106-year-old Indigenous tattoo artist becomes Vogue's oldest-ever cover star

An Indigenous tattooist has been featured on the cover of Vogue, becoming the oldest cover star of the magazine.

The 106-year-old Philippine is recognized for helping to keep alive a form of the art known as batok.

Belonging to an isolated mountainous village, Apo Whang-Od, began tattooing at 16. Previously the last remaining mambabatok, or traditional Kalinga tattooist, Whang-Od has moved a new generation to learn batok, according to Vogue.

“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,” Vogue Philippines wrote on Instagram. Editor in chief of the magazine, Bea Valdes, told CNN that Vogue staff were undivided in their decision to put Whang-Od on the cover. 

“We felt she represented our ideals of what is beautiful about our Filipino culture,” said Valdes. “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.”

In 2020, Judi Dench became British Vogue’s oldest cover star at 85.

Whang-Od plans to continue tattooing for as long as she can see, she admitted to the magazine.

“Why not keep tattooing while I can see?” she told Vogue Philippines. “I’ll only stop when I can no longer see, so I can continue to give people the mark of Buscalan, the mark of Kalinga.”