Random Things You Didn't Know About Kat Von D (14 items)

(#8) She Was Born In Mexico

Katherine von Drachenberg, AKA Kat Von D, is actually Mexican American. The tattoo artist and makeup mogul was born in Montemorelos, Mexico, on March 8, 1982. Her parents originally came from Argentina, and she and her family immigrated to the United States when she was just six years old.

A decade after moving to the United States she obtained citizenship, but she remains incredibly proud of her Mexican heritage.
(#12) She's A Dedicated Vegan

Kat Von D is an animal lover and an outspoken vegan. Her makeup products are all labeled as cruelty-free. In 2016, she announced that her makeup line was going to reformulate their products to become 100 percent vegan. This means that she even removed carmine, the pigment that comes from beetles.

But she admits she has always hated the "vegan" label and resisted calling herself that for quite some time despite her practice.
(#11) She Considers Herself A Renaissance Woman

Kat Von D likes to dabble in lots of different artistic pursuits, and she doesn’t even fully consider herself a makeup or tattoo artist. Instead, Kat wants to do it all:

I just want to do everything. I look at Salvador Dali and he is a perfect example of that. If people tell you you need to be a one trick pony, tell them to f*ck off. Dali did literature, poetry, paintings, he created makeup, designed furniture, he even had a cookbook…these are all things one man did. There’s no excuse for not being able to do that. I am not a makeup artist by any means, but I am a really huge fan of makeup and creating it. I am not a tattooer either, but I just do tattoos sometimes. I am not a fashion designer but I know how to make clothes and use sewing machines. It was just what I was meant to do, I am totally down. I don’t want to settle for only doing that, I want to do everything.
(#2) She Is A Classically Trained Pianist

While Kat may look pretty punk rock, she absolutely loves classical music and has been playing classical piano since the age of six. Although Kat has a particular affinity for the works of Ludwig van Beethoven and owns several pianos, she credits her older sister with introducing her to rock music.
(#10) Her First Tattoo Is Dedicated To Her First Love

Out of dozens of tattoos that cover Kat’s body, you have to wonder about the one that started it all. It’s the letter "J," located just above her ankle, which she got for her first love. She vows to never remove it, telling The National:

The first one I had was a little ‘j’ for my first love at the time, named James. I still have it and love it. There’s an idea that ‘name tats’ are somehow a ‘curse’ but I don’t see them that way. For me they are landmarks in time. I don’t regret any tattoos, although I have lasered some off to make room for new ones.
(#1) She Has Been Sober For Over 10 Years

Kat Von D once struggled with addiction, but in July 2018 she celebrated 11 years of sobriety. In a 2016 interview with The Fix, she said, " I was using drinking and drugs as a safety blanket, as a way to ignore bigger issues. It was like putting a band-aid on an untreated wound."

Now she posts about her sobriety anniversary each year on Instagram, but not for the reasons some might think.

Today, I celebrate 11 years of sobriety. Every year I look forward to posting about my sober anniversary, not for all the congrats, but in the hopes that someone out there in need of a way out from addiction might see this, and realize that you’re not alone.