25 year old Puerto Rican stunner Joan Smalls covers Elle Magazine

Estée Lauder's Richard Ferretti on Smalls: “The word supermodel is overused, but if there is any woman of our generation who deserves the title, it’s Joan. She has the perfect face.”

Supermodel Joan Smalls looks absolutely beautiful on the cover of Elle Magazine! Last year she was the no. 1 model in the world and the 25 year old Puerto Rican came in at number #8 on Forbes: The World's Highest-Paid Models, 2013. Highlights from her shoot & interview:

How her modeling career started: "I came to New York with a dream. I came to do what I saw girls doing in campaigns, in editorials—great things, challenging things."

On the fashion industry’s lack of diversity: "People hide behind the word aesthetic. 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.”

How her modeling career started: "I came to New York with a dream. I came to do what I saw girls doing in campaigns, in editorials—great things, challenging things."

Her motivations to eventually get into acting: "I want to be clear that I don't want to act just because it's the typical move for a model. My desire comes from a place of wanting to entertain people on a different level."

Read the full interview in the Elle January issue on newsstands December 17!