Celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D, who was baptized last October and is known for her role on the reality series “LA Ink,” discussed the challenges and criticisms she’s faced as a “goth” Christian in a recent episode of “This Past Weekend” podcast with stand-up comedian and podcaster Theo Von.
The artist, whose real name is Katherine von Drachenberg, said, “It’s such an intimate and personal thing. My relationship with God is my own. I’ve never really felt like I belonged anywhere. Especially now, I think being public with my faith puts you into like this microscopic, critical tank.” The reality star, who is 17 years sober, said she “gets criticized from all sides now” but doesn’t care.
She said, “At the end of the day, you know, my relationship is with God, not you. I think because people have a hard time understanding [my] aesthetic and pairing that with something like Christianity. I don’t understand why people don’t see how close-minded that is. Why would you think that you have to look a certain way to have an understanding of the Bible?” At the small Switzerland Baptist Church in Vevay, Indiana, Drachenberg said she attends Bible studies and enjoys the intimate church environment. She said she currently lives in the church’s parsonage because the renovations to her house have not yet been completed.
She said the smaller church seems to foster more individuality in how congregants dress themselves, and everyone seems to know one another in a closer-knit way. Having attended a larger California church, she said it seemed everyone dressed similarly, and fewer people looked different. Von D said, “Modern-day Christians are so used to being surrounded by people that look the same as them. When someone like me comes into the mix, it’s like, ‘Oh, wait, this is demonic.’ I get called demonic a lot. [And I get told]: ‘You’re serving two masters.’ I’m like, I don’t think any of that is accurate.”
She continued, “I don’t think there’s any dress code to be a Christian, but I get it a lot. After I posted my last post, I thought it was a very cool modest image of me in a dress and some funny shoes, and the comments are just hilarious.” During the two-hour podcast, Drachenberg also mentioned the Old Testament account of Job, who she said “was put through all these trials [yet] maintained his faith” and kept praising God.
Despite facing criticisms about her “goth” image in how she dresses, Drachenberg has learned how to give thanks to God and stand firm in His promises for all who choose to follow Him, regardless of exterior appearance. “The last few years for me have been so rough behind the curtains,” she said. “I don’t share [it] all … But I’m still going to live in a state of gratitude. The world could be falling apart, and I’m still, like, I praise God.”
Drachenberg made headlines in August 2022 when she announced that she had thrown away her extensive catalog of witchcraft literature, saying that she had “come to some pretty meaningful realizations” in recent years, saying she “got a lot of things wrong in my past.”