Spring is here and supermodel Chanel Iman puts on her seasonal best for the cover of The Edit magazine. Inside the pages, Iman opens up about growing up in the fierce field of fashion and much more. Check out the excerpts below.

On watching Lupita Nyong’o win her Oscar:

“All my friends and I were holding hands in front of the television, willing her to win. Then when she did it was like we had been given the award. Because I really believe that having a black woman win an Oscar is going to help pave the way, not just in her industry, but mine.”

On racism in the fashion industry:

“I think that everyone should be equal; it shouldn’t be about color. It’s unfortunate that there is still a lot of politics involved in both the acting and modeling worlds. I do think we’ve come a long way, but things could still be a lot more diverse on the runway and in films.”

On working alongside Beyonce:

“Beyoncé is such a great woman. So positive and uplifting. All three of us models are very successful in our careers, but because in the fashion industry ‘there’s only one black girl allowed’, they’ve made us compete to be that one girl. Beyoncé allowed us to show the world that we don’t have to fight against each other. She gave us the chance to see that we are far more powerful together.”

On her weight:

“I’ve been skinny my whole life and now that I’m getting older I’m gaining weight. I love it, because when you’re teased at school and everyone’s always asking ‘Do you eat?’, it’s like being bullied.”

On being young in the modeling world:

“There were times when I felt very lonely because I had to be a grown-up and live in New York by myself – but God blessed me with the opportunity to be a model and I took it. Still, it’s very easy to get caught up and lost and not feel loved in this business.”