Iranian authorities arrest 'corpse bride' Instagram star
AP, , Tuesday 8 Oct 2019
A semi-official news agency in Iran is reporting that a woman known for posting images of herself online trying to look like a lead character from Tim Burton's "The Corpse Bride" has been arrested


An Iranian woman known for posting images of herself online trying to look like a lead character from Tim Burton's "The Corpse Bride'' has been arrested, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

Tasnim said the woman, whom it identified only by her first name, Fatemah, was arrested Saturday.

It said authorities are looking to charge her with promoting violence, blasphemy and encouraging youth to corruption and insulting the Islamic dress code for women. News of her detention spread rapidly among internet users Monday in Iran, where she has a wide following on Instagram.

Iranian authorities regularly crack down on what they see as Western cultural influence. Many of the Islamic Republic's hard-liners view the country as fighting a cultural ``soft war'' against Westernization changing its mores.

In June, Iran's judiciary announced a telephone hotline for the public to report any violations of social norms, including of dress and behavior. Tasnim said the woman was arrested after members of the public made numerous calls of complaints to authorities.

The woman previously posted that she underwent plastic surgery to make herself resemble the character Emily, the stop-motion corpse bride voiced by Helena Bonham Carter in the 2005 film. Some images appeared digitally altered to heighten the look.

Initially, some referred to her as the "Angelina Jolie of Iran,'' but in comments on her photos she said she sought to resemble the Burton character.

Her appearance in her posts have been controversial in Iran, where some followers have criticized her looks and her resorting to plastic surgery.

Although nose jobs are fairly common in Iran for both men and women, the surgery apparently undergone by Fatemah appeared to be far more extreme.

In recent years, Iranian women _ especially in the capital, Tehran _ have worn the mandatory hair-covering scarf loosely on their head, drawing the ire of conservatives.

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