If you were on social media between 2017 and 2019, you've probably come across Sahar Tabar. Even if you don't recognize her name, you've almost certainly seen the viral photos that earned her the nickname "Zombie Angelina Jolie."
Her real name is Fatemeh Khishvand, and the woman many dubbed the "Zombie Angelina Jolie" is now 25 years old. At the time those photos went viral, however, she was just 16 — a normal teenager using Instagram. Her eerie-looking appearance grabbed everyone's attention, and to explain her looks, she claimed she had undergone 50 different cosmetic procedures. But where is she now?
Pictures of Sahar Tabar were all over social media, and it made everyone wonder if cosmetic surgeries had been taken too far
At the time, the influencer was only 16 years old, but she claimed she'd already undergone over 50 surgeries to get her emaciated and sickly signature look
Sahar's life took a major turn after her Instagram account went viral, but that level of fame didn't come without consequences. For starters, she used the fake name Sahar Tabar to maintain a degree of anonymity, and her zombie-like appearance quickly became an online persona; she became so famous that it caught the attention of even the Iranian government.
Most people assumed she was just another person trying to impersonate a celebrity — a growing phenomenon that experts say can lead to all kinds of identity and dissociation issues. In reality, however, she later revealed that she had actually been trying to look like Tim Burton's The Corpse Bride. Still, many believed she looked more like Angelina Jolie's, which is how she ended up known as "Zombie Angelina Jolie."
Going as far as to post pictures with her nose taped up, many believed in her story, thinking she was just another person looking for attention
And while it is true she sought fame, her intention was not to resemble Angelina Jolie as a zombie - instead, she wanted to look like Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
While many people were just as fascinated as they were freaked out by her appearance in the photos, it took some time before Sahar came clean. At the height of her online popularity, the aspiring actress claimed she had undergone more than 50 cosmetic procedures, but that turned out to be a lie. In reality, she had been using Photoshop and Instagram filters to heavily alter her photos.
She even posted pictures with bandages on her nose, making it look as though she had recently undergone surgery. Her real appearance, however, is far more natural, but no one knew what she actually looked like for years. Unfortunately, the persona didn't last long, and by 2019, her online fame had grown so much that she was arrested on charges of blasphemy, depravity, and obtaining income through illegal means.
Her real appearance, however, was a lot less zombie-fied, and the fact that she promoted the altered pictures was enough to warrant a visit from Iranian authorities
Citing blasphemy, depravity, and getting money through illegal means, Tabar was charged with three crimes and was in prison for 14 months
After serving her time, she made it abundantly clear that the images were altered and that nowadays, she doesn't even have social media
Initially, the woman deleted her social media accounts, but that didn't stop the Iranian government from pursuing her. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but she was released on bail after serving 14 months. Once she was finally out, however, she decided to tell her side of the story. "What you saw on Instagram was the computer effects I used to create the image," she said.
Although it had all been fictional, she said she no longer planned to share edited pictures on social media, despite once wanting to become famous. As she explained, she had wanted fame since she was a child, and "cyberspace was an easy way" to achieve it. Apparently, because it seemed much easier than becoming an actor, the former influencer chose to pursue social media fame instead.
That, however, didn't go as planned. And we don't know exactly where Sahar is today. Since her arrest and subsequent interviews, the former influencer has largely faded from the public eye. On top of that, the current geopolitical situation in Iran has severely limited internet connectivity, making it much harder to keep up with public figures, let alone former internet celebrities.
With that said, do you remember her photos? I honestly didn't remember her until I saw them again, and suddenly all those memories came flooding back. At the time, did you think the pictures were real, or did you suspect they had been edited? Let us know in the comments!
In the present day, it's impossible to know what Sabar is up to due to the geopolitical situation in Iran, but the pictures still entertain people to this day
