Entertainment Desk: International lifestyle magazine ‘Vogue’ has chosen a 106-year-old woman as its cover model for the first time in its history. The country’s 106-year-old tattoo artist Apo Wang-Wod has been chosen as the cover model for Vogue Philippines’ April issue. And through this, this woman who has passed the century has caught everyone’s attention.
This veteran tattoo artist is also known as Maria Oge. From his teenage years on, he learned to draw special types of tattoos from his father. Apo Wang-Od lives in the mountain village of Buscalan in Kalinga Province, 15 hours from the capital Manila. He is considered the oldest mambabatok, or traditional Kalinga tattoo artist, in the Philippines. Apo Wang-Od draws tattoos using bamboo sticks, pomelo tree thorns, water, and charcoal.
According to Philippine Vogue on social media, Wang-Od is the last mambabatok of his generation. On the bodies of thousands of people who came to Buskalan, he painted the symbol of strength, bravery, and beauty of the Kalinga tribe. Over the years, Apo Wang-Od has been training his granddaughters, Eliang Wigan and Grace Palikas, in tattooing to spread this creative activity to the next generation.
In a 2017 interview with CNN, Apo Wang-Od said, “All my friends who got tattoos are dead.” I’m the only one still tattooing. But I am not afraid that this tradition will end. because I am training the next tattoo masters. He also said that as long as people come to get tattooed, this tradition will continue. Vogue Philippines Editor-in-Chief Bea Valdes said, “We felt that she represented our Filipino culture and ideals. For this reason, Apo Wang-Od has been chosen as the cover model with everyone’s consent. CNN
