Sahar Tabar
Fatemeh Khishvand, known by her Instagram username of Sahar Tabar, is an Iranian influencer who rose to prominence in 2017 for her supposed use of cosmetic surgery (in fact, makeup and Photoshop) in images of herself posted to Instagram.[1][2] It was rumored that she had altered her face through as many as fifty plastic surgeries.[3] Tabar was interviewed on Iranian national television in October 2019 after she was arrested on charges including blasphemy and illegally obtaining money.[4]
Images
Tabar's images on Instagram gathered over 486,000 followers.[4] The images were unusual due to unnatural skin coloring and distorted facial features that included exaggerated lips and a pointy, turned-up nose.[5] In a 2017 interview with Sputnik News, Tabar explained the images were created primarily using makeup and Photoshop,[6] with cosmetic procedures limited at that time to rhinoplasty, liposuction, and botulinum toxin injections in her lips.[1] Some of the photos and videos shared with her followers appeared to have been heavily edited to resemble Hollywood star Angelina Jolie,[7] but Tabar denied this intention.[1][8]
Arrest
On 5 October 2019, Tabar was arrested in Tehran on charges of "blasphemy, instigating violence, illegally acquiring property, violating the national dress code and encouraging young people to commit corruption" according to the Tasnim news agency,[5] which also stated that the arrest was a response to complaints from the public.[3] Her Instagram account was deleted at the time of her arrest.[4] Three days later, three more female Instagram influencers were arrested in Iran: Sahra Afsharian, Sara Shariatmadari and Niloufar Moti'ei.[9][10]
On 13 April 2020, Sahar Tabar was diagnosed with COVID-19 while serving her term in prison during the pandemic in Iran.[11]
Iranian television
On Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Channel 3 (IRIB TV3), it was reported that Tabar faced a prison sentence of between three months and two years on charges of "obtaining money through illegitimate means, and publishing inappropriate and vulgar photographs".[12]
Tabar was introduced as a "zombie" for a pre-trial interview broadcast on 22 October 2019 by IRIB TV2.[4] Although her face was blurred in the broadcast, Tabar stated that she did not look like her Instagram images because they were heavily Photoshopped in an attempt to look like the titular character in Corpse Bride.[13] She told the interviewer that her childhood dream was to become famous, and she had persisted with building her Instagram fame despite the objections of her mother.[13] Tabar admitted that she had not completed high school, and the broadcast claimed that her efforts to gain online fame had prevented her from advancing to higher education.[14]
The IRIB TV2 interview mitigated the charges against Tabar by presenting her as a person with a psychological disorder, who had believed her posts were acceptable because of the encouragement she received from her many Instagram followers.[4]
References
- ^ a b c Beachum, Lateshia (7 October 2019). "Iranian Instagram star known for cosmetic surgery is arrested for blasphemy". Washington Post. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ "Prosecutor's Office Announces Charges Against Sahar Tabar". Radio Zamaneh (in Persian). 4 January 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Iranian Instagram star arrested for blasphemy". BBC. 6 October 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "Iran TV Aires Confessions Of Detained Instagram Star". Radio Farda. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Sahar Tabar: Iran Instagram star known for plastic surgery arrested for blasphemy". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 7 October 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
- ^ Rahman, Khaleda (7 October 2019). "Who is Sahar Tabar? Iranian Instagram influencer who resembles Angelina Jolie arrested for blasphemy and encouraging corruption". Newsweek. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ Hosseini, Mir Masood (10 October 2019). "Iran Instagram star Sahar Tabar reportedly faces two years in jail". The Parseed. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ Giordano, Chiara (7 October 2019). "Instagram star 'arrested for blasphemy' in Iran". The Independent. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ "Three Young Women Arrested In Iran For Publishing Their Dance Videos". Radio Farda. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ Bavandpoori, Elena (18 October 2019). "Warum die iranische Regierung Instagrammer*innen verfolgt". Jetzt (in German). Retrieved 19 October 2019.
- ^ "سحر تبر در زندان به کرونا مبتلا شد" (in Persian). 13 April 2020.
- ^ Esfandiari, Sahar (9 October 2019). "The Iranian Instagram star who used cosmetic surgery and photoshop to look like Angelina Jolie reportedly faces up to 2 years in jail". Insider. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ a b Shahbazian, Armen (23 October 2019). "Iran parades jailed Instagram star on TV". BBC News. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ "'Zombie Angelina Jolie' lookalike paraded onto Iranian TV for interview, apology". ABC News. AFP. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.