Recently, word spread that Iran has arrested Instagrammer, Sahar Tabar. Tabar became well-known across social media for her unusual appearance - it was speculated that she had undergone over fifty cosmetic operations.
The Insta star has since refuted the claims and insisted that, although she has undergone some surgery, most of her posts are photoshopped. Tabar also stated that she uses a lot of makeup and paint, which helps to give her an unusual look. Her appearance has been likened to that of Angelina Jolie and the Corpse Bride and she clearly infuriated the Iranian State.
And now, she has been brought on TV without any makeup on. Keep scrolling to see the video.
The story surrounding her look has taken the internet by storm.
To say that Angelina Jolie of Iran is wrong. She underwent surgery to be like the hero of the animation movie Corps… https://t.co/W9D652coaI— نایب (@نایب)1570374108.0
I am my own muse...
Speaking out about the mystery surrounding why she underwent all that surgery and such, the Instagrammer stated: "I did not even think about being like Jolie. Also, I did not want to resemble the cartoon character the Corpse Bride." But there's no denying that Sahar does now bear a striking resemblance to both Jolie and the Corpse Bride. She accepts this and stated: "Now I understand that I have something to do with them, but I am a muse myself and remembering someone is not an end in itself."Sahar never had the ambition to look like Jolie.
via: IMDb.com
It was merely a coincidence that getting lip fillers, liposuction, and a nose job made her look like Hollywood A-lister, Angelina Jolie.Sahar can be seen wearing a loose hijab in most of her posts.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, hijabs have been compulsory. The rule clearly states that women must adorn loose-fitting clothing and a headscarf in public.Introducing: the debate surrounding whether or not the Internet is a public space...
In one of Sahar Tabar's rare none-photoshopped selfies, the Instagrammer is not wearing a hijab. You could argue that taking a photo at home, where you are allowed to not adorn a scarf, is perfectly acceptable. You could also argue that sharing it in the public sphere of Instagram goes against the Islamic State's regime."There is no cyber law in Iran's constitution."
Iran's Cyber Police (FATA).
via: Getty Images
In a fascinating piece posted on Medium, Kaveh Azarhoosh exposes the dark world of Iran's cyber police. In a notion passed by The Islamic State of "self-policing" over 42,000 civilians volunteer to police the web, ensuring that Iranians are following the strict Islamic code. We can assume that it was through this system that Sahar Tabar was caught out.Not everyone in Iran will be silenced.
Despite the dangers of contesting the Islamic State regime, there are people protesting the Sahar's arrest.This case has reminded people of the Iranian government's dark history of silencing online users.
In November 2012, the Iranian government arrested, tortured and ultimately murdered blogger, Sattar Beheshti. Beheshti was a young blogger who had written criticism of the government and the regime.People have not forgotten what happened to Beheshti.
Islamic Republic turtured a young blogger Sattar Beheshti to death for his activities on social media & sentenced S… https://t.co/i8dednkPFf— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@Masih Alinejad 🏳️)1555456095.0
Sahar's unusual appearance has meant a lot of people are not taking this seriously.
That #sahartabar looks like Yzma out of the Emperor’s Groove! 😩 https://t.co/ZeOIZDZkV1— Thomas Briggs (@Thomas Briggs)1512085633.0
Behind the makeup is a young woman who is being unfairly persecuted.
#SaharTabar is an Iranian teenager who underwent more than 50 surgeries to look like #AngelinaJolie. Here is her be… https://t.co/kbM0Oy8i6Y— Dr.A (@Dr.A)1512058580.0
"It is a way of expressing yourself, a kind of art."
Previously, Sahar stated that painting her face and contorting the images of herself through the medium of photoshop was a way of expressing herself. It is this self-expression that has clearly disheveled some people in the FATA cyber-police.The case of Maedeh Hojabri.
Maedeh Hojabri went to prison for dancing on IG which is illegal in Iran. She was then made to admit fake accusatio… https://t.co/TnW6eB7U2f— Mononoke ⚔️ (@Mononoke ⚔️)1562521177.0
The arrest of Maedeh Hojabri looked very bad for the Iranian government.
No one has the right to stop another human from expressing themselves. It disgusts me the the Iranian government th… https://t.co/imTgdaJ8Dg— lilly 🦋 | BLM (@lilly 🦋 | BLM)1533671620.0
Maedeh Hojabri was forced to issue a public apology on Iranian TV.
Maedeh Hojabri's detention & forced confessions on state TV has ignited a wave of public debate about the role of I… https://t.co/J4vEcuAUqT— Reza H. Akbari (@Reza H. Akbari)1531222658.0
As of July last year, the Iranian judiciary has been in talks concerning the filtering of Instagram.
via: Getty Images.
In a push to maintain Iran's strict rules of the Islamic State, they have already been implementing systematic filtering surveillance on Facebook, Telegram, and Twitter. It seems after the "dance fiasco" Insta was next on the list.Before the Islamic revolution of 1979, things were a lot different.
Women could wear skirts, trousers, whatever they wanted, and headscarves were not compulsory.Educate yourself.
If you are not aware of what happened following the Islamic State revolution of 1979, then I encourage you to read up on it. The wonderful graphic novel, Persepolis, written by Marjane Satrapi is the story of an Iranian woman who lived through the revolution and was subjected to changing herself to fit the regime.Persepolis was also turned into a movie in 2007.
If you're not much of a reader, you can get a copy of the movie. It really is an important story in understanding the oppression of women in the Iranian state. Many people do not understand that the headscarf is supposed to be a choice; the way it is enforced in Iran has nothing to do with religion and has everything to do with political control and the oppression of women.And now, Tabar has been brought on TV, without makeup or prosthetics.
via: Sahar Tabar
The clip shows how different the star looks compared with her shocking Instagram posts.This is the first time she has spoken out.
via: YouTube
She featured on the Iranian regime-run channel, IRTV2.In the interview, she explained that she didn't alter her face to look like Angelina Jolie, to whom she is often compared to.
via: YouTube
“I do not currently look like my photoshopped pictures. 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."The Iranian broadcaster used the star to show how wanting social media fame can ruin lives.
via: YouTube
“Vulgarity on social media gets a lot of clicks," Tabar added.