PAGEANT Circle

The 72nd Miss Universe has just concluded in San Salvador, El Salvador with Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua bagging her country's first ever Miss Universe title. Amid the much talked about victory, the black Whang-od-inspired gown worn by Michelle Dee of the Philippines during the Top 10 evening gown competition became one of the trending topics online. Fans were shocked the Filipina beauty did not advance to the Top 5 question and answer round following her stellar performance throughout the pageant. Many flocked to social media comments to express their disappointments. Michelle's gown made by the talented Filipino designer Mark Bumgarner was an ode to Apo Whang-od (also known as Maria Oggay), a traditional tattoo artist, from the Kalinga tribe in the Philippines. At the age of 106, Whang-od became the oldest woman to ever grace the cover of Vogue magazine. She practices the ancient art of batok, an indigenous form of tattooing through hand-tapping using a lemon tree thorn and