LOOK: Hollywood star Evangeline Lilly pays homage to Apo Whang-od

Image: Instagram/@evangelinelillyofficial

It seems Kalinga tattoo artist Apo Whang-od is not just loved in the Philippines, but the whole world over. Of all the personalities Hollywood star Evangeline Lilly could’ve chosen to express her admiration for, it was the national treasure mambabatok from the small village of Buscalan, Tinglayan who caught her sweet fancy.

Lilly is famous for her role in the high fantasy film series “The Hobbit” as elven warrior Tauriel. She also appeared in the Marvel superhero film “Ant-Man” as Hope Pynn/the Wasp, and is set to reprise her role in the upcoming “Ant-Man and the Wasp” this 2018.

Lilly took to her Instagram page a day ago to share pictures of Whang-od captured by photographer @justbry16. The first one was a photo of Whang-od staring straight at the camera with her arms crossed across her chest. She wore a white tank top which showed off the ethnic tattoos on her arm accumulated through the years. Another picture of Whang-od showed a sketch of her face.

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Image: Instagram/@justbry16 via @evangelinelillyofficial

Image: Instagram/@justbry16 via @evangelinelillyofficial

Lilly kept her words to a bare minimum as she only wrote three hashtags that for her embodied the famed tattoo artist: “#Beauty #age #power.”

Being an actress in Hollywood usually means being under constant scrutiny and pressure. It is known that in the past, Lilly struggled with body image issues and felt pressured in being comfortable with her skin, torn between being healthy and looking the way she should be for the camera.

A post shared by Evangeline Lilly (@evangelinelillyofficial) on Mar 14, 2018 at 10:17am PDT

Perhaps Whang-od’s curious and peculiar facade gave Lilly a new perspective in the way she looks at beauty. In a world of airbrushing,  photoshopped bodies and Botox, perhaps Whang-od’s raw and natural beauty — wrinkled, ageing tattooed skin included — stands out as something refreshing. JB

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