Joan Smalls Cover Story, Glamour
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The Long Game “With modeling, you have to be smart about it,” says Smalls. “You can use it as a platform. I’ve always known that there was much more to do, much more to conquer.” Channel Smalls’ slick, urban edge here with pops of hot-bright color and sharp shapes. Lacoste top and skirt. PH5 turtleneck. Efva Attling earring, worn throughout. Public School For Fitbit Collection band. 198 glamour.com Supermodel Joan Smalls won’t hear the word no. Here’s how she’s gone after what she wants in life—and gotten it. By Simone Kitchens JOPhotographsA by Carter Smith Fashion editor: Jillian DavisonN glamour.com 199 Stronger Together “My mom and my sisters are my biggest cheerleaders,” says Smalls. “They taught me to believe in myself—to always kick ass and take names.” Versace coat, top, pants, and boots. 200 glamour.com Go Big “My goals and dreams?” says Smalls. “I like to just do the hard work and let it show for itself.” Peter Pilotto turtleneck. Into her deep berry lip? Try Estée Lauder Pure Color Envy Hi-Lustre Light Sculpting Lipstick in Sly Ingenue ($32, esteelauder.com). glamour.com 201 Rise and Shine “As soon as I wake up and my feet touch the floor, I say thank you,” says Smalls. “I try to say as many thank-yous as I can throughout the day. If you’re thankful and mindful, things continue to come to you.” Proenza Schouler coat, bag, and boots. Tome turtleneck. Want to give red hair a spin? Try Joico InstaTint Temporary Shimmer Spray in Fiery Coral ($10, joico.com for salons). 202 glamour.com “I just had a game plan.” ou don’t reach Joan Smalls’ levels of super- zilian model Lais Ribeiro. You told them, “Get your sh-t together.” modeldom by just showing up and hoping JS: It’s like, come on, guys. You’ve seen me enough, or just for the best. Actually, the Joan Smalls way is double-check. It goes back to that whole thing of “oh, we all look to set goals—big goals—and go for them. alike.” And Lais, she’s beautiful, she’s a friend, and I’m really hon- “Even when I was hearing no, no, no…I wanted ored to have been compared to her, but she should have her own to prove them wrong,” the 28-year-old recalls of image. At a certain point, it starts getting to me. her early modeling days, when she felt stuck doing GLAMOUR: When things like that happen, do you go directly to catalogs. “I was maybe 20, 21, and really frustrated social media? What’s your outlet? with how things were going. I knew something JS: I have two older sisters. They know everything. Same with required a change.” So the Puerto Rico–born Smalls my mom. When the Maxim thing happened, I was with them in sat down and wrote a detailed and fairly ambitious Puerto Rico; we talked through how I should respond. They’re my to-do list: Get shot by Mario Testino, walk in the Victo- biggest cheerleaders. Say I don’t get a job; they’re like, “Joan, just ria’s Secret show, be Estée Lauder’s first Latina spokes- continue on.” They always taught me to believe in myself, to always woman. Check. Check. Check. And on her résumé since then? kick ass and take names. “Be that Joanji that we know.” She’s played muse to Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci, become a regular GLAMOUR: You’re clearly proud of your heritage. But you’ve talked in the Balmain army, and made a particularly badass cameo in about growing up and not fitting into the physical ideal in Puerto Beyoncé’s “Yoncé” video. How exactly do you make all that hap- Rico. So you wished you were curvier? pen? Smalls gives the backstory on her goals strategy: JS: Of course. Everyone does, especially when you’re younger and guys don’t like you because you’re f lat-chested and have skinny legs. GLAMOUR: You’re a doer. How did you jump-start your career? I would double up my socks so my calves looked bigger. But around JOAN SMALLS: Initially that meant finding a new agent; I needed junior high school, my attitude changed. I was like, It is what it is. someone who believed in me like I believed in myself. I had a GLAMOUR: But in fashion isn’t everyone on a diet? game plan: Make sure to get an exclusive. Shoot with this pho- JS: I don’t diet. I’m Puerto Rican! You can never take my