Puerto Rican Model Joan Smalls Calls Out IMG Models for Racist Comment

Puerto Rican supermodel Joan Smalls took to Instagram to call out a racist remark made against her by a Senior Manager at IGM Models. In her Instagram post, which tagged the agency, Smalls, known for being the first Latina to represent Estée Lauder Cosmetics, said the unnamed manager called her a “dumb Puerto Rican.”

“I’m a proud, multiracial human being. I am deeply troubled and offended by the racist remark made against me by a “Senior Manager @igmmodels” Smalls said. “Their comment about me being a ‘dumb Puerto Rican’ is unacceptable and has no place in professional interactions.”

“This isn’t the first time a racist comment has been hurled in my direction,” she added. “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 this campaign…” because I confirmed the Chanel campaign. Those words still haunt me.”

But Smalls made it clear she’s done not saying anything. “I can no longer tolerate staying silent about the hate and discrimination within an industry that claims to be inclusive and open-minded,” she said, later adding “Racism and discrimination have no justification, and I will not tolerate such abusive language targeted at my ethnicity and intelligence.” 

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The response to Small’s Instagram post was overwhelmingly positive, with celebrities like Ricky Martin commenting “Speak up and be loud Joan. ENOUGH! Teach them a lesson,” Gabrielle Union saying “Proud of you and we stand beside you!! Let’s see what accountability and consequences look like!” and South African model Candice Swanepoel leaving a long comment that ended with “Proud of you for speaking up. We all know the culprits.”

IMG Models has not yet responded to the accusations made by Joan Smalls.