Gaby
At 106, a Filipino tattoo artist has become the oldest person ever to grace the cover of Vogue Philippines. She lives in the mountain village of Buscalan in Kalinga province.
It’s hard to call this elegant woman “old” or “grandma.” Maybe her secret is creativity — a wise, bright, and fresh view of life. Wang-Od, also known as Maria Oggay, has practiced the traditional tattoo art mambabatok since her teenage years, honing the craft throughout her life. CNN reports that her father taught her the tribal hand-tapping technique.
Today she is regarded as the oldest mambabatok artist in the country. For her tattoos she uses a bamboo stick, a pomelo thorn, water, and charcoal. Most of her clients are foreign tourists who travel to Buscalan to get Wang-Od’s signature geometric patterns. Historically, those tattoos were reserved for warriors of the local tribe.
Vogue Philippines’ staff noted on social media that Wang-Od has etched the symbols of Kalinga province onto the skin of thousands who made the pilgrimage to Buscalan. Those symbols stand for strength, bravery, and beauty.
Traditionally the craft passes only to blood relatives, so for several years Wang-Od has been teaching mambabatok to her grandnieces. She has said that all her peers who practiced the art have died. Still, she isn’t worried the tradition will vanish — a new generation of artists is embracing it.
How did Wang-Od end up on the magazine cover? Bea Valdes, editor-in-chief of Vogue Philippines, said the staff made a unanimous choice: they believe Wang-Od represents ideals of beauty in Filipino culture.
The newly minted cover model, known as Apo Wang-Od, promised to keep tattooing as long as her eyesight allows. The previous record holder for the oldest cover model was actress Judi Dench, who appeared on the British edition of Vogue at 85 in 2020.
