When shocking photos of an unnaturally gaunt face with exaggerated features flooded Instagram in late 2017, the internet did what it does best—it lost its mind. The images belonged to Sahar Tabar, a then-17-year-old Iranian influencer whose striking appearance sparked one of the year’s most viral celebrity transformations. News outlets worldwide seized on the story, claiming the young woman had undergone an astonishing 50 plastic surgeries and lost nearly 90 pounds in pursuit of looking like Angelina Jolie. The narrative was compelling, the images were shocking, and the clicks were inevitable.
But what happens when the story you’ve been told turns out to be only part of the truth?
Sahar Tabar’s journey from anonymous teenager to global sensation is a cautionary tale about internet fame, the pressure to be remarkable, and how quickly misinformation can spread in our hyper-connected world. More importantly, it reveals something uncomfortable about ourselves—our willingness to believe the most extreme version of any story without pausing to ask critical questions.
The Rise of a Digital Phenomenon
The Iranian influencer who would become known as the “Zombie Angelina Jolie” didn’t set out to become famous by mimicking a Hollywood actress. According to her own statements, that was never the intention. Instead, what began as creative makeup artistry and photo editing evolved into something far more significant—a commentary on the nature of online identity itself. Tabar began posting heavily edited and elaborately made-up selfies to Instagram, experimenting with extreme makeup techniques and digital manipulation to create a distinctive visual aesthetic.
Her account exploded with followers. By late 2017, she had amassed over 400,000 Instagram followers, all watching as she continuously pushed the boundaries of her digital persona. Major news outlets, from CNN to Newsweek, began publishing stories about her, each amplifying the narrative that she had undergone dozens of surgical procedures to achieve this otherworldly look. The Belgian website Sud Info reported that she had completed “50 plastic surgeries in just a few months.” The number became gospel—repeated in article after article, claim after claim, until it became accepted fact.
When Art Becomes Obsession, and Fame Becomes Consequence
Tabar would later explain what had actually happened. “It is Photoshop and makeup,” she told the Russian news agency Sputnik in December 2017. “Every time I publish a photo, I paint my face in an increasingly funny way. It is a way of expressing yourself, a kind of art. My followers know that this is not my real face.” She acknowledged undergoing some actual cosmetic procedures—a nose job, lip fillers, and liposuction—but insisted the extreme “zombie” appearance was primarily the result of makeup artistry, digital editing, and photo manipulation.
Yet the viral narrative had already taken hold. By 2019, the consequences of international notoriety came knocking. Iranian authorities arrested Tabar on charges including blasphemy, inciting violence, illegally obtaining money, and violating dress code regulations. The young woman’s bold online persona, which had once brought her fame and followers, now brought her legal trouble in her home country. The arrest was a watershed moment—where the lines between internet fame and real-world consequences blurred dangerously.
The Unmasking
Following her release from custody, Tabar did what seemed unthinkable to her millions of followers: she revealed her actual face. The side-by-side comparisons were striking not because of cosmetic differences, but because of how completely different reality looked from the carefully curated digital image. In interviews, she explained that she had initially wanted to become famous since childhood, and that the digital realm provided an easier path than traditional entertainment industry routes.
What makes Tabar’s story particularly relevant is what it reveals about social media culture. Her extreme makeup artistry and photo editing weren’t unique—they were simply more extreme versions of what millions of young people do daily. The difference was that her work caught the internet’s attention and became a vehicle for projecting our own anxieties about beauty standards, body image, and the costs of chasing digital fame.
What Really Happened?
The truth, as is often the case, is more nuanced than the headlines suggested. Tabar’s actual cosmetic procedures were significant but far from the 50-surgery claim that circulated. Medical experts who reviewed her appearance in 2017 noted that while she had clearly undergone some surgical procedures, much of the distortion came from extreme weight loss, heavy makeup application, and digital manipulation. One prominent plastic surgeon suggested that malnutrition and possible eating disorders may have contributed to her skeletal appearance.
In her interviews following her release from prison, Tabar acknowledged that her quest for fame had consumed her teenage years. She admitted to becoming absorbed in building her Instagram presence at the expense of her education and family relationships. Her mother had objected to her cosmetic procedures, but Tabar persisted in her pursuit of notoriety.
The Larger Conversation
Sahar Tabar’s story transcends a simple narrative about extreme plastic surgery. It speaks to deeper questions about the pressures young people face to be remarkable, the algorithms that reward extreme content, and the way the internet can transform personal artistic expression into a vehicle for judgment and mockery.
It also serves as a reminder to be skeptical of sensational claims. The “50 surgeries” narrative was eye-catching and shareable, but it wasn’t entirely accurate. It was a simplified version of a more complex reality. Yet that simplified version spread globally, was repeated by reputable news organizations, and became the lens through which billions understood Tabar’s transformation.
Today, Tabar has stepped back from social media. She has indicated she has no plans to return to Instagram, having recognized that the platform that brought her fame also brought unwanted legal and personal consequences. Her appearance without makeup tells a very different story than her carefully edited online photos—a story of a young woman who is ordinary in every way except for the extraordinary circumstances her decision to pursue digital fame created.
The real transformation in Sahar Tabar’s story isn’t about surgery or makeup. It’s about a young person learning the hard way about the real costs of chasing an internet-fueled fantasy of fame.