When you want something so bad and when something great happens, I think it's instinct that you say, 'This is gonna be the moment that's gonna change everything. Everybody is gonna see me a different way.'
Joan SmallsI'm Puerto Rican! You can never take my rice, pork, and beans away. Plus, I love to cook. I'm one of those people who stay in the kitchen standing while everything is cooking, checking on everything.
Joan SmallsI would always hunch over, I was always taller than the boys. I had the extremely skinny legs... I would double up my socks, those ones from Footlocker, to make my legs look thicker.
Joan SmallsI've always been athletic. Growing up in Puerto Rico, and being in the countryside, I was always running around. I also played volleyball, basketball, and I ran track. I was always very conscious of my body.
Joan SmallsPeople hide behind the word aesthetic. They say, โWell, itโs just that designerโs aesthetic.โ But when you see 18 seasons in a row and not one single model outside a certain skin colorโฆ? There are people in the industry who are advocates, who support diversity. And there are people who do not. I donโt get it. Beauty is universal. These doors have to open.
Joan Smalls