Kat Von D defends her "terrible" new blackout tattoo following backlash

7 November 2019, 15:06

Jazmin Duribe

By Jazmin Duribe

Kat only got her new blackout tattoo to cover her previous "crappy" designs.

We all know Kat Von D has a plethora of tattoos, but her latest inking might be her most controversial yet. The beauty mogul addressed the criticism of her new tattoo on Instagram, after receiving several comments about her "ugly" ink.

It all started when Kat, born Katherine Von Drachenberg, showed off her new tattoo in an Instagram video. Kat received her first tattoo aged just 14 and now she's 37, she's not so keen on them all. So, she decided to cover up some of the older designs on her left forearm with a blackout tattoo.

READ MORE: Jeffree Star just shaded the hell out of Kat Von D over her makeup line

A blackout tattoo is basically when an area is covered with solid black ink. People usually get them to cover up old tattoo work, but they can also make interesting negative space designs.

Kat Von D attends the Mercy For Animals 20th Anniversary Gala, her new tattoo.
Kat Von D attends the Mercy For Animals 20th Anniversary Gala, her new tattoo. Picture: Phillip Faraone/FilmMagic, @thekatvond via Instagram

"I'm so in love with my new blacked out arm tattooed by @hoode215!" Kat wrote alongside a video of her new ink. "Can't believe it only took him 1.5 hours – and it’s the most consistent, true black I have ever seen! I feel so lucky to have @hoode215 guest spotting here at @highvoltagetat and excited to have him come back in regular basis! Go follow @hoode215 to see the most impressive black work ever!"

Whilst Kat was thrilled with her new design, her fans? Yeah, not so much. Apparently, the comment section was full of hurtful messages – which appear to have been deleted – about the tattoo. Comments ranged from it being "just terrible" to "absolutely horrendous", Cosmopolitan reports.

Getting a tattoo is a personal decision and it is Kat's body, so she can do whatever she chooses to do with it, but the comments obviously got to her.

So much so, she made a statement about them on Instagram.

"Having been in the tattoo industry for the greater part of my life, I’ve seen countless tattoos of all types of styles — but NEVER have I felt inspired to tell anyone 'that’s ugly' or 'you’re stupid,'" she explained. "Tattoos are funny in the sense that ultimately it is one of the most intimately personal things we can do for ourselves.

READ MORE: Kat Von D finally addresses rumours that she's a Nazi and anti-vaxxer 

"But even though tattoos are an outward expression, they really aren’t for anyone else other than the person wearing it. With that being said, I do love sharing and giving the world a window into aspects of my life – especially when it involves something/someone that inspires me. But just because I choose to share my experiences, it shouldn’t be an invitation for such negativity.

"Yes, I did decide to black out a large portion of old, crappy tattoos on my arm that I posted yesterday, and regardless of what people might think about it, I absolutely LOVE how simple and clean it looks now.

"So, to respond to a lot of the noise that clogged up my comment section in my last post: •No, it doesn’t matter that you don’t like the way my arm looks. To each their own. •No, this isn’t bad for my health [but thank you for caring!] When done correctly, tattoos don’t penetrate passed the second dermis layer of skin. During the healing process, our skin naturally filters out any excess pigment through our pores. And no, there is no lead, plastics, toxins in the professional-grade tattoo pigments that we use.

Nowadays you can even find vegan-friendly pigments that works just as well, too. •No, this isn’t a lazy attempt at a coverup. It actually takes an extremely skilled artist that specializes in blacking out tattoos. •Before you label something 'ugly' or 'horrible' try to remember that beauty is subjective. Your idea of a dream tattoo, might be someone else’s idea of a nightmare."

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Having been in the tattoo industry for the greater part of my life, I’ve seen countless tattoos of all types of styles — but NEVER have I felt inspired to tell anyone “that’s ugly” or “you’re stupid.” Tattoos are funny in the sense that ultimately it is one of the most intimately personal things we can do for ourselves. But even though tattoos are an outward expression, they really aren’t for anyone else other than the person wearing it. With that being said, I do love sharing and giving the world a window into aspects of my life — especially when it involves something/someone that inspires me. But just because I choose to share my experiences, it shouldn’t be an invitation for such negativity. Yes, I did decide to black out a large portion of old, crappy tattoos on my arm that I posted yesterday, and regardless of what people might think about it, I absolutely LOVE how simple and clean it looks now. So, to respond to a lot of the noise that clogged up my comment section in my last post: •No, it doesn’t matter that you don’t like the way my arm looks. To each their own. •No, this isn’t bad for my health [but thank you for caring!] When done correctly, tattoos don’t penetrate passed the second dermis layer of skin. During the healing process, our skin naturally filters out any excess pigment through our pores. And no, there is no lead, plastics, toxins in the professional-grade tattoo pigments that we use. Nowadays you can even find vegan-friendly pigments that works just as well, too. •No, this isn’t a lazy attempt at a coverup. It actually takes an extremely skilled artist that specializes in blacking out tattoos. •Before you label something “ugly” or “horrible” try to remember that beauty is subjective. Your idea of a dream tattoo, might be someone else’s idea of a nightmare. Last thing: Swipe through to see some inspiring black work tattoos by @hoode215. Even if it’s something you would never get, there’s no denying the simplistic esthetic to this style of tattooing really is beautiful in its own way. Lotsa Love. X

A post shared by 𝐊𝐀𝐓 𝐕𝐎𝐍 𝐃 (@thekatvond) on

She continued: "Last thing: Swipe through to see some inspiring black work tattoos by @hoode215. Even if it’s something you would never get, there’s no denying the simplistic aesthetic to this style of tattooing really is beautiful in its own way. Lotsa Love. X [sic]."