106-year-old Filipino tattoo artist becomes Vogue cover model

Vogue Philippines has revealed Apo Whang-Od as the cover star of its April issue, a move that makes the 106-year-old tattoo artist from the oldest person ever to appear on the front of Vogue.

Whang-Od, also known as Maria Oggay, has been perfecting the art of hand-tapping tattoos since she was a teen, learning under her father’s instruction.

She is considered the country’s oldest mambabatok – or traditional Kalinga tattooist.

Vogue Philippines editor-in-chief, Bea Valdes, said staff at the publication decided unanimously that Whang-Od should go on the cover.

“We felt she represented our ideals of what is beautiful about our Filipino culture.

“We believe that the concept of beauty needs to evolve, and include diverse and inclusive faces and forms. What we hope to speak about is the beauty of humanity,” Valdes said.

Prior to Whang-Od’s appearance in Vogue Philippines, the record for oldest Vogue cover model was held by actress Judi Dench, who appeared on the front of British Vogue in 2020, at the age of 85.