I'm not sure how Angelina Jolie will feel being likened to an emaciated zombie-like picture of an Iranian influencer... but unfortunately for Jolie, she does kind of look like her. Well, that's if she died and came back to life.
Iranian influencer Sahar Tabar shocked the world back in 2017 after she posted an eerie-looking picture of herself with sunken eyes, a sharp nose, a bone-like jawline, stick-thin wrists with a grey complexion and light blue contacts.
It didn't take long before people gave her the nickname 'Zombie Angelina Jolie', and soon after finding fame she was apprehended by Iranian authorities in October 2019 and charged with blasphemy, inciting violence, gaining income through inappropriate means, and encouraging youth corruption.
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The decision to cuff Tabar and throw her behind bars came from a move by law officials in the Islamic republic to crack down on social media influencers.
She served 14 months in the clink as she awaited her sentencing date - which came in December 2020 and seemingly saw the court make an example out of her by sentencing her to 10 years in prison.
However, she was said to have been granted a conditional release due to how long she was made to serve before facing punishment.
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Following her release, she made an appearance on the state-owned channel Rokna and viewers were shocked over how she appeared in real-life - albeit over the TV.
She wasn't as emaciated as she'd have you believe on Instagram, her nose wasn't as skinny and pointy as it were, her wrists weren't paper-thin, her jawline wasn't as dramatic - basically, she didn't look like she'd come off the set of The Walking Dead.
Speaking on the program, she said: "My mother was telling me to stop, but I didn’t listen. Sometimes the words of a stranger or a friend can be more important than those of a parent."
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So, what is the real reason behind her viral appearance?
While she has acknowledged some of her appearance is down to cosmetic surgery, having admitted to having a nose job and lip filler, the real reason is because it's a 'kind of art' - although we're not talking about dramatic plastic surgery here, no, Tabar actually means Photoshop.
Speaking to Russian news outlet Sputnik, she confessed that she often edits her pictures to 'amuse herself'.
She said: "Now I can see that I have something in common with [Angelina Jolie], but I amuse myself, and to look like someone is not my goal.
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"Over time I post a photo, I make my face more fun and funny, it is a form of self-expression, a kind of art."
Tabar revealed that her previous cartoon-like image was the work of Photoshop, make-up and editing. She's also confessed to manipulating and editing some of the original viral pictures in 2017.
Tabar was quoted as saying: "What you saw on Instagram was the computer effects I used to create the image.
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"Cyberspace was an easy way. It was much easier than becoming an actor."
Topics: Iran, Social Media, World News
Joe Yates