Whang-Od
Meet Whang-Od: The 106-year-old tattoo artist from Philippines is now the latest Vogue cover model
Vogue Philippines' April cover has a special person on it as she set a new record of being the oldest person ever to appear on the front of the iconic magazine.
106-year-old Whang-Od, also known as Maria Oggay, who is appearing on the cover of the magazine, is a tattoo artist by profession.
Residing in the mountain village of Buscalan, about 15 hours north of Manila, in Kalinga province, she is considered the country's oldest mambabatok — or traditional Kalinga tattooist, reports CNN.
Describing the cover, the magazine wrote on its Instagram handle: "Heralded as the last mambabatok of her generation, she has imprinted the symbols of the Kalinga tribe—signifying strength, bravery, and beauty—on the skin of thousands of people who have made the pilgrimage to Buscalan."
The artist has been training her grandnieces Elyang Wigan and Grace Palicas for several years to pass on the art to the next generation.
"(My friends who gave tattoos) have all passed away," Whang Od told CNN Travel in 2017.
"I'm the only one left alive that's still giving tattoos. But I'm not afraid that the tradition will end because (I'm training) the next tattoo masters," she said.
"The tradition will continue as long as people keep coming to get tattoos," she added.
"As long as I can see well, I will keep giving tattoos. I'll stop once my vision gets blurry," she said.
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