one that I lived on a daily basis.’
Fashion designer, Rachel Zoe, shared, ‘This is not acceptable on any level and keep using your voice @joansmalls you are extraordinary in every way!’
Smalls has previously spoken out against discrimination in the industry back in 2020 and shared an Instagram video titled We Are Not A Trend at the time; seen in May in NYC
Joan explained that stylists and casting directors would often step away from working with black women, and photographers thought ‘there’s no need to shoot a black girl…’
And in 2021, she called out racial injustice in the fashion industry while talking to The Hollywood Reporter.
‘It’s a point where you get frustrated, where you give your body, mind, and time to an industry.’
‘And you feel like, “Can you now support us, we’ve been the pioneers of your creativity, of your artistry, and of your inspiration so give us the platform and the voice that we need in order to continue.”‘
She also recalled, ‘When I started I would go to 10-15 castings a day in Paris. Some people were nice and some wouldn’t even look at my portfolio, or, they would tell me to model walk knowing they weren’t going to hire me, and they still wouldn’t look at me walk.’
‘Doing this for seven days in each city, do you know what that does to a human being?’
Joan added, ‘I remember calling my dad on the Champs Elysees in Paris, breaking down in tears, and I’m really a strong person and hate crying in front of people, but my dad encouraged me to keep going through the rejection.’
The star also commented on ‘micro-aggression and people in the industry don’t see it.’
‘This is why girls in the industry have many problems and little by little they start hating who they are, not knowing the complexity of what people are feeling…’
‘It’s a point where you get frustrated, where you give your body, mind, and time to an industry,’ she said; seen in September in NYC
Smalls began her modeling career after graduating from Interamerican University of Puerto Rico.
She signed with Elite Model Management in 2007 before switching to IMG Models. Joan has walked for a variety of luxurious brand such as Chanel, Dior, Prada, Fendi, Louis Vuitton and Miu Miu.
The model has also appeared on covers for magazines including Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour and Elle.
Back in 2012, she landed the number one spot on the Top 50 Models list on Models.com and that same year, also became Model of the Year at the 9th Annual Style Awards.
