I will never forget when I was told by a significant other that I was the “perfect black guy”. Puzzled, I asked her what she meant by that, as I had no clue what “perfect” meant to her. She responded without a pause, “You actually sound educated, like, I can actually take you home to my parents!”. I was floored and disgusted. I was being viewed a mere trophy to put above the mantle. An accessory who’s defining feature was my “palatable blackness”. In the back of my head, I always knew objectification and fetishization was an issue, but until that moment, I never realized just how casual it was, and worse still, that most people don’t see an issue with it.

 

     In my nude photo portrait series, “Preferences”, I create a collaborative diary in which the subjects are able to express their thoughts and stories, as well as confidently reclaim what is rightfully theirs from those who sought to reduce them to just those traits.