“Don’t judge a book by its cover” is a very famous saying, but every now and then, people need a reminder. If a parent doesn’t look the way you typically expect, judging them based solely on appearance can be massively unfair.
When people saw his face tattoos, they told him he was a bad father. But then his wife revealed something no one was prepared for. Keep reading to learn more…
Self‑expression is a fundamental part of being yourself. Tattoos are a wonderful way for people to express themselves through art. Fifty‑one‑year‑old Richard Huff has chosen tattoos as his form of expression and now has more than 240 of them.
The self‑proclaimed ink addict has a family with five children and his wife. She often posts videos and photos of him with their kids, which aren’t always well received by viewers.
Huff wants people to know their family is “no different” from any other. Still, he says strangers online mock him constantly because of his appearance.
He explained how it all began. “It became an addiction. I started with my legs and worked my way up,” Huff said. He shared that 85% of his body is now covered in tattoos, including his children’s names and his daughter’s lips.
“I want to be 100% covered in tattoos, probably within the next four years,” Richard said. “I don’t know if it’s the pain or the artwork you put on yourself, but it becomes fascinating when you’re able to do this.”
He admitted that having so many tattoos brings its own challenges. Children at his kids’ school have said he looks scary. His daughter explained, “They say, ‘Ah, it’s a bit scary,’ and I say, ‘No, my dad is not scary, he’s just good with tattoos.’”
As for his wife, Marita, she revealed she was scared of Richard at first too. “I did judge Richard based on his looks at first, but as I got to know him, he’s actually a big‑hearted person,” she said.
She often posts about her husband and how he loves her in a way no one before him has. She highlights all the positives and how he is a wonderful husband and father. Marita had three children from previous relationships and has shared that Richard is more than a real father to them, stepping up tremendously. Richard added, “I participate in the PTA, I go to all my kids’ functions.”
But even with all this information about his gentle nature, people still criticize him. One comment read, “I’m not against tattoos, but honestly, does he really need tattoos on his face like that?”
Others defend him. One person wrote, “Everyone keeps talking about his face tattoo. He likes it. He got it. He’s a good father. Let him be.”
Richard has addressed the negativity himself. “If somebody can make negative comments like that, there’s something wrong with them that they would have to judge somebody else,” he said. “This is what we did and we’re happy. We’ve been together six years, our kids are happy, and to us, that’s all that matters.” He added that while the negative comments can be overwhelming at times, they don’t change how much he loves his family or how much they love him. “Having tattoos does not scare my children, it does not make me a bad father. It gives my kids a different perspective on life,” he said.
If you liked this piece, you might enjoy the story of Melanie Griffith’s tattoo for Antonio Banderas — and the shocking way it looks today, nearly a decade after their divorce.
