The Sideshow meets the Oscars meets the Iranian fashion police!
It was no surprise to find out that the Iranian government was less than pleased with Argo. After all, the film chronicles the elaborate ruse that led to the escape of six American hostages being held in Iran in 1979. Iranian officials were duped into believing that their country would be featured in a Hollywood blockbuster, when in reality they were giving the CIA the access they needed to facilitate the escape of the hostages.
On Monday morning, Iranian state TV said the film was “an advertisement for the CIA” and Iran’s culture minister said the filmmakers “distorted history” in the production. Still, the official news service did report the movie’s Oscar win, rather than suppressing the news.
The fact that Argo won Best Picture wasn’t the only challenge for Iranian press officials.
The photo below is a snapshot of First Lady Michelle Obama during her presentation of the award for Best Picture. Mrs. Obama is getting plenty of positive attention for her wardrobe choice, designed by Naeem Khan.
But then there’s the version that you’d find if you happened to go to Iran’s Fars News Agency to find out who won the big awards.
Below is the photo released in Iran. Note the added fabric. What started as a scoop-neck, tank-style was evidently Photoshopped to incorporate a higher neckline and longer sleeves.
Mrs. Obama’s original dress did not adhere to the strict dress code of the Islamic republic.
Here in the United States, it’s probably not worth polling which dress the most fashion-conscious among us prefer (how else can we muster the courage to go to the gym if we can’t look at Michelle Obama’s arms for motivation?).
Wardrobe alterations aside, this is not the first time Fars has made its way to the Hardball Sideshow.
In September, the agency published a story with the eye-catching headline, “Gallup Poll: Rural Whites Prefer Ahmadinejad to Obama.”
Red flags going up? They should. The story originated with The Onion. Fars subsequently replaced that post with an apology for the error, but the screen grabs are here to stay.
(If that’s not enough First Lady for you, did you see her dance moves with Jimmy Fallon on Friday night? It’s all in the Sideshow! Check out the video above
Maryalice Aymong