Kat Von D's Parents Couldn't Be More Different Than Her, Here's The Truth About Their Relationship
During Kat Von D's time starring in the show Miami Ink, she became very popular with a lot of viewers. As a result, TLC eventually decided to launch a spin-off show that mostly revolved around Von D titled LA Ink.
Thanks to the latter show, Von D became a much bigger star, and she eventually was able to amass an impressive net worth. On top of that, Von D accumulated a lot of fans who became extremely interested in her personal life.
Over the years, Von D has been linked to several notable names including Oliver Peck, Steve-O, Tom Green, Jesse James, Deadmau5, and Nikki Sixx. There also has been a lot of interest in Von D's non-romantic relationships with other celebrities.
Despite all the headlines about Von D's relationships and friendships, most of her fans know next to nothing about her mom and dad. As it turns out, that is a shame since it is fascinating to look at the differences between Von D and her parents.
Kat Von D Was Brought Up By Very Religious Parents
In 2016, Kat Von D penned an article for Pop Sugar. In that piece, Von D wrote about how her upbringing influenced the person she became. A huge part of that is Von D wrote about who her parents were.
Long before Kat Von D became the person everyone knows today, she was born in 1982 and given the name Katherine von Drachenberg. From Argentina, Von D's parents René and Sylvia von Drachenberg moved to a tiny town called Montemorelos, Nuevo León, Mexico where they welcomed their daughter into the world.
As Von D explained in her article, once her family found their home, her dad made it his mission to help everyone meet their medical needs.
"You see, my Dad came from a long line of missionary doctors, and when it became evident that Montemorelos was in need of a hospital, that became his mission." Von D then went on to clarify that her dad being a doctor doesn't mean she had the childhood some would assume.
"But before you start to assume that I was a 'doctor's kid,' there's a huge difference between growing up with a missionary doctor in Mexico, versus a regular doctor in the US. By no means did we live a life of 'luxury' in the conventional sense."
When Von D was six years old, she emigrated to America with her parents. What a lot of Von D's parents likely wouldn't expect is that the family set up camp near Loma Linda, California, and became part of a religious community that was in the area.
"It's just a tiny town in San Bernardino County that happens to have a prominent Seventh-Day-Adventist community. Again, many people haven't never heard of that religion — it's basically Christianity, with a few Jewish traits. We kept the Sabbath, went to church on Saturdays, followed the ten commandments, and didn't eat any pork or fish without scales (don't ask)."
In 2016, Von D bought an LA home for $6.5 million. After buying the home, Von D made a lot of changes including putting in a garden that was full of black flowers and she even decorated her garden with a skull. Von D also put up a lot of dark art pieces and she embraced an overall gothic style.
Once you learn the kind of home that Von D made for herself in the mid-2010s, it is amazing to read how the tattoo artist described the house her parents had in Mexico.
"One of my first memories as a kid was running around barefoot on the packed dirt we had for floors. We didn't have electricity or running water for a long time."
"And, in fact, one of my favorite photos from our family album is one of me taking a bath in a plastic bucket! Let's put it this way, in this town, you were more likely to see a horse than you would a car."
How Kat Von D Found Her Personal Style
Given that it seems like Von D had a pretty buttoned-up childhood, some fans may wonder how she embraced the style she became known for. In 2019, Von D spoke to dazeddigital.com about how she started the process of finding her gothic look.
"My first beauty memory is probably similar to a lot of girls. I got caught by mom going through her make-up drawer and trying on way too much make-up!"
"From the beginning, I truly fell in love with the theatrics and drama of makeup. To me, it never was about 'beauty' per se but more about an outward expression of whatever it was that was going on inside of me."
Later in the same interview, Von D explained what inspired her visual style.
"I was inspired by music, music, music! I remember once I discovered punk rock music, it wasn’t necessarily a style that I was emulating, but I subscribed more to the feeling of being free. The honesty that comes from ‘not giving a f**k’. That’s what really shaped my style."
How Kat Von D Has Recently Changed Her Life
In February 2018, Kat Von D married another tattoo artist named Rafael Reyes. Nine months later, the couple welcomed a child into the world they named Leafar Von D Reyes.
Since Von D became a mother, she has made a lot of changes including cutting ties with her makeup company in 2020. More recently, Von D revealed in an Instagram post that she threw out a lot of her possessions because she wanted to change her lifestyle.
"Today, I went through my entire library, and threw out books that just don’t align with who I am and who I want to be."
"I’ve always found beauty in the macabre, but at this point, I just had to ask myself what is my relationship with this content? And the truth is, I just don’t want to invite any of these things into our family’s lives, even if it comes disguised in beautiful covers, collecting dust on my shelves."
Given that Von D had previously always embraced the dark side of culture, her decision to throw out so many books seems to indicate a huge change in the tattoo artist.
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