It’s hard to imagine four time i-D cover gir lJoan Smalls ever dealing with criticism for her looks. Over her almost decade-long career, she had fronted campaigns and graced catwalks for the world’s most prestigious designers. But when she was 13, one agent clearly didn’t comprehend her worth.
Speaking to ES Magazine about obstacles she’s faced as a woman in color in fashion, she revealed that when she was starting out, an agent she met at a school modeling competition told her she needed to fix her teeth. The then teenager pointed out a lot of models had found success with a crooked smile and asked why she was different. They responded: “Well, Joan, because you’re black, and that is already going to be a difficulty in this industry.”
She eventually did get braces, but we doubt anything could have stopped her astronomic rise to the top of the industry. Last year Joan joined Hari Nef in sharing their experiences with discrimination across a conversation with Ivan Bart of IMG Models and Tim Blanks. She reflected that encounters like these are hardly a thing of the past, noting that when modeling for global campaigns with other models she is frequently excluded from group shots because clients are concerned that she won’t sell.
Credits
Text Wendy Syfret
Photography Amy Troost