Apo Whang-Od, a 106-year-old indigenous Kalinga woman and legendary tattoo artist, has become the newest cover model of Vogue Philippines. Known for her traditional tattooing technique, called batok, Whang-Od has been practicing her art since she was a teen. She has trained her grand-nieces to follow in her footsteps as a mambabatok. Whang-Od's popularity has helped keep her town on the map, drawing tattoo fans and tourists to her rural outpost.
Vogue Philippines features 106-year-old Apo Whang-Od, the oldest person to ever grace their cover, who is an Indigenous tattoo artist and the last "mambabatok" of her generation. Whang-Od is renowned for her traditional Kalinga tattooing technique called "batok," which she learned from her father at the age of 15. She has tattooed thousands of international visitors and has passed on the craft to her grandnieces to ensure her legacy is carried on. Vogue Philippines praises Whang-Od for preserving the tradition in the face of Western beauty standards that threatened to erase it.
Vogue Philippines' April issue features 106-year-old Apo Whang-Od, the oldest mambabatok (traditional tattooist) in the Philippines and a master of the 1,000-year-old "batok" tattooing technique. Whang-Od's artwork has driven waves of tattoo tourism to the Philippines, and she has passed down her knowledge to her grandnieces. She is the face of Vogue Philippines' Beauty issue, which highlights the female gaze and the strength and beauty of Filipino culture.
Vogue Philippines has featured 106-year-old Apo Whang-Od, a traditional Kalinga tattooist, on its April cover, making her the oldest person ever to appear on the front of Vogue. Whang-Od has been perfecting the art of hand-tapping tattoos since she was a teen, using just a bamboo stick, a thorn from a pomelo tree, water, and coal. She is considered the country's oldest mambabatok and has imprinted the symbols of the Kalinga tribe on the skin of thousands of people. The art can only be passed down to blood relatives, and Whang-Od has been training her grandnieces for several years.
