My mom always tells me, 'Joan, you're the brightest star. Embrace your strength and your power when you walk into a room.' So I always have that in me to have that confidence.
I know I'm representing a group - black, Latin, whatever you want to put me with - and I want to show that they are beautiful the way they are. I think that's really important for our youth to see.
I was always very, very insecure about my height. Even as a 15-year-old I was a foot and a half taller than everyone.
A career high was when I did a cover for 'W Magazine's July issue with Steven Meisel. So few girls shoot with Meisel in their career, and a lot of people had told me I would never achieve that, so it was a dream come true.
I think it's nice to know that people in the industry are paying attention to all of the hard work you've done throughout the years and rewarding you for it. It reminds you to keep doing it, to keep pushing yourself, and to always remain that way.
I would like to pick Rihanna's brain. I love her style and what she does.
I also work out because I have scoliosis. I have to maintain certain strength in my core.
I felt most beautiful on the red carpet in Givenchy's sheer lace dress at a dinner hosted by Givenchy in honor of Marina Abramovich at the closing of her Museum of Modern Art retrospective, 'The Artist is Present', in 2010. It was the first time I had been dressed for an event, and everybody just fell in love with the dress.
I wanted to prove to people it doesn't matter if you come from a small little island: that you can make it in this industry.
I'd like to see more beauty campaigns for girls who are mixed Latina and black.
You should be reflective of the world you live in.
I've always had a struggle trying to get a hair campaign. It's mind-boggling.
My dad would love to say he taught me how to walk. He taught me how to be like, 'This is your space.'
I actually like working out. It's such a stress reliever when you're just focusing on yourself and not thinking about anything else except the music and your body.
I always believe, as a woman, it's powerful to be able to pull your own body weight and be able to defend yourself.
I want to last in my career, and that relies on the way my body performs. So I need to take care of it.
People might think that because I'm skinny and tall, I'm fragile. But I always knew I wasn't. And it's comforting to know that I can throw a proper punch if I have to.
My career has always thrived on hard work and good relationships with people I work with and just continuing grinding.
I hate being skinny and being a little weakling thing.
It always just feels good going back home. It feels like nothing has changed. Seeing my room, the views. It, like, grounds you.
