- Sahar Tabar, the Iranian woman who became an Instagram star following her drastic cosmetic surgery procedures appeared on state television in a public confession video on Iran’s IRIB Channel 2.
- Tabar’s face was blurred throughout the interview as she talked about what led her to adopt her online persona, which saw her compared to a “Zombie Angelina Jolie” and the “Corpse Bride,” a Tim Burton character.
- “I have wanted to be famous from a very young age, either an actress or performer,” Tabar told the interviewer.
- She also blamed her increasingly unusual looks on the huge amount of likes and follows she was getting from her supporters online.
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The Iranian instagram star known as Sahar Tabar, who gained a huge following online for her drastic cosmetic surgery procedures, appeared on Iranian state television in a public confession.
In the interview segment which was aired on Iranian state channel IRIB 2 on Wednesday, Tabar was interviewed by a reporter from the channel about her drastic surgery and rise to fame online.
Tabar’s face was blurred throughout the interview, she appeared relaxed and was strikingly honest about her intentions.
“I have wanted to be famous from a very young age, either an actress or performer” she said.
She also flatly denied accusations that she was trying to resemble Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie, and instead named the animated character "The Corpse Bride," a character in the Tim Burton movie of the same name, as the inspiration behind her drastic cosmetic surgery procedures.
"That was entirely my intention behind getting the various cosmetic surgeries," she said.
She said that she used photoshop in her photos and does not currently resemble the photos of her online.
She went on to say that the huge amount of attention and likes she got from her fans online fueled her actions to create increasingly unusual looks.
"The people who show their support online [for social media influencers] are the reason why we might drown in our own mistakes," she said.
"In the space of one year I gained 200,000 followers online," said Tabar.
Before her arrest Tabar had 486,000 followers on her Instagram page.
The full interview segment has been uploaded on the IRIB News Instagram page below.
http://instagr.am/p/B37bLFzB4tZ
In the segment, the interview with Tabar was interrupted by psychologist Sima Ferdowsi who commented on the reasons behind Tabar's actions.
"People who view material like this online and "like" it may not realise why the people they are following are acting in this way or what the root is to this behaviour. The public also need to be more aware," said Ferdowsi.
She said that Tabar's behaviour was a way of gaining attention and increasing her own self confidence.
Tabar was arrested October 5 on several charges including blasphemy, corrupting the youth and obtaining money through illegitimate means, according to Tasnim news agency.
The Instagrammer could face up to two years in jail if found guilty.
Tabar gained wide recognition in Iran and internationally for her drastic and numerous cosmetic-surgery procedures and unique aesthetic-distinguishable by her narrow, upturned nose, accentuated pout and sharp, hollow cheek bones.