Joan Smalls is gracing the cover of Glam Belleza Latina and in it the supermodel talks about her childhood dreams, race and her Latin pride.
"Yes, 'pride' in coming from such a beautiful, diverse culture is something that I think of in connection to Latin beauty. Regardless of what shade you are or where you come from, you still are beautiful," she said.
The Puerto Rican beauty also addressed how different races want to claim her as their own. Can you honestly blame them though?
"People want to claim you. And people don't realize that when you're Latin, you're so diverse. I am Black. I am Latin. I am Spanish. You know? It's a little bit of everything, and that's beautiful. So, everybody, claim me. I'm fine with that."
As to what career the face of Estée Lauder would have pursued if she hadn't gone into modeling, she said, "I grew up on a farm in Puerto Rico and wanted to be a veterinarian. I was always playing with animals! But because I physically resembled some of the models on TV — tall and skinny — people would tell my parents that I should model."
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(Photo: Glam Belleza Latina)