Rick Genest, 32 years old, from Canada was dubbed the “Zombie boy” because of his full body tattoo. With this bold decision, Rick has achieved many successes, but also has to accept many sad truths.

Sharing on Mirror, Rick Genest said he wanted to live differently from a young age. When he was 5 years old, every time he had money, he used to buy tattoos and stick them on his arm.

At the age of 15, 8X was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The surgery went smoothly. But after escaping from the hand of death, Rick realized he didn’t have much time to fulfill his dream of changing his body with tattoos.

So, at the age of 16, Rick started getting his first tattoo. It is a skull and two bones crossed in the left shoulder. Since then, he has lived in a ghostly, mysterious style and has been abandoned by the whole society. Not only that, the family also did not accept a son like him. Therefore, Rick ran away from home.

To pursue the passion of becoming a “monster”, 8X accepts to sleep on rooftops in Montreal, Québec province, Canada. After days of wandering here and there, he knew many tattooists and came to them whenever he had money or when someone agreed to tattoo him for free. After getting too many tattoos on his body, friends started calling Rick “Zombie boy”.

When he went out, many people asked to take pictures and give money. On the contrary, many people also criticized the Canadian guy. However, Rick always thinks: “I don’t care what other people think to have this look”.

At the age of 21, Rick thought he had to be an adult, so he decided to get his first skull tattoo on his face. For many people, making a mark on their face is an action they almost never think of. But Rick didn’t think too long about this.

“I don’t care about people judging me, glaring at me. I’m happy to get closer and closer to my goal. That’s becoming a monster,” 8X said.

In 2008, Bizarre magazine contacted Rick to take pictures and his life officially changed from here. “Zombie boy” is more known, including Nicola Formichetti – fashion director of Vogue Japan and creative director of Diesel.

Nicola helped Rick get a passport to go to the country of cherry blossoms to take pictures, then took him to Paris, France. The guy started his modeling career here.

“It was a completely different world. Things became even better when Nicola directed Lady Gaga’s Born this way MV. He invited me to participate,” Rick said.

After this MV, “Zombie boy” and the American female singer still keep in touch and collaborate on a few projects. Over time, Rick’s career gradually developed in many different directions. In addition to modeling, he also acted in movies, represented the cosmetics company L’Oréal Dermablend, joined a band.

Besides, 8X and her mother also contacted each other. Mother and daughter gradually become closer after unhappy things in the past.

Despite having a successful career, Rick has no assets of any value. In an interview in October 2016, Rick said he still lives in the old place, next to the railway, without a house, without a car because he likes to travel around the world.