rice, pork, tographer. Go to events. Be social. But also being black and and beans away. Plus, I love to cook. I’m one of those people who Hispanic, you have so much to prove to yourself and your family stay in the kitchen standing while everything is cooking, checking and everybody back home. I wanted to prove to people it doesn’t on ever y thing. I picked that up from my grandmother. So yeah, I’m matter if you come from a small little island, that you can make still going to indulge. I just do the extra 10 minutes at the gym. I’ve it in this industry. been boxing since college. GLAMOUR: Did you always feel confident? Or did that come later? GLAMOUR: What about beauty? What’s your off-duty routine? JS: Back home I had always been comfortable around people. I JS: When I’m back in Puerto Rico, I let my hair be wild and curly. was the troublemaker, always being funny—that’s just who I am. I’ll leave conditioner in it and let it air-dry. But I always do my I’m Latina; I’ve always had that extra little f lavor. But when I brows—I have a little scar on my left brow, so I always fill them in got to New York, it became about being comfortable with myself with a pencil. And I put on lots of Estée Lauder Advanced Night in a place where I didn’t know many people, and that was the Repair Serum. I even use it on my lips. big challenge. Ultimately my personality helped me build rela- GLAMOUR: So what’s next—future goals? tionships with the people I was working with, and I was able to JS: Real estate fascinates me. I bought an apartment in Brook- stand out. lyn about a year ago and turned it into a models’ apartment. I GLAMOUR: You’ve gotten pretty good at lining up goals and making wanted to create a place where new models would feel comfort- them happen. Were there any you knew to pull the plug on early? able: It has a gym, a doorman, and there’s not, like, 10 of them JS: I remember one. When I first started out, I wanted to be the in two bedrooms. My boyfriend [Modellounge founder Bernard face of a box of hair color. I thought that would be so cool. That Smith] and I are always thinking up ways to tie fashion with other kind of phased out. worlds. You’ll see celebrities doing certain things, and we’re like, GLAMOUR: Staying focused clearly paid off. Models.com ranks you Why aren’t models doing it? Then we’re like, Hmm, let’s pitch that as one of the Money Girls [one of the industry’s highest earners]. idea! That’s how I became W Hotels’ f irst global fashion innovator What feels most important to you now? [creating design, event, and travel product ideas and brand part- JS: Breaking barriers. When it comes to modeling. I think there’s nerships]. He’s someone I can bounce ideas off of. only so much runway I can do, so many covers—which I love—but GLAMOUR: Is that what you look for in a partner? it’s also about doing things that haven’t been done. JS: Yes. But I also need someone who can dance. I can’t take some- GLAMOUR: Like what? one with two left feet. And they need a sense of humor. If I mess JS: I’d like to see more beauty campaigns for girls who are mixed with somebody, it’s because I love them, but you need to be able to Latina and black. And if I’m in them, that’s great, but overall throw jokes at me too. We’re always being stupid with each other. there’s a scarcity there. Companies need to be more mindful of the But most important, they need to be ambitious. I need someone world we live in and who their consumer is. who always wants more out of life. Like me—I’m just that way. GLAMOUR: Speaking of being mindful, you called out Maxim on Snapchat when they mistakenly put your name on a photo of Bra- Simone Kitchens is Glamour’s associate beauty director. glamour.com 203 Making It Happen “This industry is very unpredictable,” says Smalls. “You don’t know what’s next, what your next job is. When my path wasn’t going where I wanted, it required a change. Something had to happen.” Emilio Pucci sweater. Tome turtleneck. Proenza Schouler boots. 204 glamour.com Real Talk “I was always the baby of the house,” says Smalls. “I was the troublemaker, always being funny, playing tricks. It’s just who I am—that hasn’t changed. And my family always reminds me: ‘Be that Joanji that we know.’ ” Ellery coat.