As a society, we’re obsessed with appearing young. From the prevalence of filters on social media to the marketing of various anti-aging products, it seems that everywhere we look we’re bombarded with a youthful beauty ideal.
So it was refreshing to see 106-year-old Apo Whang-Od gracing the cover of Vogue Philippines recently – the oldest model to feature on the cover by at least two decades.
The indigenous tattoo artist from the Philippines is credited with helping to keep alive a form of tattooing known as batok. It involves hand-tapping the tattoo onto the skin using a thorn dipped in natural dye that’s attached to a bamboo stick. Apo Whang-Od has been tattooing this way .
According to , “When the American Catholic missionaries came and built schools in Kalinga, village girls were made to cover their arms with long sleeves. Being tattooed became a point of shame when women ventured to the city, and eventually fewer girls from the succeeding generation continued the tradition as Western concepts of beauty and respectability began to permeate the culture.”
Only in the past 15 years or so has Whang-Od’s traditional practice exploded, with thousands of people from all over the world visiting the remote village of Buscalan in a the mountainous region of northern Philippines to seek out her skill.
This latest Vogue cover is perhaps a push towards an era in which we are more accepting of aging, especially in women. It isn’t news that older women are discriminated against in many ways, including how they are treated based on their physical appearance. According to an , “the nature of ageism experienced by older women is qualitatively different from men... In particular... ageism experienced by older women within clerical, administrative, secretarial and customer service work appears to have much to do with issues of ‘lookism’ that barely feature in the accounts of discrimination reported by older managerial and professional men whose ageing bodies rarely come into view.”
It’s why so many women have turned to Botox and forms of plastic surgery to maintain a youthful appearance. While no one is saying there’s anything wrong with that, it’s been heartening to see women talking about accepting aging and rejecting the idea that older faces need fixing.
Actor Justine Batemen, for example, in 2021 about this very topic. “For me, (the face criticisms) felt like a ploy to somehow shut me down, to get me to hide, to be quiet, to erase myself, all at the exact moment in my life when I had gained the most intelligence, the most wisdom, and the most confidence,” she wrote.
Eighties supermodel Paulina Porizkova also released a book last year, in which she wrote about aging naturally.
“Aging is really coming into your power as a woman,” Porizkova told Australia’s . “I have never been more powerful than I am right now. I’m deeper, I’m wiser, I’m more empathetic, I’m smarter, I’m overall better. So no, I’m not content to be in that side pasture forlornly walking about and waiting to die. Hell, no!”
As for the 106-year-old tattoo artist who has suddenly found a new level of fame after appearing on the cover of Vogue, she is passing on her talents to the next generation. As Whang-Od never had children of her own, her grand-niece, Grace, was chosen to become her apprentice. Grace now continues the tradition from her own house, although Whang-Od still does the occasional tattoo – usually three dots tapped onto the skin in five minutes.
For Whang-Od herself, the tattoos inscribed on her skin tell the story of her life, including the names of long-gone lovers. Her art continues the rich heritage of the Kalinga tribe, to which she belongs, and her face tells a thousand tales.
As Vogue Philippines editor-in-chief, Bea Valdes, , her staff unanimously decided to put Whang-Od on the cover. “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,” she said.
