'The Standard' is a project that encompasses many of the overarching topics of my work particularly the Black gaze and my journey as a Black photographer shifting away from the Eurocentric beauty standards that I grew up with. Growing up in Minnesota, I will never forget being made fun of for my prominent nose, full lips and brown skin. At ten, I moved away from the heavy white media of the United States to the nation with the largest concentration of black people on the planet, Nigeria. Yet even though I moved halfway across the world I still could not escape the influence of the Eurocentric beauty standard. I remember in middle school having my parents and teachers arm twist me into using bleaching creams to get lighter, and almost burning my skin in the process. All because I began to believe what my friends at school, teachers and parents were saying. These experiences and many more inspired me to shift the narrative around Black features, that is why it is a central theme in my work to hone in on showing the beauty, regality, and poise of Black people. With this project, I want to show that there is also a space for us in High Fashion as well.

Mark Khan