Iranian 'Corpse Bride' arrested for Instagram blasphemy

Sahar Tabar has gained notoriety for her bizarre photos.
Sahar Tabar has gained notoriety for her bizarre photos. Photo credit: Instagram / @sahartabar_official

An Iranian woman who gained notoriety for trying to look like Angelina Jolie has been arrested for blasphemy and instigating violence.

Sahar Tabar rose to fame in 2017 for her extreme appearance, documented via her Instagram account. Media reports at the time said the 22-year-old was trying to look like Hollywood star Jolie, but her sunken cheeks, inflated lips and upturned nose earned her more comparisons to the titular character in Tim Burton's film The Corpse Bride. 

Iranian news agency Tasnim reports Tabar was recently arrested after members of the public made complaints about her behaviour. 

She has reportedly been charged with blasphemy, instigating violence, illegally acquiring property, violating the Muslim country's dress code and encouraging young people to commit corruption. 

The Iranian government enforces strict rules around women's clothing and behaviour. In 2018 teenager Maedeh Hojrabi was arrested for posting videos of herself dancing, prompting online outrage.

Tabar's online presence tends toward the surreal, posting heavily edited photos of herself in different bizarre scenarios. 

In 2017 there were rumours she'd undergone 50 different cosmetic surgeries, but Tabar later admitted while she has gone under the knife, Photoshop is behind her extreme photos.

"Every time I publish a photo, I distort my face in an increasingly funny way," she told Russian publication Sputnik. "It is a way of expressing yourself, a kind of art. My fans know that this is not my real face."

While she hadn't intended to imitate either Jolie or the Corpse Bride, she enjoyed the international attention and huge boost in Instagram followers so continued editing her photos to look more and more unnatural.

Newshub.