Body art can be a beautiful way to show who you are, but sometimes, breaking the rules can make people judge you. Richard Huff, who is 51 and calls himself an “ink addict” with more than 240 tattoos, talked about how online trolls constantly called him a bad parent and a “monster” because he was covered in tattoos.
Meet Richard Huff, a self-proclaimed “ink addict”.
Richard Huff, a 51-year-old father who calls himself an “ink addict,” recently talked about how people treat him badly. Huff and his wife Marita have seven kids, and they say that their family is “no different” from other families. But Richard, whose body is covered in tattoos, says that people always make fun of them online because of how he looks.
Richard was 17 when he got his first tattoo. “It became an addiction, and I started with my legs and worked my way up,” he said. Now, he has ink on about 85% of his body, including his kids’ names and his daughter’s lips.
“I want all of my skin to be covered in tattoos in about four years,” said Richard. “I don’t know if it’s the pain or the art that you put on yourself, but when you can do this, it just gets really interesting.”
His tattoos have resulted in his children’s friends calling him “scary”.
His love of tattoos has both good and bad effects. Richard says that kids at the school where his kids went to school were often scared of him. His daughter said, “They say, ‘Oh, that’s a little scary,’ and I say, ‘No, my dad is not scary; he’s good at tattoos.'”
Richard’s wife, Marita, admitted that she was scared of him at first because of how he looked. “I did judge Richard at first based on how he looked, but after I got to know him a little bit, I realized he is kind,” she said.
Richard says that all the bad things people have said about his looks haven’t stopped him from being a good father to his kids. “I’m a member of the PTA and go to all of my kids’ events,” he said. Online, people are mean about Richard’s choice. One person said, “I’m not against tattoos, but honestly, does he really need tattoos on his face like that?”
But a lot of people defended Richard. One observer said, “Everyone keeps talking about his face tattoo. It suits him. He knew. He’s a great dad. Just let him be.”
Despite the negative reactions he gets, Richard isn’t stopped by the criticism.
Richard said, “If someone can say things like that, it means there’s something wrong with them that they have to judge someone else.” “We did this, and we’re happy. We’ve been together for six years, and all that matters to us is our kids’ happiness.
Richard says that nasty comments online sometimes go too far, but that doesn’t change how much he loves his family. “Getting tattoos doesn’t scare my kids or make me a bad dad. Instead, it gives them a different view of life.”
Tattoos can mark important times in our lives, like when this 91-year-old woman chose to get one to remember a special moment for the rest of her life.
