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Joan Smalls Rodriguez is a supermodel born in Puerto Rico in 1988. At just 13 years old, she knew that her dream was to conquer the world’s great catwalks, so she always focused on participating in various pageants.
In 2007 after having made several castings in different agencies, she was hired by the New York agency Elite Model Management. Two years later, she joined IMG Models to become a runway model. Being part of IMG Models, Smalls signed a contract with Givenchy, which changed her career forever.
Her successful jump also includes her participation in the fashion campaigns of luxurious brands such as Gucci, Chanel, and Stella McCartney. In 2011, the Puerto Rican was the image of Estée Lauder, making history as the first Latina to represent the cosmetics brand.
That same year, Smalls became Victoria‘s Secret model. She was named as one of the “World’s Highest-Paid Models.” In 2012, she was ranked the number #1 model in the world and currently she is considered as one of the New Supers and ”Money Girls.” In 2020, the model has remained very active in the networks, after the murder of George Floyd, at the hands of the police.
Smalls also supports the #BlackLivesMatter movement and is continuously promoting donations to the Black community by launching DonateMyWage.org, a website she created to support 11 organizations.