The ‘zombie’ Angelina Jolie lookalike has revealed her real face after being released from prison.
Sahar Tabar, whose real name is Fatemah Khishvand, went viral on social media in 2017 after uploading a series of photos on Instagram.
The images depicted her as a ‘zombified’ version of the Maleficent actress.
And while Tabar’s Instagram photos found her fame, they also backfired.
Sahar Tabar gained international fame around 2017 due to her eerie and exaggerated appearance, which she achieved through makeup, photo editing, and possibly cosmetic surgery.
Her unusual looks attracted both curiosity and criticism online.
But in October 2019, Sahar Tabar was arrested by Iranian authorities, per BBC News.
The arrest was part of a broader crackdown on social media influencers.
She was charged with blasphemy, inciting violence, gaining income through inappropriate means, and encouraging youth corruption.
Iran’s strict moral codes and censorship laws often target individuals who promote what is seen as Western or anti-Islamic lifestyles, Al Jazeera reports.
In December 2020, Sahar Tabar was sentenced to ten years in prison.
However, she was reported by The Guardian to have been granted a conditional release in mid-December 2020 after serving 14 months in prison.
The social media star has since appeared on the state-owned channel Rokna with her real face, leaving the internet shocked.
One person pens: “It’s amazing how many people put so much thought into what other people are doing to be comfortable in their own skin. Maybe if bad-mouthing and judging others wasn’t so common, fewer people would feel the need to alter their appearance.”
“Prayers for her,” another adds.
While a third pens: “Wow! It’s so sad what lengths people would go to for fame… they should have tackled her body dysmorphia rather than an uncalled-for prison sentence.”
Previously, many had been led to believe that Tahar’s Instagram appearance was the result of botched plastic surgery.
However, she stresses that this is not the case – instead, she used makeup and edited her snaps with Photoshop.
She explains: “What you saw on Instagram was the computer effects I used to create the image.
“Cyberspace was an easy way. It was much easier than becoming an actor.”
However, Tahar has reportedly acknowledged that she has had some cosmetic procedures, including a nose job and lip fillers.
The influencer admitted that she had altered images of herself back in 2017.
She told Russian news outlet Sputnik that she had done it to ‘amuse’ herself.
“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,” she explained to the outlet.
“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.
She added that fans are aware this isn’t her ‘real face.’
Tahar reportedly deleted her Instagram profile in 2019.
Iran has banned several major social media networks, including Facebook and X, formally known as Twitter.
And now, Tahar has hit the headlines once more for showing her real face.
Upon revealing her real face on the Rokna episode, Tahar explains: “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.”
Tabar adds that her posts – which she described as a ‘vulgarity’ – helped her to become famous.