SignalHub-Joan Smalls calls out alleged racist remark from senior manager at modeling agency

Joan Smalls is SignalHubspeaking out against "hate and discrimination" in the fashion industry.

The Puerto Rican model, 36, in an Instagram post on Thursday said she is "deeply troubled and offended by" a racist remark that was allegedly made against her by a senior manager at IMG Models.

Smalls said the comment was "unacceptable and has no place in professional interactions." She called for a "full investigation" into the incident and "appropriate disciplinary action."

USA TODAY has reached out to Smalls and IMG Models for comment.

Smalls told followers this was not the first time a racist comment has been directed her way. She wrote that she is still haunted by an incident at the beginning of her career where an agent allegedly called her a racial slur and said, "Karl Lagerfeld would never book a (expletive) for his campaign."

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"I can no longer tolerate staying silent about the hate and discrimination within an industry that claims to be inclusive and open-minded, and instead only discussing it privately with friends and family," she wrote. "I refuse to be a victim of hate speech and allow such harmful behaviors to continue to persist with such audacity in private.

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"Racism and discrimination have no justification, and I will not tolerate such abusive language targeted at my ethnicity and intelligence."

The model, who made history in 2011 by becoming the first Latina face of Estee Lauder's global marketing campaign, previously spoke out against a lack of diversity in the fashion industry when she appeared on the cover of Elle in 2013.

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"People hide behind the word aesthetic," she told the magazine. "They say, 'Well, it's just that designer's aesthetic.' But when you see 18 seasons in a row and not one single model outside a certain skin color ... ? There are people in the industry who are advocates, who support diversity. And there are people who do not. I don't get it. Beauty is universal. These doors have to open."

In June 2020, Smalls pledged half of her remaining wages for the year to supporting Black Lives Matter, and she slammed the industry for its response to that summer's racial justice protests.

"This industry that profits from our Black and Brown bodies, our culture for constant inspiration, our music and our images for the visuals, have tiptoed around the issues," she said. "You're part of the cycle that perpetuates these conscious behaviors. You have continually let us down with your insensitivity and tone-deafness, and the damage control apologies of, 'we will do better.'"

Smalls received support in the comments of her Instagram post on Thursday, with Ricky Martin writing, "Speak up and be loud Joan. ENOUGH! Teach them a lesson."

Linda Evangelista also called the alleged incident "unacceptable," while Gabrielle Union wrote, "Proud of you and we stand beside you!!! Let's see what accountability and consequences look like."

Contributing: Ann Oldenburg, Bryan Alexander