At 106, Indigenous Tribal Artist Makes History As Oldest Vogue Magazine Cover Girl

Apr 03, 2023

Vogue Magazine has featured a lot of influential women on their covers already, including Lady Gaga, Lena Dunham, Kim Kardashian, Nicole Kidman, Madonna, Michelle Obama, and even the late Princess Diana of Wales. 

While it is thrilling to see supermodels and celebrities grace the well-loved and renowned magazine as cover girls, it has been a rare feat for the magazine's local counterparts to feature local celebrities who have also paved the way for fashion in their respective countries. 

Vogue Philippines made history as they featured Apo Whang-Od, an indigenous tribal tattoo artist from the landlocked province of Kalinga in the Philippines. She is already 106 years old, making her the oldest cover girl of the prestigious fashion and beauty magazine. 

Formally known as Maria Whang-Od Oggay, Whang-Od is known as the "last" and oldest mambabatok in the Philippines. Mambabatok is a general term for indigenous artists who uses a mallet in etching symbols of tribal identity and kinship, as well as bravery, beauty, and social or wealth status in the pre-colonial Philippines, The Aswang Project says. 

According to CNN, Whang-Od has been tattooing local and international tourists since she was 15 years old. She has only communicated with others in her native tongue, Kalingan and Ilocanao, and does not speak Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines, or even English. 

"When visitors come from far away. I will give them the tatak Buscalan, tatak Kalinga for as long as my eyes can see," Whang-Od told Vogue Magazine as translated to English. " 

Read on to learn more about Whang-Od and her historical feature in Vogue Magazine. 

Whang-Od, already a centenarian, can still use the same tools she has been using since she was a teenager. In the Vogue Philippines cover story, her 26-year-old niece, Grace Pelicas, is revealed to have been her protege, especially now that she is already at a vulnerable age. 

"I was the first child to learn how to tattoo. I just observed what she did," Grace told the magazine. Like her grand-aunt, Pelicas' signature tattoos are three dots, which symbolize Whang-Od, her, and her grand-aunt's second protege – Elyang. 

Aside from Whang-Od's protege, her iconic tattoo also symbolizes an ellipsis – "an open-endedness and a continuation that extends beyond its origins."

CNN reported that Whang-Od follows a millennials-old technique using only a thorn from a Pomelo tree, a foot-long bamboo stick, a heap of coal scraped off a pot, and water. Like modern-day tattoo artists, Whang-Od works with precision and concentration. Tapping into the skin prick after prick, the 106-year-old artist draws poignant symbolism that even people all around the world have come to appreciate and recognize. 

On Vogue Philippines' magazine cover, Whang-Od's beauty, grace, authority, and longevity are evidently seen in her portrait. The tattoos on her skin, which illustrate generations-old of rich culture and abundant history, are proof that beauty and fashion exist even when one is unclothed. 

Posting the photo on her official Instagram account, Whang-Od has this to say:

"Beauty embracing culture. Beauty transcending age. Beauty is not modern, it is timeless." 

Whang-Od is now the oldest Vogue Magazine cover girl – at the other end of the spectrum is Brooke Shields, who was the youngest Vogue Magazine cover girl, debuting at the famous magazine at age 14.

What can you say about Whang-Od? Do you think she deserves to be on the magazine cover despite not being a well-known figure in the fashion world? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends, and other loved ones!