“PLEASE HELP US STOP this disrespect to the legacy of Apo Whang Od and the Butbot Tribe.” In her post, Palicas said that her grandmother, the 104-year old Apo Whang-Od, the oldest living tattoo artist in the country, “did not sign any contract with to do any academy.” She expressed concern that some people are “taking advantage” of their culture. Like Masterclass, the Nas Academy video classes can also be accessed for a fee.
Whang-Od Academy turns out to be one of the featured classes in an online educational platform called Nas Academy. Judging from its website, it’s a little like Masterclass where experts in different fields-Massimo Bottura (Italian cooking), Anna Wintour (being a boss), Steve Martin (comedy)-talk about their work and, essentially, how to be like them. It was a status update from Gracia Palicas warning her Facebook friends that “Whang Od Academy is not real.” Wednesday morning greeted netizens with a curious post being passed around social media pages.